Could LaDainian Tomlinson Overhaul His Charger in Detroit?

By now, any sports fan worth their salt has heard about LaDainian Tomlinson's departure from San Diego.

Two-years in the making; Tomlinson's career as a Charger ended on a bittersweet note this week. Now it's time for the future Hall of Famer to look forward and weigh his options for the 2010 season. 

There is a cluster of teams that are or could be interested in the NFL's eighth all-time leading rusher: New Orleans (who may not necessarily need/want him), New England, Green Bay, and Kansas City.

So what team would benefit from a Tomlinson overhaul? What team could use a little fuel-injection?

What team resides in the motor capitol of the world?! Yes, you guessed it, the Detroit Lions.

With budding youngster Matt Stafford at quarterback, there is potential for the abysmal Lions offense after all. Stafford has had the luxury of developing alongside one of the NFL's best receivers, the 6'5" Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. There's a missing part here, and the 5'10" 221-pound Tomlinson could be just the spark-plug Detroit needs.

Lion fans watched Barry Sanders defy the laws of physics for nearly a decade—there hasn't been a player of Sanders' pedigree in the Motor City since he left. Number one draft picks and speculation won't bring success, but the former Charger war-horse could.

Once thought to be the future of the Lions' run-game, Kevin Smith has been quite the opposite. Smith has been riddled with injuries, and his stock has taken a dramatic nose dive into the land of mediocrity.

Smith, the former Central Florida star, showed promise in his rookie season, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards (976) and reaching the end zone eight times. Unfortunately, good health is at a premium for the 23 year old.

If Smith is the new, shiny late model sports car, Tomlinson is the classic Dodge Charger that is tried and true. 

Tomlinson ran for 737 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2009—at 30-years old and being "past his prime." His numbers from a season ago are comparable to Smith's stellar debut.

A grizzled veteran like Tomlinson could help whip the Motor City Kitties into shape. He possesses leadership, knowledge of the game, and most importantly, the will to win. His cool and calm demeanor could help settle the franchise's chaos, anything's worth a shot at this point. 

Tomlinson's numbers don't lie.

He has scampered for 1,000 plus yards in eight of his nine years in the league, eclipsing 1,400 yards six times. Don't write Tomlinson off just yet, he's still got plenty of gas in that 30 year-old tank of his.

Detroit could be the perfect destination for one of the NFL's most prolific running backs to get back behind the wheel and get his motor revving.