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Running back LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers agreed to a renegotiated contract late yesterday (three years, the dollar amount was not immediately available) that will not only give the Bolts salary cap room but will also keep L.T. under contract through the 2011 season. This puts to rest nearly two months of speculation that LaDainian’s days in San Diego were numbered. L.T. was understandably happy the drama was finished:

“I love San Diego and being a part of this team with my teammates. My number-one priority was to stay here in San Diego. I truly believe this is the place that gives me the best chance to be successful and win a championship. I want to finish the job we started when I got here eight years ago. My heart has always been in San Diego. I couldn’t imagine putting on another uniform. I really appreciate the role Dean (Spanos, Chargers’ president) played throughout this process. He made it work for everyone, and I appreciate his friendship more than he knows.”

L.T. has been the lifeblood of the San Diego Chargers for the past eight years, but you know how it goes with 30-something running backs in the NFL (L.T. is currently 29-years-old). Nevertheless, despite some nagging injuries the past few seasons, LaDainian Tomlinson continues to be one of the best all-purpose running backs in the National Football League.

Source: Chargers.com, Photo: Newscom

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Rumors of LaDainian Tomlinson leaving the San Diego Chargers are so far just that — rumors. But LT addressed the situation on his personal Web site — LaDainianTomlinson.com — this past week, saying:

“I have been getting a lot of messages on my site regarding me leaving San Diego. I feel that I need to make it very clear that I have NO intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my career started and where I’d like it to end. I have nothing but love and the utmost respect for this team, the players, and the Spanos Family. Me being traded is completely out of my hands. I have ABSOLUTELY no control in that decision making. All I can do is wait and see how it all plays out. As for now, I am a Charger and will be until I am told otherwise.

That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence that LT will be returning to the Chargers. I believe he’ll be asked to take a pay cut in order to stay in San Diego. And I probably don’t need to tell you that won’t go over very well. The recently oft-injured LT is due base salaries of $6.725 million in 2009, $8 million in 2010, and $9.275 million in 2011. He has taken a good deal of punishment during his eight-year career and he’ll be 30 years old next season. A running back’s shelf life in the National Football League just isn’t that long. Look at how quickly Shaun Alexander went from MVP to unemployed. Shaun’s 31 and he can’t even find a team that wants him anymore. Sadly, a similar fate could await LT over the next couple years.

Source: LaDainianTomlinson.com, Photo: Newscom

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San Diego Chargers running back/return specialist Darren Sproles had a busy night. With starting RB LaDainian Tomlinson limited to just five carries because of a nagging and potentially serious groin injury, Darren more than picked up the slack as the San Diego Chargers beat the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 tonight in an AFC Wild Card game. Darren had a whopping 328 all-purpose yards — 105 yards on 23 carries; 45 yards on five receptions; and he averaged 25 yards on seven punt and kickoff returns. It was the third most all-purpose yards in NFL playoff history. Chargers receiver Chris Chambers summed-up Darren’s stellar performance after the game:

“He was a busy guy tonight and he just kept making plays. You see a guy like that work so hard and you just get so happy for him individually. He gave this team a huge lift tonight.”

OK, what Chris means by “a guy like that” is that Darren is just 5-6 and 181 pounds. Generally speaking, being that short would not encourage a person to pursue a career as a professional athlete unless they were going to be a jockey. And naturally, the knock on Darren has been and will always be his size. So he has to prove people wrong on a daily basis. One of the first comments I heard after this amazing performance was that he could never hold up week after week, carrying the ball 20-25 times per game as a full-time starter. I beg to differ. Because of his height (or lack therefore) and incredible quickness, he’s able to avoid a lot of the crushing hits that would sideline any player that handled the ball that many times per game. He’s certainly not slight of build like a Roscoe Parrish (receiver, Bills) or DeSean Jackson (reciever, Eagles). The Chargers should find a way to keep Darren. He and L.T. provide a potent one-two punch at the running back position. But if they don’t, I think Darren can thrive anywhere in the popular dual RB role so many teams are employing these days. Whatever happens, I believe he may have already cashed-in based on tonight’s performance.

Source: Chargers.com, Photo: Newscom

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Brett Favre’s N.Y. Jets jersey is the hottest selling NFL jersey right now. Here’s how the rest of the top ten shake out. These are the top-selling jerseys on NFLShop.com from April 1-Oct. 15, 2008:

1. Brett Favre, New York Jets
2. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
3. Eli Manning, New York Giants
4. Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys
5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
6. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
7. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
8. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
9. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
10. Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys

The only surprise on the list was Jason Witten. I didn’t see him as being that popular. And where is Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco? Or Reggie Bush?

Source: CNBC.com, Photo: Newscom

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A new Nike football campaign entitled “Fate” captures the true essence of the game by following the journeys of two top athletes from their first steps to playing in the NFL. The “Fate” commercial features San Diego Chargers All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. The spots were directed by David Fincher, a renowned director whose films include Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room and the soon to be released The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The ad traces LT and Troy’s lives from young toddlers through middle and high school and college to their careers as NFL players. All of these scenes were researched and are authentic to the lives and milestones of LT and Troy. At the end of the ad, the two compete in an NFL game.

NikeFootball.com

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Check out the new Nike Football “Proving Ground” ads featuring Larry Fitzgerald, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shawne Merriman and Champ Bailey. Everything Nike Football can be found at NikeFootball.com.

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The first 40,000 tickets that were made available for the NFL’s second overseas regular-season game on October 26 at Wembley Stadium in London, England between the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints sold today in 90 minutes. The tickets were available to fans who were randomly selected from an overwhelming number of registered ticket requests. Today’s sales at Ticketmaster matched the pace at which tickets were bought for last year’s game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. Because of the demand for tickets, the NFL has released an additional 5,000 tickets to go on sale immediately. There has also been an increase in the number of tickets that will be offered in the second sale of tickets to fans who registered in February when the game was first announced.

Last year’s Wembley game was such a huge success that the NFL has committed to playing at least one game in the UK for each of the next three seasons, beginning with this year’s matchup of teams who have each come within one game of reaching the Super Bowl in the past two seasons. The Saints’ Reggie Bush and the Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson are scheduled to make a promotional visit to London next month.

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There’s no “i” in Campbell’s Chunky soup, but San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson will be going solo in the newest installment of the famed Chunky soup advertising campaign, which began production in Los Angeles this week.

LT is taking his gridiron greatness and “good guy” personality in front of the camera, as he stars in the Chunky soup ads for the second consecutive year. This season marks Chunky soup’s 11th as an NFL sponsor and the first time in the brand’s history that the advertising campaign will be solely focused on one marquee player, without his mom by his side (and just before Mother’s Day — what a slap in the face to moms everywhere — I’m kidding, of course). Campbell’s Chunky soup will feature LT in the 2008 advertising campaign, appropriately titled, “Working Day,” which focuses on a day in the life of an NFL star. Chargers’ head coach Norv Turner will also appear in one spot. Chunky soup’s brand manager (whose name is ironically Doug Brand) said:

“As we enter our 11th consecutive season with the NFL, we are excited to introduce a new and different approach for this year’s advertising campaign. We are delighted to have LaDainian Tomlinson back for a second season and believe he is the foundation for the outstanding evolution of this new campaign. LaDainian is a stand-out athlete who truly represents all of the qualities of the Chunky soup brand — big-hearted, hardworking and fun, making him a natural fit as our spokesperson and one who will effectively serve as our Tackling Hunger® Ambassador.”

The “Working Day” campaign marks the first time the ads will feature mostly computer-generated graphics and visual effects. Plus, LT will utilize green screen technology where he’ll simulate touchdown runs as he dodges opposing defenses. I’ll post the finished product as soon as I get my hands on it. As far as the soup is concerned, I like New England Clam Chowder, Chicken & Dumplings and Hearty Bean & Ham best. I also love the Tantalizin’ Turkey Chili with Beans. Mmm mmm, good.

For more information on Campbell’s Chunky soup and the Tackling Hunger program, please visit chunky.com.

Source: Business Wire, Photo: Newscom

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The New England Patriots took yet another step toward a perfect season. But their 21-12 win over the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship game was anything but perfect. It certainly wasn’t Tom Brady’s best game. And it certainly wasn’t the way he imagined this AFC Championship game would play out. But that’s really not what matters. There are no style points in the NFL. What matters are wins and losses and the Patriots, of course, have 18 straight victories against no defeats — a simply mind-boggling accomplishment.

It’s not like Tom choked in this one. I think we hold him to such a high standard it’s hard to conceive that he might even be human on the football field. But his three interceptions proved just that. The Chargers have a confident and opportunistic defense. And they weren’t about to be intimidated by the highest-scoring offense in the history of the National Football League. Thus a trio of picks. But Tom also threw two TD passes and finished 22 of 33 including eight completions to RB Kevin Faulk. It just further proves that when a defense eliminates one or even two players from the Patriots’ plan of attack (as San Diego masterfully did), someone else will step up. Kevin had a great game, including a key third-down as the Patriots played keep-away in the fourth quarter (ol’ reliable Wes Welker also had seven catches and a TD). And the Patriots leaned on their running game with Laurence Maroney (25 carries for 122 yards) in the second half, including a key TD in the third quarter.

I believe the Patriots’ defense won this game, though. There’s been a lot of talk about New England’s aging linebackers and how susceptible this team is against the run. Statistically, it’s true. But when a game is on the line, I’ll take these old guys with lots of smarts and enough ability. DBs Ellis Hobbs and Asanti Samuel (not old guys) each had an interception. And Junior Seau (old guy) made a key defensive play in the third quarter, forcing a Chargers field goal. The Bolts were forced to settle for field goals all day and that was the difference in the game. That’s playing Championship style defense as they overshadowed their much-heralded offense.

Despite losing, San Diego has plenty to be proud of. They came into this game battered and bruised. And you need look no further than their “Big 3″ (QB Philip Rivers, RB LaDainian Tomlinson, and TE Antonio Gates) for proof. LT gave it a try with his bad knee but could only manage a couple early carries for five yards. He watched most of the game from the bench, wrapped in a parka. I can guarantee he was extremely frustrated and disappointed. Philip was hobbled as well but managed to survive the entire game with respectable numbers (19 of 37 for 211 yards but with two picks). Antonio was a non-factor on his bad toe — only two catches for 17 yards. But, I would say the San Diego defense was as advertised. Any team that can hold the mighty Patriots to 21 points (and the aforementioned three turnovers) is going to be right in that football game. All-Pro DB Antonio Cromartie was in on nine tackles with a huge, touchdown-saving INT to his credit.

This game was a great example of the New England Patriots playing team football. For much of the game, San Diego fans had a glimmer of hope. It looked like the Chargers might have a chance. But the Pats are too prepared and too good for — well — any other team in the NFL. Can they do it one more time? We’ll find out in two weeks at Super Bowl XLII.

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It’s a one-game season for the teams in this weekend’s Conference Championship games. Win and you’re on your way to sunny Glendale, AZ for Super Bowl XLII on February 3. Lose and it’s the sudden beginning of a long offseason. “Our whole season is at stake and so is theirs,” says New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in describing his AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers. The same can be said for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

• Both games are rematches of Week 2 meetings this season (it is the 16th time since 1970 that both championship games were rematches). But both winning coaches, Bill Belichick (Patriots) and Mike McCarthy (Packers) say that their opponents are different teams now.
• The clubs combined for an .800 regular/postseason winning percentage (56-14).
• The teams are hot, no matter what streak you look at. New England is scalding, continuing on an unbeaten season at 17-0. San Diego has won eight in a row. New York is 10-1 on the road (no road team has ever played in a championship game with that road record). Green Bay has won eight of its nine home games this year.
• In action this Sunday will be the NFL’s career leader in quarterback wins and touchdown passes (Brett Favre), the season TD-pass record-holder (Tom Brady), the season sack leader (Michael Strahan), and the running back who has led the league in rushing the past two years (LaDainian Tomlinson).

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (13-5) at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (17-0)
The players and personalities on these teams can exert their own game-changing influence on the matchup, but the bottom line to the meeting could be turnovers. San Diego led the league in takeaways (48; with a league-leading 30 interceptions), while New England had only 15 giveaways, best in the league (and only nine interceptions, third-best). That said, San Diego will face an offense seldom seen in the NFL. The Patriots set the season record this year for points (589) and touchdowns (75) and scored at least 24 points in 16 of their 17 games. Led by the 2007 NFL MVP, QB Tom Brady, New England seems capable of adjusting to anything defenses throw at it. Limit the pass (if that can be done) and they go to the run, or vice versa. Perhaps nothing illustrates this ability more than the Patriots’ Divisional Playoff game against Jacksonville. The Jags double- and sometimes triple-teamed WR Randy Moss, who set the NFL season TD-reception record (23) this year. What did Tom Brady do? He completed 26 of 28 attempts (for an NFL record 92.9 completion percentage) to eight different receivers for 262 yards – with only one pass going to Randy. The Chargers will come in to their rematch with the Patriots (they lost at New England 38-14 on September 16) somewhat limited. But that concerns Coach Belichick. RB LaDainian Tomlinson (knee), QB Phillip Rivers (knee) and TE Antonio Gates (toe) are hurting. Phillip would be replaced by veteran Billy Volek, who led San Diego to the winning score in the Divisionals. MY PICK: How can I go against the undefeated Patriots, a team I’ve been touting as the eventual Super Bowl champion since before training camp started? I can’t. I won’t.

NEW YORK GIANTS (12-6) at GREEN BAY PACKERS (14-3)
If anyone exhibits how teams can change during a season, it’s these two. Back in Week 2 (a 35-13 Green Bay win in New York), the Packers were worried about their running game, and even Brett Favre (who would become the NFL’s winningest QB ever in that game) was saying the Pack needed to be able to mix the run with the pass. The Giants? Their concern — a big one — was their defense, with new packages put in under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. By the end of the Green Bay game, the Giants had surrendered 80 points in the season’s first two games. Going into the NFC Championship, how things have changed. It took five more games for Green Bay to find its running game — in Ryan Grant, who grew up 20 miles from Giants Stadium (Ramsey, NJ). Ryan was a practice squad player/injured for the Giants for two years before Green Bay traded for him right before the season. All Ryan did since Week 8 was run for 1,130 yards and 11 TDs, including a Packers’ playoff record last Saturday with 201 rushing yards. Meanwhile, from a gritty goal-line stand against Washington in Week 3, the Giants’ defense began to take form, Spagnuolo’s shifting schemes and player rotation up front began to mesh, and New York has allowed only 18.9 points-per-game through the Divisionals since the Green Bay game. So how will this all pan out Sunday in what is expected to be sub-freezing temperatures at Lambeau Field? You have to think the running game will be a big factor. The Giants can match Ryan Grant’s production with their own RBs – Brandon Jacobs, the 6-4, 264-pound freight train who usually needs a good two or three guys to bring him down, and elusive Ahmad Bradshaw, one of the team’s two seventh-round draft picks this year. Giants QB Eli Manning — looking to become the second consecutive Manning to win a Super Bowl after brother Peyton did it last season — has a 100 passer rating in each of his last three games, along with eight TDs and one interception. He will go against one of the best corner tandems in the league in Al Harris and Charles Woodson, who excel in man-to-man. And Brett Favre, who also became the career TD leader this year — who knows what he’ll pull this week, from last-ditch shovel passes that set up scores to out-and-out bombs to the Pack’s “Big Five” alignment of five wides and an empty backfield. Brett has a strong O-line in front of him. He was sacked the third fewest times in the league (19, tie), but faces a defense that led the NFL in sacks (53) this season. MY PICK: I believe the Giants’ road win streak ends here at Lambeau. Brett Favre in the NFC Championship on the frozen tundra? Yeah, I like the Pack.