LaDainian Tomlinson and His Legacy: The 2009 Campaign Could Prove Critical

The 2009 season could very well be the year that defines LaDainian Tomlinson's career with the Chargers.

Understand, his post-retirement ticket to Canton has an open date to be filled in upon his near-certain election to the Hall in his first year of eligibility.

It is worth noting as well that the best running back in franchise history long ago won the hearts of the local faithful, with admiring fans scattered across the landscape.

And unquestionably, there is football left to be played for Tomlinson, his 30th birthday having passed notwithstanding.

What remains unsettled for LT, though, and also for a team that graduated to the NFL along with the rest of the AFL in 1971, is a Super Bowl title.

Of course, championships are not won by the singular efforts of one man. It requires a collective assembly, not to mention good fortune and relatively good health.

But a ring would cement Tomlinson's legacy in a town that is still waiting for its first parade.

Dan Fouts couldn't deliver.

It took all of three plays for Steve Young and the Niners to run Junior Seau and his pals out of Miami in Super Bowl XXIX.

And aside from those Fouts teams under Air Coryell or those defensively stubborn Bobby Ross squads, no other iteration of the Chargers has been close to Super Bowl worthy.

Until now.

This Chargers group has steered its fans agonizingly close the last few years, only to leave them with the taste of warm beer.

Playoff losses following the '04 and '06 seasons cost Marty Schottenheimer his job. And in the last two years, the Chargers have proven to be an entertaining piece to the postseason NFL tournament, but have lacked the ability to play more than a supporting role in the league's annual winter theater.

And fair or not, some of the blame has been placed at the supremely talented feet of LT.

Postseason exits the last two seasons have seen Tomlinson largely playing the role of spectator.

In the Chargers' loss in Pittsburgh this past January, LT did not play.

A week earlier against the Colts, he carried the ball five times and scored the Chargers' first touchdown with a three-yard run in the second quarter.

It was a disappointing finish to a season that saw Tomlinson slowed by a toe injury and finally a groin strain that sidelined him in the divisional round against the Steelers.

It's tough to call out a player for being hurt, but it's his inability to be on the field at crunch time in the Chargers' last two postseason exits (he managed just two carries against New England in the 2008 AFC Conference Championship loss) that has fueled the fire of his skeptics.

Even solid efforts in two other postseason appearances—123 yards on the ground and a pair of scores with 64 yards receiving against the Patriots in '07, and 80 yards rushing with another 53 through the air against the Jets in '05—couldn't help produce victories.

Which sets up 2009 as a make or break season of sorts.

A productive and injury-free year with a run to the Super Bowl would certainly silence any whispers of lost steps and solidify an image that Tomlinson so richly deserves.

One, too, that could challenge Tony Gwynn as the city's supreme sportsman.

LT, a 2001 first-round selection that could have gone to Michael Vick if not for some deft pre-draft day maneuvering, helped erase the lingering fog of the Ryan Leaf years.

Quickly returning fans' interest to the field, Tomlinson soared up the list of the game's great running backs while earning five trips to the Pro Bowl, getting three All-Pro nods, and becoming the league's MVP in 2006.

He is currently 14th in career rushing yards and is within five 100-yard games from reaching the top 10.

More impressive has been his ability to find the end zone. LT trails only Emmitt Smith on the career TD list for running backs with 126 and is tied for fourth with Terrell Owens among all players.

Those numbers have produced a Hall of Fame resume, but it's clear Tomlinson is looking for more and possibly has something to prove.

Signed through 2011, LT has indicated he might not seek another contract and instead opt for retirement at the age of 33. But the Chargers, too, may be looking for a new direction if Tomlinson's production dips again in 2009.

Last year he gained 1,110 yards rushing, a career low, and scored 12 touchdowns—fewest since his rookie season.

With an eye to the future, the Chargers affixed the franchise tag to Darren Sproles who will likely see an increased role in the offense this season.

But LT, who has had three different injuries (MCL strain, toe, groin) since December 2007, is ready to prove 30 is his new 20.

Plenty of support will help too, with Philip Rivers emerging as one of the NFL's elite passers and a bevy of talented receivers on offense, and the return of Shawne Merriman and a healthy Antonio Cromartie on defense.

Perception is everything, though, and winning cures all ills, making 2009 the season LT could produce his greatest gains.