Earth to LaDainian Tomlinson: Go Away

Jan 31, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFL former running back Ladainian Tomlinson is interviewed on radio row in preparation for Super Bowl XLVII at the New Orleans Convention Center. Super Bowl XLVII will be played between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens on February 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

I wasn’t going to take a whole post to speak about this, but the more and more I heard and thought about it, I had to get this off my chest. It seems, as we have all heard, that former Jets players have taken to the airwaves to knock their former team. Kris Jenkins has made this a habit, as he went as far as to say that Mark Sanchez needed to be put out of his misery, garnering a lot of anger from Twitter.

These days, it’s LaDainian Tomlinson who has begun to make a career out of bashing his old team. He is an analyst for the NFL Network now, and has been making his way through “Radio Row” at the Super Bowl this week, never seeing a microphone that he didn’t like. But it didn’t start this week.

Remember earlier this season, when there were “anonymous sources” coming out of the Jets locker room, bashing Tim Tebow? Tomlinson accused Antonio Cromartie and Bart Scott of being the leaks. First of all, any Jets fan knows that these are two guys that put their names on everything they do. We don’t have to be in the locker room to have known that this was farther from the truth. Then, after both players denied it, Tomlinson backed off his claims with the following:

“Listen, I was just speculating on things,” he said. “I’m not sure who said it, but I know there is a problem and that there has been one for years.”

Let’s take that apart for a minute. First of all, LaDainian is a coward, who doesn’t stand up for what he believes to be true. Maybe he was afraid that those two guys were going to come and kick his behind. Secondly, he is clueless. He obviously had no pulse of what was going on, to get it all wrong. But then, he says that there was a problem for years? HE WASN’T THERE FOR YEARS! He was part of an 11-5 team and an 8-8 team that fell apart at the end. He wasn’t there to know about problems for years. LaDainian, just stop.

May 11, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Former San Diego Chargers player LaDainian Tomlinson prior to a celebration of life service to remember Junior Seau at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Now, let’s talk about the brilliant analysis that Tomlinson has come up with lately. It’s a good thing he’s talking, because the genius coming out of his mouth is what we have all been missing.

His first brilliant idea, was that the Mark Sanchez contract extension was a major blunder:

“That was Tannenbaum’s fault,” Tomlinson, an NFL Network analyst, told the New York Post at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. “They’re still trying to fix what Tannenbaum messed up.”

He went on to say that the Jets may be stuck with Sanchez because of the contract. Really? You came up with this all by yourself LaDainian? It’s a good thing you are bringing us such original insight. I hope you are getting the sarcasm here. If you aren’t going to bring us something new, keep quiet.

Later, he brought up the lack of development of Mark Sanchez. Did you know that guys? The Jets didn’t develop Mark Sanchez right. Thanks LaDainian! Take a look at this brilliant quote:

“Here’s the thing: They have been trying to get Mark Sanchez to be the guy,” Tomlinson said, “to be a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning type of quarterback. And it hasn’t worked out. Not to say that you can’t win with Mark Sanchez, but you’d better have a good running game and you better have a dominant defense if you’re going to win with this guy.”

Wow! You need a defense to win with Mark Sanchez! Holy cow! Thank you LaDainian, for that brilliant insight! I thought the Jets should let their defense fall apart, but you have shown me the way. I am so happy that you work for the NFL Network to bring me such brilliant football analysis.

God help us. If you aren’t going to add anything, please go way and stop talking.

And finally, take a look at one more quote, when Tomlinson shows us he has no idea what he is talking about:

“One of the biggest mistakes I felt like the Jets made, even before I got there, is not keeping Chad Pennington when they drafted Mark Sanchez,” Tomlinson said. “When you draft a young guy like Mark Sanchez out of USC, that has only played in 12 college football games, you have to have a veteran to teach this guy how to play the position. A guy to take him in the film room and say, ‘This is what you look for.’ And then take him on the practice field and say, ‘This is how you practice, this is how you perform on Sundays.’

Ummm, was LaDainian the only one that didn’t realize that Chad Pennington had been off of the Jets roster for an entire year before Mark Sanchez was drafted?!?! If you want the Jets to have kept a veteran, fine, but can you get the right name please? Show us that you have SOME idea of what you are talking about. If you aren’t going to break ground with NEW analysis, how about getting the facts right?

Yes, LaDainian gets asked to speak about the Jets a lot. You know why? Because the media can’t get enough of anyone who wants to bash the New York Jets, and that includes former players. Wouldn’t it be nice to hear a player actually give fair analysis, not bitter griping?

If that’s all you have Tomlinson, go away. We don’t want to hear from you anymore.

Thank you.