Former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the 2006 NFL MVP, is in Minnesota for a meeting with the Vikings — and possibly a new contract.
“He still has some juice left in the tank,” Vikings V.P. of player personnel Rick Spielman said of the man who ranks eighth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, according to Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“I’m sure he wants to know what our vision is for him, and then our
sense for him is will he fit?” coach Brad Childress told reporters on Wednesday. “From a mindset standpoint, from a physical standpoint, from a
systems standpoint.”
The Vikings also have picked up glowing reviews regarding Tomlinson from players like Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, who began his career in San Diego, and Chargers coach Norv Turner.
“He’s a tremendous human being by all accounts,” Childress said of Tomlinson.
He has twice faced the Vikings, with the outcome of only one of the two games being tremendous. In 2003, Tomlinson gained 162 yards on 16 carries in a 42-28 win. The performance included a 73-yard touchdown run. Four years later, he also had 16 carries, but he gained only 40 yards.
In that same game, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson set the single-game rushing mark, with 296 yards in a 35-17 win.
Now, they could be joining forces — and it’s a prospect that could make for even more interest and intrigue when (as we believe) the Vikings open the season on September 9 with a Thursday night game against the Saints in the Superdome.
Save that seat in the booth for me, Paul Allen. I’ll bring my own headset.
I heard Mike Mayock (sp) of the NFL Network that he did not think LT would be a good fit for the Vikings as he does not think LT is ready to accept a backup role.
Why not take the chance? The best part about football is if it doesn’t work they can always cut.(same can’t be said about baseball, basketball & hockey)
Pual Allen is the man, I love the watchin the highlights with radio calls. Giggidy
childress should Gargle, Rinse and REPEAT
I’m surprised florio didn’t link WCCO’s interview with L.T., sounds like a classy guy all around.
As long as he isn’t asking for more than 4 Mil a year than I think he’s worth it. Give him a 2 yr 8 Mil deal. Or at worst 3 yr 11 Mil. But he can certainly help us win games.
They should just draft a running back in the in the 4th round.
Hell yeah Florio… you and PA on the call would be amazing. My favorite VOX (PA) and my favorite sports writer (Florio)… people can give you crap all they want on this site, you are an awesome journalist.
Oh hells yeah!!!
l.t will be a good fit to back up a.p if her can accept a backup role. hes a hall of fame guy who i think has some left in the tank. just not a 25 rush a game guy. i think this will help the vikings out alot.
What does Paul Allen have to do with either team?
“He still has some juice left in the tank,”
Don’t listen to the asshats, you go GET EM’!
they already have one crybaby in #4, i don’t think the locker room could handle another one. if they do bring him in, they might have to employ pervy’s momma so they each have a tit to suck on
Sign ‘em baby!
Great, now Favre will have a buddy for shuffleboard.
We’ll see if that dinner at Old Country Buffet wins him over.
what kind of tank do you put juice into? maybe the delorean?
That Charger game in in 2007 saw 1/3 of the Charger defensive line injured and out of the game.
253 of Peterson’s 297 rushing yards were obtained after Luis Castillo left the game with the injury in the 3rd quarter (playing on that crappy artificial turf). Peterson 13 carries for 44 yards and 3.3 yards average before the Charger D-line injury 14.9 yards per carry afterward exploiting the back up(s).
Peterson also turned the ball over on a fumble.
Tomlinson on the other hand surpassed Jim Brown’s rushing mark that day.
Does Tomlinson really want to jepordize his career by playing on that crappy artificial turf of that dim, stale air arena?
It is sad that a great back now gets reduced to considering playing there.
Does Tomlinson think he can play until that franchise moves to LA ?
he hangs onto the ball. All 2.8 yards of it.
To you bozos: 2.8 yards is what even the best backs ever get most of the time. No need for a punter ever if you think about it. But 4.3 comes about with 46 yard gains bi weekly. Thus a great back. Florio loves Moose. I stand by that.
Little inside info……LT likes the Vikes.
Stay tuned.
“Click article heading to find out if he signed and to give us more impressions $$$!!”
Journalist? Really? Are you serious? There is a HUGE CAVERNOUS DIFFERENCE between “journalist” and “opinionated blowhard.” Florio falls into that gap somewhere closer to the latter, nowhere near journalist….just saying. As for Paul Allen, well…he’s an obnoxious douchebag, although he was dead on when he blamed the loss to the Saints on Favre.
LT is a real classy guy, especially when his team is about to lose in the playoffs and when he gets benched for a better RB or gets his carries reduced because he just doesn’t have it anymore. Get ready for this headhache Minnesota.
We know he can catch the ball and rarely fumbles, but will he check his ego and accept a role as 2nd string & 3rd down back? Will he work on pass blocking?
If not I say pass on LT, sign another free agent RB, or draft one instead.
(sigh) … I miss Chester Taylor already …
HammarHead… Paul Allen is the Voice of the Vikings on KFAN (www.kfan.com)in Minneapolis. He is one of those rare announcers that is REALLY going places. He has sic skills and the Vikings are blessed to have the guy. He makes people want to go through the extra effort of syncing up the games via Sirius rather than listening to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
As for the article… just a thought… sign L.T. and either T.O. or bring back Randy Moss in a trade and get these guys the SB ring they’ve been wanting for so long.
The run would make one hell of a story in this… the last year of the NFL as we know it before the lockout. Think about it, if there is a lockout, this may be, realistically, the last shot these guys have. The League may stop, but these guys will keep getting older.
- Z
Can’t wait to see the “LP” backfield in action…
Please bring in LT!!! He’s a shitty pass blocker and cannot run anymore! The more carries he takes away from AP the better!
Tomlinson says that he is actually seeking a 3rd down role in the interview and that he always felt that would be somewhere he can fall back to late in his career and keep playing longer. The mere fact that he is visiting the Vikings proves he doesn’t have an issue with playing the role of #2 back.
Leber and Brewster also were quoted saying LT is an excellent teammate and great with young players. Chilly and Co, for better or for worse, place heavy emphasis on “good guy reputation” or whatever the hell you want to call it. That is why the team is such a class act where as pre-Chilly the Denny regime simply focused on raw athletic ability, which certainly had its benefits but also drawbacks…
Honestly from seeing the LT interview I think HE is trying to woo the Vikings into signing him because he is saying just what a team in need of a 3rd down back would want to hear. The deal is getting done. Both parties want it to happen, it makes sense, book it.
It is reassuring to know that players want to come here and play. I think Green Bay sometimes struggles because it is very hard to bring in an FA to fill an immediate need when you rank in the bottom 3 according to a players poll on where guys want to go.
HammarHead…Paul Allen is a radio personality in the Twin Cities. No relation to the Northwest’s billionaire.
@ Bob Nelson
I’m not sitting here looking up the stats or anything, but I’m pretty sure LT passed Jim Brown this past season. The game was in Cleveland and he paid his respects in person. I had to watch that here in Ohio with all these miserable Browns fans.
The other record broken that day was that 109 yard missed field goal return by Cromartie (I think).
I’m not a Bob Nelson hater like all the others, but I think you might be mistaken.
jgreeds is correct, the only other record broken that day (besides Peterson’s 296) in 2007 was Cromartie’s 109 fg return. The guy you’re correcting also claims the Metrodome has “crappy artificial turf” … actually they’ve had prescription FieldTurf since at least 2004, with the vulcanized rubber pellet fill, recognized as the best turf available.
turf is still turf tpa, as they say, real men play on green grass……….. or green painted dirt