Attorney General Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 What's up with L.T. never suiting up for preseason games? I know without him San Diego wouldn't be nearly as good as they are right now, and if they lost him it would be a huge blow. Still, Madden or Michaels were right in saying it doesn't really send a good example to the younger players. Easy there, bean. Tomlinson is the reigning rushing champ and the brand new owner of the coveted TD record for a season. In essence, he is a master of his craft and his contributions are as invaluable as any current player, bar none. The way he conducts himself on and off the football field is a true testament to his professionalism. Losing him is a catastrophic blow to their chances at success this year. It's not like significant preseason injuries are sparse. And come on brotha...Madden and Michaels are far from infallible. Bottom line is that it's in the Charger's best interests to have a healthy Tomlinson to lean on during the arduous NFL season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Preseason games are far from important as well. Your starters player maybe one series, so I don't think it's that big of a deal that he is not playing. The preseason is mainly just to see how your second and third string players are doing, and to see how the rookies do. Tomlinson does not need to play, and it is in the Bolts' best interest to keep him out, because you want him to be healthy for the games that count, the regular season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanmachine43 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Yeah I know he's not a stranger to skipping out the preseason, it's just I would find it odd as his backup to see him sitting in his street clothes all preseason and him still getting the starting job, even with me filling in his role for four games. Granted, he is LaDainian mothafu*kin' Tomlinson, but you get my point (I think lol). I guess just part of me just doesn't respect him as the dominant back right now. All these rule changes and modifications always have the offense in mind, plus you have a longer season schedule these days (for runners especially) to rack up statistics. I just don't find him (or any other RBs) to be comparable to those of yesteryear. But I do find it funny he declined the Madden deal a while back, probably afraid of any possible chance of injury. From what I know he's always been a pretty healthy guy, hasn't he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I guess just part of me just doesn't respect him as the dominant back right now. All these rule changes and modifications always have the offense in mind, plus you have a longer season schedule these days (for runners especially) to rack up statistics. I just don't find him (or any other RBs) to be comparable to those of yesteryear. But I do find it funny he declined the Madden deal a while back, probably afraid of any possible chance of injury. From what I know he's always been a pretty healthy guy, hasn't he? You don't respect him as a dominant back? You're right...he's not just a dominant back. He is THE dominant back. He is the best rusher I've seen since Emmitt. His footwork, his vision, that massive stiff arm, his entire game is f*cking amazing. If you don't think it has something to do with him being the best running back in football, then you need to watch more football. Also regarding the Madden cover, I'm not entirely surprised he declined it. A lot of players are very superstitious, and we gamers aren't the only ones who know about the supposed curse. I mean, considering the history, would YOU do it if you were a top player? I'm not sure if I would or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 You don't respect him as a dominant back? You're right...he's not just a dominant back. He is THE dominant back. He is the best rusher I've seen since Emmitt. His footwork, his vision, that massive stiff arm, his entire game is f*cking amazing. If you don't think it has something to do with him being the best running back in football, then you need to watch more football. Also regarding the Madden cover, I'm not entirely surprised he declined it. A lot of players are very superstitious, and we gamers aren't the only ones who know about the supposed curse. I mean, considering the history, would YOU do it if you were a top player? I'm not sure if I would or not. Don't forget his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He was the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards and have 100 receptions in the same season. That's an incredible accomplishment in my opinion. He is undoubtedly the best runningback in the NFL, because he can run the ball and rack up tons of yards and touchdowns, but also, like I just said, because he can catch passes. He is absolutely ridiculous, I think that is the only word I can come up with to describe his abilities on the football field, ridiculous. He's such a good player, and he seems like a genuinely nice guy too, he's not one to taunt other players or really celebrate when he scores. [/LT love fest] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt11504 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 who is on new madden cover? is it Vince Young? lets see if the curse will get him and yes if i was a TOP player i would take the cover (and watch the curse break both my legs ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 You don't respect him as a dominant back? You're right...he's not just a dominant back. He is THE dominant back. He is the best rusher I've seen since Emmitt. His footwork, his vision, that massive stiff arm, his entire game is f*cking amazing. If you don't think it has something to do with him being the best running back in football, then you need to watch more football. Also regarding the Madden cover, I'm not entirely surprised he declined it. A lot of players are very superstitious, and we gamers aren't the only ones who know about the supposed curse. I mean, considering the history, would YOU do it if you were a top player? I'm not sure if I would or not. Don't forget his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He was the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards and have 100 receptions in the same season. That's an incredible accomplishment in my opinion. He is undoubtedly the best runningback in the NFL, because he can run the ball and rack up tons of yards and touchdowns, but also, like I just said, because he can catch passes. He is absolutely ridiculous, I think that is the only word I can come up with to describe his abilities on the football field, ridiculous. He's such a good player, and he seems like a genuinely nice guy too, he's not one to taunt other players or really celebrate when he scores. [/LT love fest] I would even go so far as to say he's the best player, period. Peyton is the best quarterback by far, but other than throwing, he's out of his element. LT can throw, catch, run, block, knock bitches over, and look classy doing it. Ridiculous indeed. [/LT love fest part 2] Vince Young is on the cover, yeah. A bit premature I think, but the NFL needs a fresh young scrambling quarterback to replace Vick as the face of the league in that aspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I you noticed, each year the player on the Madden cover has to do with new features in the game. For example, when Mike Vick was on the cover they added the playmaker thing, when Ray Lewis was on the cover they added the hit stick. I can only imagine that something was added that has to do with, either rookie players, an upgraded superstar mode, or something that has to do with the playmaker. Those are just some assumptions by me, I could be incredibly wrong, but whatever, I'm not going to be buying Madden yet this season because I'm still rockin' Xbox, and the last few Maddens for it haven't been too good. I'm going to wait until I get an Xbox 360 and then get Madden 08. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTA3Rockstar Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 I you noticed, each year the player on the Madden cover has to do with new features in the game. For example, when Mike Vick was on the cover they added the playmaker thing, when Ray Lewis was on the cover they added the hit stick. I can only imagine that something was added that has to do with, either rookie players, an upgraded superstar mode, or something that has to do with the playmaker. Those are just some assumptions by me, I could be incredibly wrong, but whatever, I'm not going to be buying Madden yet this season because I'm still rockin' Xbox, and the last few Maddens for it haven't been too good. I'm going to wait until I get an Xbox 360 and then get Madden 08. Well, they did add the superstar mode to the 360 version this year. So, that counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanmachine43 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 You don't respect him as a dominant back? You're right...he's not just a dominant back. He is THE dominant back. He is the best rusher I've seen since Emmitt. His footwork, his vision, that massive stiff arm, his entire game is f*cking amazing. If you don't think it has something to do with him being the best running back in football, then you need to watch more football. Wha? I didn't say anything like that. The league's softer than years ago, that was my point. Of course his talent is the main reason he's L.T., where'd you get the idea I meant otherwise? Anyway, I find it odd that people often refer to Vick as the best athlete in the NFL. I always found that Tomlinson was just as fast, and could do tons of other things that Vick just didn't know how to do with him being quarterback. Not only that, but L.T. can throw the ball fairly well and he understands how to play his position, unlike Vick. Though, I don't think he's going to have as much success this year compared to last, at least with TDs, but at the very least he's still going to be a fantasy statistic-whore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attorney General Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I guess just part of me just doesn't respect him as the dominant back right now. You certainly did say that...and you were, in fact, mistaken in saying it. Case closed. 40's right, he's the best player in the league right now...and he's the finest running back the NFL has seen since the deuce, deuce himself...Emmitt Smith. And it's not even close. He's gonna piggyback that team to the playoffs this year if the Chargers secondary holds up. Last year, their defensive front seven was second only to New England in my opinion. But those safeties and corners just weren't on the same level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Last year, their defensive front seven was second only to New England in my opinion. But those safeties and corners just weren't on the same level. I don't know, I think they were the best front seven last season, they led the league in sacks so we know they kept pressure on quarterbacks, and that benefited their secondary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attorney General Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 You could definitely make the case that they were tops in the league last year. Though, this year might be a little different...I'm not sure who they'll have filling in for departed linebacker Donnie Edwards, who signed with Kansas City. Either way...their secondary was piss poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Yeah, Donnie Edwards was definitely the captain of the defense last season, and that will be a tough spot to fill. He was a good linebacker for them and was one of the main players in that front seven. The secondary has some names, but these names might be known for the wrong reasons. Drayton Florence, ok but a lot of people didn't know about him until his personal foul in the playoff game against the Patriots. Quentin Jammer, he was very good when he first came into the league, don't get me wrong he is good, but has not lived up to the hype of when he came into the league. Terrence Kiel, he was pretty good but he was involved in drugs and car jacking off of the field, and now he isn't on the Bolts either. So yeah, the defense is good, but it won't be as good as it was last season because of some losses. Here is a question for you fans. Out of the teams in your division, what team, if any, do you think will be a real threat to your team this season? Me? I'm honestly expecting the Dolphins to get stomped on by the Patriots. My Dolphins have made some ok moves, but not enough. The secondary still has many holes in it and the front seven can only do so much. Now that Brady has all of those targets, I expect him to pass all over teams this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanmachine43 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I guess just part of me just doesn't respect him as the dominant back right now. You certainly did say that...and you were, in fact, mistaken in saying it. Case closed. Okay maybe I worded it wrong, but my point was that he's running loose in a league that isn't as nearly as tough as it was when players like Payton, Campbell, Sayers and even more recent players like Bo Jackson were in the league. I'm not going to waste time arguing over an overrated back, so case is definitely now closed. I see the 49ers or St. Louis taking the NFC West title from Seattle. I liked all the moves Seattle did with getting rid of all the troublesome players like Darell Jackson, but I just don't see their team being deep enough to last through the whole season. You saw it last season when Frank Gore ran through the Seahawk's defense like it was nothing. None of our starters were playing and with Holmgren telling the DBs to stay off the line he just ran wild through their secondary. Jackson is also a good back with St. Louis, so it's really more of a toss-up between those two teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attorney General Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 (edited) I'm not going to waste time arguing over an overrated back Attorney General calmly opens his desk drawer, pulls out the LT file... Sorry, pal...case re-opened. Just in case I've left a shadow of a doubt that my man LT is not overrated, beanmachine, just take a look at his statistics over the last six years. They are, very literally, unparalleled. Emmitt Smith is the only one who comes close, but, after six years in the NFL...he still narrowly trails LT by 220 rushing yards and 4 TD's. In fact, aside from Sweetness and Sayers, neither the hard-nosed Earl Campbell nor the ridiculously suggested Bo Jackson can stack up against Tomlinson in terms of accomplishments. For the record...Bo never even had a thousand yard season...and he had two career receiving touchdowns. So...enlighten us...explain to me how LT could be considered "overrated". Fact is, you're spewing blatant misinformation. So sell yourself on whatever skewed logic you want to...the rest of us are safe in knowing that the current caliber of athletes in the NFL is significantly superior to the average players of yesteryear. I'll give you one thing and one thing only. That is that the finest players in NFL history...we're talking Lawrence Taylor, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Reggie White, Ronnie Lott, Anthony Munoz, Mel Blount, etc...these guys would all be Pro-Bowlers in the current NFL. But who's to say that Ed Reed, Julius Peppers, Champ Bailey, Tom Brady, Steve Smith, Brian Urlacher and Ladanian Tomlinson couldn't demolish the average players of the 60s, 70s or 80s. I certainly feel safe in saying that. ...as you so eloquently put it... he is LaDainian mothafu*kin' Tomlinson ...and he's as far from overrated as anyone in the NFL. Edited August 14, 2007 by Attorney General Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanmachine43 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Holy hell I didn't expect you to go to such great lengths to 'enlighten' moi, let alone fail at doing so. But here's a few other statistics you failed on mentioning, at least with comparing L.T. to some other players (and I'm not going to waste time with links). Bo Jackson had two career touchdowns? I'm guessing you meant receiving TDs, unless of course you merely had a typo in the Google search bar or something. He played only four seasons, with an average Y/A of 5.4. And even then he only played one season with more than ten games under his belt so it would be pretty difficult for him to reach 1,000 yards. L.T.'s been around a couple years longer than him, and has earned an average of 4.5 yards a carry. Subtract two of his worst averages in his career, or equal with Bo Jackon's amount of playing years, it still only manages to equal out at 4.8 yards a carry. Impressive? Sure. Better than Tecmo Bo? No. Emmitt Smith had Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin on the same side of the field as him. Defenses never had an easy game on their hands when they played Dallas, because of the balance. Without the great quarterback and the go-to receiver, Emmitt wouldn't have come close to Walter's record. A back who practically was the offense himself, a bit like L.T.. Then there's also the possibility of Sanders playing another four or five years. If he continued on the path he was going, and didn't have a premature retirement, Tomlinson would have a much more difficult goal ahead of him with the rushing record. Yet another back who didn't have a decent quarterback or number one receiver, as well as a decent line. Provide me some information that today's players are better than the best in NFL history. I would like some proof, but you obviously can't do that, so how could you come to the conclusion that they could demolish them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I honestly don't know how you come across saying that L.T. is overrated. He set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season, he holds the record for touchdowns in a season, he was selected NFL’s Most Valuable Player, he was selected the Associated Press’ Offensive Player of the Year, he set the record for most points in a season, he holds the record for consecutive games with a touchdown, holds the record for consecutive multi touchdown games, he got 100 touchdowns in the shortest amount of games, he became the first and only player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and to get 100 receptions in a single season, and a bunch of other things. If you seriously think that he is overrated then you sir are out of your mind. Sure there are other great backs like Sayers, Smith, Payton, Brown, Sanders, I can go on, but the league has not changed much since then for runningbacks. There is no point in comparing him to them, they all were great offensive threats, but LT is versatile, as you can see with the 100 receptions. He is the offense, he is the one that teams game plan against, he is most likely the best player in the NFL and the best running back since Barry Sanders. You say that Emmit Smith wouldn't have gotten close to Walter Payton if it weren't for Aikman and Irvin. He played with Michael Irvin for 9 years, for those 9 years he was a great runningback, and that could have been because of Irvin, but what about the 5 years after Irvin retired? What great receivers were on those Cowboy teams? I don't know how this is associated with Tomlinson, but I just thought that I would share my opinion on that as well. Tomlinson is the best back in the league, his numbers don't lie, his abilities don't lie, and the league is not incredibly different. The only real differences may be illegal hits like headhunting, clothesline like hits, et cetera. Defenses are still fast, they are still big, and they still watch out for the dominant player, so comparing Tomlinson to hall of famer players and calling him overrated makes no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attorney General Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 No, no, no. You're misinterpreting my point here, buddy boy. What I'm trying to tell you is that the greatest players of any era will always shine brighter than even above-average players, right? So why couldn't LT be just as dominant as his predecessors if he were playing in that era. Got me? Never once did I assert that Tomlinson was a greater back than Payton or Sanders. What I expressed was that statistically, LT is a phenomenon. Truth be told, I would rank him right up there in the top five right now...probably number 5 after Sanders, Payton, Brown and Smith. And Ladanian Tomlinson would most assuredly, hold his own in any era of the National Football League. It's logic, pal. And rest assured I know Jackson had more than two total TDs...sh!t, I remember watching him run a 92 yarder against the Bengals on MNF...it was a typo...how despicable of me. What I should have said is that as far as the receiving aspects of their respective games...Jackson can't hold LT's jock. A great RB Jackson could have been, but it never materialized. As far as proof that current players are comparable to the legends of the past...well c'mon now...you know that's subjective. But ask yourself this...could Steve Smith smoke Mel Renfro on a go route? Could Champ Bailey shut down Fred Biletnikoff? Could Walter Jones lock down Carl Eller? Could Dick Butkus even get close enough to LT to tackle him? I say no. You say yes. But the fact is, today's athletes, in general, are bigger, stronger, quicker and more athletic than the past NFL players. This fact is not debatable. It's concrete, it's actual, factual evidence. And still I ask of you, wise beanmachine43, how the hell one could define this world-class running back as overrated? How is LT ovverated? How? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanmachine43 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I just think when one uses the term overrated, people get too emotional. Look on the boards here for proof, it's everywhere. Some people just tend to have a faulty definition of the word. to rate or appraise too highly; overestimate Yeah, Tomlinson is one of the great backs right now, sure. But comparing him to some of the greats just isn't valid, at least right now. So saying he's the best right now is fair, but saying he's one of the best of all-time isn't, which is how many people tend to view him. Give him a couple more years, than a discussion can be held. I'm not necessarily saying you share the same beliefs, but I've heard him being labeled as the best RB in history many, many times before. Obviously he's an athletic guy, more so than most people who've ever played in the NFL. But until that talent actually makes a mark on a plausible, or more fulfilling record I don't think he's as good as people say he is. Hell, LJ could gain 35 rushing TDs as fast as next season. It happened with Alexander, he lost it as soon as he signed for the Madden cover and L.T. blew up. Records like these just aren't respectable as the career ones, which are the types of things I'm waiting for him to accomplish before I even consider him being an all-time great. Like I said before, rules changes for the most part have been in favor of the offense. If all of a sudden the NFL decided to switch to rule regulations of those thirty years ago before the Chargers took field, it'd be a much different game for him. How we think he might do varies with opinion, but he wouldn't be able to do some of things he does now with the current rule set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony da boss Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I heard Priest Holmes is coming back, that's pretty cool. I'm not sure if he'll top Michael Bennett on the depth chart though since he's been out of the game for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 You don't respect him as a dominant back? You're right...he's not just a dominant back. He is THE dominant back. He is the best rusher I've seen since Emmitt. His footwork, his vision, that massive stiff arm, his entire game is f*cking amazing. If you don't think it has something to do with him being the best running back in football, then you need to watch more football. Wha? I didn't say anything like that. The league's softer than years ago, that was my point. Of course his talent is the main reason he's L.T., where'd you get the idea I meant otherwise? Anyway, I find it odd that people often refer to Vick as the best athlete in the NFL. I always found that Tomlinson was just as fast, and could do tons of other things that Vick just didn't know how to do with him being quarterback. Not only that, but L.T. can throw the ball fairly well and he understands how to play his position, unlike Vick. Though, I don't think he's going to have as much success this year compared to last, at least with TDs, but at the very least he's still going to be a fantasy statistic-whore. I guess I just misunderstood. I've never been one of the people that swooned over Michael Vick, because to be honest he was never that good. There were flashes of greatness early in his career, also in the playoffs when he beat Favre and the Pack at Lambeau in the winter. Otherwise, his career has been nothing but mediocre. He gets a whole lot of credit for doing basically nothing that a mid-level starting QB would do (aside from the rush yards) As for new features in Madden, they added the star features from NBA Live where there are different types of playmakers on each team. Like Vince Young can scramble, Julius Peppers is a pass rusher, Champ Bailey is a shut-down corner, Larry Johnson has a crazy stiff-arm and power, etc etc. I read an article about it, but haven't gotten to see it in action yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanmachine43 Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Weapon system is what it's called I think? I haven't been paying much attention to this year's game, but apperently IGN is saying it's a damn good game, 8.7/10. I'm gonna pick it up within the next week, once the initial frenzy dies down and I can pick up a copy in peace. Watched Baltimore's opener too against Phili. McNair looked great with that 90 yard opening drive too. As for Holmes he's more than capable of coming back to Kansas City, it's just up to their front office in determining so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTA3Rockstar Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 ATTENTION Pick 'em http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/pi...oinprivategroup ID - 1928 PW - gtaforums Join Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Yeah come on people, join the Pick Em league. It's a refreshing change of pace from the maddening obsession of fantasy. We could use some good sports fans for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Cipp Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 lt is awesome no matter what. that's why i have his new jersey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 ATTENTION ^Quoted to being focus to the fantasy league.^ We also need one more person for the GTAForums Fantasy Football League. If anybody would like to play, simply look at the topic and join, it will help a lot because then there won't be a bye week during the season! Also, join the Pick 'Em league, it is fun, and it really tests your ability and knowledge of NFL teams! You should join simply because I'm trying to make up excuses as to why you should join. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTA3Rockstar Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 lt is awesome no matter what. that's why i have his new jersey Vince Young's jersey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gta_player5 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 lt is awesome no matter what. that's why i have his new jersey Vince Young's jersey? I think he said LT, except the letters were not capitalized. I thought his post said 'It' but judging from the topic at hand, I'm guessing it says 'LT', but only he knows what it really says. I was watching NFL Total Access and they were talking about quarterback helmets. The quarterback helmets have green dots on the back of them so the refs know which ones they are. This is because this season the QB is allowed to talk to the coach for 15 seconds in between plays. The green dots are for recognition, and if the refs spot more than one helmet with a green dot on the field the team is charged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and penalized 15 yards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanmachine43 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I got messed up today when I turned it to ESPN to see the MNF team on at Thursday night. Only caught a few minutes of it, but Casey Printers' mad scramble+pass completion was nice to see in the 3rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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