Tomlinson Making Huge Impact on Jets

WhiteShoeWillis · Sep 23, 2010

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets believe their eyes. They've seen what LaDainian Tomlinson can do, how this future Hall of Famer -- pronounced D.O.A. by critics on both coasts -- has made himself young again.

They also believe their ears. They've heard him at his best and that, teammates and coaches say, is just as impressive as Tomlinson turning the corner on a "60 Zone" running play.

In a recent team meeting, Tomlinson asked to speak to the group. It surprised many because he's not a vocal player, but when an all-time great requests the floor, you hand him a microphone and let him go for as long as he wants.

Tomlinson spoke for several minutes to a rapt audience, but it wasn't the typical and tired "Time to step up" speech given by so many wannabe leaders. He came at them with Lombardi.

Displayed in his house is a framed copy of Vince Lombardi's famous motivational speech, "What it takes to be No. 1." Tomlinson's football doctrine is embodied in those words. He read the speech for maybe the 1,000th time, a refresher before he spoke to the team.

"I took notes from it, just some things I wanted to share with the team about what it really takes -- commitment, discipline, everybody buying in, everybody sticking together," Tomlinson said.

He blew away the room. Running backs coach Anthony Lynn said, "It was so powerful, the words he said and how he said them." It was an E.F. Hutton moment, and those don't happen too often on a team known for high-decibel levels and four-letter words.

Obviously, Tomlinson is a Lombardi fan, but as much as he admires the legendary coach's philosophy on life and football, his dream is to experience the ultimate Lombardi moment in early February.

"I want to hold that trophy at the end of the year," said Tomlinson, hoping the Jets have what it takes to be No. 1.

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"Winning is not a sometime thing, it's an all-the-time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while. You do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."
-- Vince Lombardi

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Anthony Lynn isn't a big numbers guy. He knows stats can be misleading, especially for a running back. So when he was asked to evaluate Tomlinson as a possible replacement for Thomas Jones, he ignored the career-low 730 yards and horrible 3.3 yards-per-carry average last season with the San Diego Chargers.

He turned on the film and trusted his eyes.

"I saw flashes of the old LT, the MVP LT," Lynn said.

He also saw "some inconsistency," but Lynn attributed that to a variety of factors -- an early-season ankle injury that never healed and a shift in offensive philosophy. The Chargers no longer were Tomlinson's team; it belonged to quarterback Philip Rivers.

Marty Ball was dead; the Chargers became a fast-break passing offense. Tomlinson became like Mike Myers' lead character in the "Austin Powers" movies, a star from a different generation trying to keep up in the modern world.

"They didn't use him the way I knew we'd use him," Lynn said.

The Jets use a ground-and-pound offense with a zone-blocking scheme that seems to have enhanced Tomlinson's cutback ability. In two games, he has rushed for a team-high 138 yards, with per-carry averages of 5.6 and 6.9 yards, respectively.

The last time he hit 5.6 or better in back-to-back games? You have to go back, back, back to 2007, the 14th and 15th games.

In running-back years, that's a lifetime ago. Tomlinson rushed for 1,474 yards that year, his last spectacular season. Since then, his production has steadily declined. That, coupled with his age (31), led to the obvious conclusion:

He's done. Finished. A useless antique.

But the thing about great running backs is they don't become great because they run fast and are strong. Those are the prerequisites; the intangibles -- heart and pride -- make them special. For the first time in his life, Tomlinson was being questioned. Heart and pride kicked in.

"All that talk about him being washed up, I think it really pissed him off," tackle Damien Woody said.

So Tomlinson reported to the Jets in fantastic shape, dazzled his teammates in the spring and took it to the games, providing a nice complement to Shonn Greene's inside running.

"He does carry a chip on his shoulder," Lynn said. "He does want to prove people wrong. He's heard all the whispers about being washed up and having nothing left in the tank. That's good. I want him to stay that way."

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"Some guys play with their heads. That's OK … But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second."
-- Vince Lombardi

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Tomlinson's signature play -- so far -- came late in the third quarter against the New England Patriots on Sunday. The call was "60 Zone," a basic off-tackle run to the right. He hit it hard, eluded Pats linebacker Rob Ninkovich in the slot and turned the corner. This is where a 31-year-old back is supposed to get dragged down, but he outran the pursuit -- a zero-to-60 mph moment.

"There's some equipment still on the field," cracked head coach Rex Ryan, alluding to the would-be tackler's jock strap.

Thirty-one yards later, Tomlinson was tackled by safety Patrick Chung, who took a can't-miss angle and stopped him at the 4-yard line. Suddenly, it was 2007, everybody chasing LT.

"Is he actually better than I thought he would be?" Ryan asked. "Yes, he is. I thought he was going to be outstanding, and he's better."

Tomlinson feels rejuvenated by the Jets, but here's the twist to the story: The Jets feel rejuvenated by him.

He's playing with the enthusiasm of a rookie, springing to his feet after big runs, banging his helmet and playing to the crowd. He's having fun, clean fun. This is a troubled team, tainted by off-the-field issues, that can learn from Tomlinson's example, on and off the field.

In training camp, Ryan and his assistant coaches lamented the lack of leadership on offense. With Jones gone, the offense lacks an emotional leader. Maybe Tomlinson, a Jet for only six months, is stepping into that role.

"He brings an energy to this team that I think was missing," Lynn said. "You have a lot of guys like that on defense, but you don't have a lot of guys like that on offense. It's good to see that."

Tomlinson plays like Lombardi spoke, with passion and conviction. He conveyed that in a quiet room, with 70-something players and coaches listening intently as a legend quoted a legend:

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle -- victorious."

Tomlinson longs for those days. Still.
Click to expand...

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/columns/story?columnist=cimini_rich&id=5608140

NY Jets68 · Sep 23, 2010

I said it last week during the game and I'll say again, LT will be the spark that lights the fire.

Thanks for posting and linking WSW.

The Dark Knight · Sep 23, 2010

Thomas Who??

Poeman · Sep 23, 2010

How special would it be if we won the super bowl and LT became MVP of the game

That would be a great story

nyjetsrule · Sep 23, 2010

LT has been outstanding for us so far, if he keeps it up in the coming weeks, he will be getting more touches than greene all year long. The guy is going to return to greatness here in NY, albeit without the stats to back it up.

He deserves a ring, and i'll be damned if we aren't going to find a way to get him one either this year, or next.

KWJetsFan · Sep 23, 2010

I've been a big fan of LT's as an individual player. It's been sad to see him sit in the Playoffs the last few years. He's truly an all-time great.

With that said, I was hoping, and continue to hope, he is used sparingly out of the backfield. Obviously, primarily as a receiver. I think that gives him the best chance to maintain fresh legs throughout the season. I also think it's where he will be most effective. I'd really like to see Greene start to establish himself as a bigtime workhorse. That will just make L.T. better.

Here's to hoping he scores 3 TD's this week.

tpjets62 · Sep 23, 2010

Great article and I will say I have been most impressed by LT. Great move by the FO!

Frenbar · Sep 23, 2010

I thought LT was going to be decent coming in to the season, but didn't expect to see him running with the fire that he has been. Hope he can keep it up all season and through the playoffs.

dcm1602 · Sep 23, 2010

SufferingJetsFan said: ↑

With that said, I was hoping, and continue to hope, he is used sparingly out of the backfield. Obviously, primarily as a receiver. I think that gives him the best chance to maintain fresh legs throughout the season. I also think it's where he will be most effective. I'd really like to see Greene start to establish himself as a bigtime workhorse. That will just make L.T. better.

Here's to hoping he scores 3 TD's this week.
Click to expand...

I agree somewhat.

Im hoping they use him just enough, but not too much. Using Greene to pound it down their throats and wear em down then just bring in LT for important downs only.

Because once we hit the playoffs I wanna see LT @ completely 100% and for them to totally set him loose.

TommyGreen · Sep 23, 2010

Leon Who??????????????????????

BadgerOnLSD · Sep 23, 2010

TommyGreen said: ↑

Leon Who??????????????????????
Click to expand...

10 carries 29 yards

ArodtoJennings · Sep 23, 2010

Until he meets Clay Matthews in week 8. That will be a good matchup.

Pluvrr · Sep 23, 2010

yeah gotta love LT. I remember way back when the Jets played against him in his prime. He was freaking unstoppable.

dcm1602 · Sep 23, 2010

ArodtoJennings said: ↑

Until he meets Clay Matthews in week 8. That will be a good matchup.
Click to expand...

Matthews is a pass rusher not a run stopper.

WhiteShoeWillis · Sep 23, 2010

LT has to be a pleasant surprise for most. I know I really didn't expect to see him running the way he is. I mean, I guess I figured he'd be better behind our o-line but he really does look like a different LT.

I really hope he lights the Fins up - the fins fans were pounding there chests about how much of a downgrade he was for us. lol.

BadgerOnLSD · Sep 23, 2010

WhiteShoeWillie said: ↑

I really hope he lights the Fins up - the fins fans were pounding there chests about how much of a downgrade he was for us. lol.
Click to expand...

How does one downgrade from Thomas Jones? You'd need to have some sort of invalid at running back.

TommyGreen · Sep 23, 2010

BadgerOnLSD said: ↑

10 carries 29 yards
Click to expand...

I went to Yahoo to check his stats, and got this:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/7866

Something is wrong.

WhiteShoeWillis · Sep 23, 2010

TommyGreen said: ↑

I went to Yahoo to check his stats, and got this:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/7866

Something is wrong.
Click to expand...

lol

Miamipuck · Sep 23, 2010

BadgerOnLSD said: ↑

How does one downgrade from Thomas Jones? You'd need to have some sort of invalid at running back.
Click to expand...

dcm1602 · Sep 23, 2010

BadgerOnLSD said: ↑

How does one downgrade from Thomas Jones? You'd need to have some sort of invalid at running back.
Click to expand...

If we didnt have LT and Greene got hurt youd find out real fast.

Tomlinson Making Huge Impact on Jets

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