Farewell, Darren and Where We Go From Here

Unless you've been living on the moon, you know that the San Diego Chargers released the man, the legend: Ladainian Tomlinson. It was no surprise. He wants more money than manager A.J. Smith is willing to spend. There's no doubt that the guy is on the decline; he had career lows in virtually every category last year and he's been replaced by Norv Turner's pass-happy offense.

It is also now known that the team will not re-sign the "Lightning Bug" Darren Sproles. The 5'6 speed demon will test free agency and end up on another team next year. There's no doubt Sproles is a playmaker but, after releasing LT, this left him as a premiere, every-down running back - a role Sproles simply cannot bare. So, correct me if I'm wrong, but this leaves the Chargers backfield with 3 players: The fullbacks Michael Tolbert and Jacob Hester and the 100 year old RB Michael Bennet. It's clear the Chargers are completely starting clean-slate in the running back position. They're shopping CB Antonio Cromartie (who has 6 children with 5 different women scattered throughout the country) for a draft pick or perhaps a running back. At any rate, the running back position is the team's biggest need (along with OL, DT, and safety) and it will be very interesting to see how AJ Smith approaches it this offseason. He has quite the track record when it comes to drafting running backs. Many found him insane for selecting LT over QB Michael Vick in the first round. He also selected ex-Charger Michael Turner and Darren Sporles in the later rounds of the draft. Both were fine picks. Stay tuned...