You remember last year’s Nike football ad, right?  Shawne Merriman spearing players and Steven Jackson truck sticking defenders to the sound of the theme song from ‘Last of the Mohicans.’  Well, Nike has done it again with their “Leave Nothing” ad campaign.  This years’ video features LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu.  Love it.

In my opinion, MVP’s should be treated like VIP’s. In LaDainian Tomlinson’s case, he is being treated to everything and more. Nike unleashed the Air Zoom Assassin this past week in his name. LT will wear the shoe every time he steps out onto the field this season as he will try to lead his team to a Super Bowl.

The design of Tomlinson’s new show is not flashy at all. The shoe has a simple blue touch on the back heel section, with a plain white finish to polish the edge towards the front. The non-flashy design and simple touch can not only be observed on the shoe, but with Tomlinson himself. The NFL’s MVP gets the job done every Sunday by making everything look easy. LT doesn’t talk trash because he let’s his game speak for himself, unlike many of the games’ flamboyant players.

All in all, I truly believe that the shoe reflects Tomlinson perfectly. The shoe can be purchased in four different colors at the moment: Navy blue, red and white, black and white, and all black. Plus, Nike’s marketing branch has produced one of the best commercials ever by highlighting the shoe and the superstar it was made for. Enjoy!

Six years ago, the fortunes of two NFL franchises changed forever. Those two teams are the San Diego Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons. The Chargers were coming off of a 1-15 season and still trying to escape the tragedy of selecting Ryan Leaf 2nd overall back in 1998. The Falcons, just a couple years removed from the Super Bowl, were in a state of transition and finished 4-12. The Chargers were slated to have the first overall pick, while the Falcons had the 5th pick.

While Vick and Tomlinson weren’t traded for each other, the picks that were used to select them were swapped. There were a few reasons the Chargers were afraid of Vick. Signability was one of them, as was the Chargers’ need for additional picks. But it was also the influence of then Chargers offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who reportedly tested Vick on a number of drills. After being left unimpressed by Vick’s prowess in the pocket, the groundwork was laid for the deal. San Diego traded the rights to the 1st overall pick for the 5th pick (used to select Tomlinson), a 3rd round pick (Tay Cody), a 2002 second round pick (Reche Caldwell) and Tim Dwight. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Chargers made a number of great decisions on that fateful day in 2001. In the second round, they selected an undersized quarterback by the name of Drew Brees, who went on to become a Pro Bowler. However, Brees’ early struggles in San Diego caused the team’s fortunes to turn around even more, when they traded Eli Manning for Philip Rivers and a few draft picks, which ultimately became Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.

So what if the Chargers ultimately chose Vick? There’s no doubt that he was one of the most electric talents to ever come into the league. Hell, he led the Falcons to a win at Lambeau Field back in the 2003 playoffs while Tomlinson was still gaining yards in near-secrecy for bad Charger teams. Could Vick’s problems have been alleviated if he was a Charger? I think it’s doubtful. While he may have been away from the dog fighting culture of the Deep South, Vick/Mexico would have been just miles away from the international border, where he’d be subjected to even more STDs, cockfighting, and even the occasional donkey show. Remember when Barrett Robbins disappeared into Tijuana a night before the Super Bowl? That would have been Vick every single Sunday.

As far as LT goes, it’s hard to say where he would have ended up. Between Tomlinson taken first and Vick taken fifth, there were two busts and one solid pro. Leonard Davis was selected by Arizona, Gerard Warren by Cleveland and Justin Smith by Cincinnati. Both Arizona and Cleveland could have used running backs at the time. The Cardinals split carries between Michael Pittman and Thomas Jones, while the Browns’ last-ranked offense were led by Errict Rhett and Travis Prentice. The Browns were this close to LT. Instead, they’ve given up 374 rushing yards to him in just three meetings.

Following their victory against the San Diego Chargers, the New England Patriots sank a great distance in the eyes of many. Their organization, already attacked for their head coach looking like a bum, only reinforced that image of a lack of class.

This team came out, still with time remaining on the clock and were celebrating, throwing their helmets in the air, and generally acting like a bunch of hooligans. Have you ever heard of acting like you’ve been there before? Because you have, in fact you’ve been there before a lot in recent years. It was despicable watching the Patriots acting the way that they did, and personally, I really can’t blame LaDainian Tomlinson for going out and trying to go after the Patriots players. Here is a video of his reaction, I think he sums it up well.

Wasn’t LaDainian Tomlinson supposed to struggle this year against eight in the box and playing alongside first year starter Philip Rivers? Hadn’t Larry Johnson passed him as the elite back in the league? Wasn’t he the guy who hadn’t won a rushing title in his phenomenal NFL career? So much for all of that. LT was named MVP in a runaway vote, garnering 44 of the 50 votes.

Watch Tomlinson for one drive and you’ll see why the Chargers are the favorites to win their first Super Bowl. After MartyBall was killed in the Chargers’ loss in Baltimore in week three, the Chargers let the reigns off Philip Rivers. Rivers responded well and opened up even more holes for LT, who put up numbers never before seen in the NFL. All he did was rush for 100+ yards in nine straight games, scoring 21 touchdowns in the process. If it wasn’t for a five game stretch without a 100 yard game, we’d probably be talking about him breaking Eric Dickerson’s record of 2105 yards. Nevertheless, I think San Diego will settle for 2323 yards from scrimmage and 31 TDs.

Had it been any other year, these postseason accolades would likely be going to Drew Brees, who led the league in passing yards in his first season with the Saints. When you define valuable, it’d be difficult to find someone besides LT that was more valuable than Brees. He added great stability and leadership but more importantly, convinced the city of New Orleans that the Saints were serious about winning. A 10-6 record and 26 touchdown passes certainly backs that up.

Now it’s time for the Chargers to back up all the individual accomplishments their team is racking up. They have nine pro bowlers, the league MVP, the league leader in sacks despite missing four games, and one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Can they shed the stigma that Marty Schottenheimer has had his whole career? If any team can, this is the team to do it.

I really like when records are broken to fanfare and well-wishes from the previous record holder. I think back to the home run chase of 1998 (which has since become the biggest joke of the last 10 years). The Maris Family was there to cheer on Mark McGwire as he broke their father’s long-standing record. They might want to take that back and go after McGwire with a bat but at least they were there when it happened. Lee Smith was happy for Trevor Hoffman as he broke the MLB saves record earlier this year. Paul Hornung? He’s just going to sit in Louisville and complain.

?You can’t compare what a player has done in 12 games to what players have done in 16,? argued Hornung from Louisville, where he resides. ?If someone finishes with a greater average than mine, I’ll say, ‘Fine, he broke my record.’ ?

Take a look at Hornung’s stats and one thing pops out quickly: he was his team’s kicker too. 86 of his record-setting 170 points came from kicking. Hornung ran for 13 touchdowns, caught 2 touchdowns, kicked 15 field goals, and made 41 extra points. Versatility should not be confused with legendary.

A lot of controversy comes out of this games played issue. But the fact is, both players are accomplishing it in their respect season. Why should LaDainian Tomlinson be criticized for playing a longer season? The NFL doesn’t give a damn about the length of seasons when evaluating records. Why should I? The regular season expanded to 14 games in 1961 and 16 games in 1978. Tomlinson still broke the points record in his 14th game so Hornung isn’t making much sense when he says “what players have done in 16.” Tomlinson is going to obliterate the points record even further.

Why is Hornung so butthurt about this? Because it’s the last thing that links him with a common fan’s knowledge. Hornung has probably gotten some love this year because TV networks have shown the points record breakdown, with Hornung leading. He won’t be atop the list now and it probably pisses him off.

Was Hornung a running back that kicked field goals or a kicker that played running back? I understand that points count the same but 31 touchdowns is a hell of a lot more impressive than 15, even though they played in different eras. We all know LT can run, catch, and throw. He can probably kick too. I’m motioning for Marty Schottenheimer to let LT handle placekicking duties this year to improve his points-per-game average. LT may have had more games but Hornung had more chances to score. It works both ways.