Green Lantern: It's Now Or Maybe Never, LT
By Jeff Capellini, CBSNewYork.com
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- They got him for just this very scenario.
We could spend hours discussing if the offseason signing of LaDainian Tomlinson was truly worth it for the Jets, but the truth is we still don't know. The future Hall of Famer had a highly productive regular season, but it's hard to argue that the Jets wouldn't be in this very spot if he hadn't come aboard. The only thing we truly do know is he's healthy and should be highly motivated to accomplish the one thing he's never done during a superlative 10-year NFL career.
Win a championship.
Tomlinson came into training camp in maybe the best shape of his life and it showed during the season's first half when he played like an early candidate for league MVP. The explosion through the line was there. The open field magic and goal line prowess were there and his hands remained one of his greatest weapons.
But something happened to him in the second half that may have been through no fault of his own. His productivity slipped dramatically. Now many said publicly that age may have caught up to him and that he needed to be used in a lesser or more complimentary role the rest of the way to guarantee he'd be 100 percent for the playoffs, so that maybe he could again become the LT of old instead of the LT looking old.
I tend to believe there was or is nothing wrong with Tomlinson. I think the Jets' sporadic offensive play following their 5-1 start was almost entirely the fault of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer not having the confidence in any one offensive scheme. I've written repeatedly that Schotty tends to leave a lot to be desired in the game-planning department. However, as we found out toward the end of the regular season, this offense doesn't appear to be the Jets Achilles' heel. It's painful for many Jets fans to accept, but the truth is this defense has not lived up to its advanced billing.
Still, Tomlinson's role was diminished over the final five or six games. Shonn Greene rightly started to take on more of the load and quarterback Mark Sanchez worked through some bumps to show he's certainly the man to guide this franchise for the next decade. The offensive line, itself an enigma at times over the past few months, looks now to be ready for perhaps the most important month of its collective life.
There's nothing about the Colts' defense that should scare the Jets when the teams take the field Saturday night in Indianapolis in the wildcard round. Indy rolled into the playoffs based on the play of arguably one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game. But Peyton Manning can't tackle two running backs, put pressure on Sanchez and cover Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller. There's really no reason why the Jets shouldn't be able to move the ball at will against the Colts.
And to do that Tomlinson must step to the fore and show he's willing to make good on all the reasons why he said he wanted to come to the Jets in the first place. Why so much emphasis on Tomlinson? Because he's got the most to lose. Sure, he's going to Canton, but to truly validate his exceptional career he needs to be a champion, and he especially needs to become one on the team he chose over all others when the time came to make perhaps the most important decision of his career.
He can begin to make good on all of it on Saturday when the idea will be for the Jets to own the football, pound the hell out of the Colts on the ground and then let Sanchez have his way through the air.
I'd expect Greene to be the workhorse, but Schottenheimer can be impossible to predict, even if the plays called on the field mostly are not. We just don't know how he will use Greene and Tomlinson. Conventional wisdom would suggest Greene will be the machine between the 20s and Tomlinson will be the change-of-pace guy who should catch a bunch of passes and then be the battering ram in the red zone -- just like many thought would be the original design back in August.
But, again, we really don't know what's going on in Schottenheimer's head.
Tomlinson needs to leave nothing to chance. The one thing that has bothered me while watching him this season has been that despite his added bulk and strength he's struggled to break tackles, often going down on the first hit. Is that a product of advanced age? Maybe. But with the members of the line now apparently all on the same page it's up to Tomlinson to make the most out of every touch he gets.
One also has to hope that Sanchez has gotten over this need to always use Tomlinson as his check-down alternative. Sanchez still panics sometimes out there and instead of finding LT in space or surveying the field for his other weapons like Keller, who's often wide open down the middle and in the seams, he's often just chucked the ball wildly to No. 21 without thinking.
Ultimately, a balanced attack is what will keep Manning off the field. Schottenheimer has to use Greene and Tomlinson to set up the pass. If he does and the backfield combo has success, Sanchez will feast on the Colts deep.
Tomlinson really has a lot to prove to himself. He knows he's failed in the playoffs in the past, sometimes miserably. If Schottenheimer gives him the opportunity to make a difference on Saturday -- and perhaps a few more games after -- he must seize it and show that he truly was the missing link the Jets needed to get over the hump that stood between a very good team and an exceptional team.
Tomlinson carried the ball 219 times during the regular season, a career low. He sat out the regular season finale against the Bills to make sure he'd be 100 percent for the playoffs. He's received all the rest a man could ever want and yet still managed to amass 1,282 all-purpose yards and finish with 52 receptions, one behind Edwards for the team lead.
There simply are no excuses anyone can make for the man. He either will be the Jets' secret weapon on offense or he won't be. But the bottom line is he was brought here to put the Jets over the top. It really is now or maybe never for a player who's as deserving of a title as anyone to come before him.
But as we all know even the nicest guys with superior abilities and the best of intentions often fall short.
Just ask Curtis Martin.
