Tomlinson. Will. Be. Back.

First, my sincerest apologies. I've been a little busy the last month or so after the Super Bowl, so I haven't posted on my blog in quite some time.

But this is quite a time to write a new post.

Kevin Acee's lead should be simple. Actually, it is.

"It is finished."

That's short and sweet. It's very concise. It's all that is needed really to weigh the gravity of what so many associated with the San Diego Chargers (fans, players and front office types alike) are feeling right now.

Tomlinson will be back in San Diego. General manager A.J. Smith averts a public relations disaster. Chargers fans don't have to go out and buy Knowshon Moreno jerseys--at least not yet.

As a fan, I feel relief. Relief for the franchise. Relief for LT--who really wanted to stay in San Diego. Relief that a whole contingent of fans won't spend the entire offseason in a backlash against what could have been a nuclear disaster for Smith.

I was one of those that was ready to move on. Tomlinson is getting up there in age. He hasn't been around when the Chargers have bolted into the playoffs the last two years. He just came off his worst season statisically.

I was ready to see LT not in a Chargers uniform come fall camp.

But that sigh you just heard--that was the sigh of millions in southern California holding their breath to see whether or not Tomlinson stays or if they start protesting in front of Smith's house.

Statistically, this may not have been the most important thing for San Diego to do. Smith could have traded Tomlinson and gotten draft picks. He could have simply cut him and save cap to resign more crucial players like quarterback Philip Rivers and linebacker Shawn Merriman.

But LT means more to the organization and to the community than just mere stats--than just wins and losses.

LT is the Chargers. The Chargers are LT. He is the franchise. He is the epitome of hard work and paying your dues so that you can get to the level where you are now.

San Diego would not be where it is if it wasn't for Tomlinson, and the fans realized that. The fans felt that Tomlinson earned a little more respect than just getting shipped out of San Diego.

And in a business where loyalty seems to be forgotten, Smith and LT were finally loyal--to each other, to the franchise and to the fans.

LT always wanted to be loyal. He always wanted to stay in San Diego. Tomlinson was so loyal that he'll be taking pay cuts so that the franchise can try to keep Rivers and Merriman in town longer than LT's career will last.

If anything, LT staying in San Diego really shouldn't have been in doubt. If Smith was willing to work with Tomlinson (which he apparently was) and try to keep him in San Diego, then I'm sure LT was all for it.

LT isn't Terrell Owens. He's not a problem like Edgerrin James. He doesn't bring distractions like Tony Romo.

If anything, LT is showed that he cared about San Diego and the Chargers, and at the end of the day, that's why Chargers fans would have cried foul if Tomlinson was let go.

It is finished. Tomlinson will be back. Chargers fans can rejoice.

Lightning in a Bottle

It's very interesting to see Darren Sproles run, cut and juke his way around defenders wearing the lightning bolts of the San Diego Chargers.

Just last summer, Sproles was coming off missing an entire year after breaking his leg. With LaDainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner ahead of him on the depth chart, Eric Parker still around as one of the main return guys and new rookie sensation Antonio Cromartie creating a with his ability to run with the football, Sproles looked like a man without a team last year, even though he started fall training camp No. 1 on the depth chart as the Bolts' return guy.

If Sproles didn't win that job, he would have been cut, and another team in the League would have an electric running back.

Fast forward to this year, and after last week's game against Denver, and the way he played tonight against the Jets, Sproles has become invaluable for the Chargers--especially with Michael Turner in Atlanta now. Sure Sproles didn't have as great a game that he had last week, but he was still effective, giving San Diego the ability to pick up first downs on third downs.

LT isn't the same. He's still great, but I wouldn't expect the 2001-2006 Tomlinson to suit up for San Diego every Sunday.

But Sproles is a little bit different than what Turner was to LT as a backup. Sure, Turner can take it to the end zone as good as anyone, but Sproles, he's the type of hold-your-breath-and-don't-blink player that make the Chargers so dangerous, even without LT on the field.

And it's amazing to see that, especially since Sproles almost got cut last year.

I'm sure that everyone in the Chargers organization and every San Diego fan out there is relieved that Sproles is backing up LT (and that the team finally won a game tonight).

LT All Washed Up?

I don't think so. And neither does Kevin Acee, the uber-tan beat Chargers beat reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

But Michael Silver (the former Cal alum and current columnist for the Yahoo! sports) posed the question of whether or not the years of wear and tear has caught up with LaDainian Tomlinson.

Acee seemed to take offense to the question, spitting off stats that show how awesome LT still is.

Let's just say that I agree with both, on some level. First, on Silver's (I guess) overarching point, LT is getting old. And at 29 years of age, Tomlinson is getting to the point when you trade in that old car for a newer hybrid. He's been getting nicked up, he's sat out games and whenever I watch the Chargers, I'm always afraid that the amazing LT run I just saw might be his last.

But, as Acee noted, Tomlinson is still amazing. Adrian Peterson may be ready to take the mantle of "NFL's current best running back" but I still give that trophy to Tomlinson. There's no other back in the League that I'd like to have when the game is on the line.

He is the NFL's most prolific touchdown scorer and he still has that ability to hit paydirt anytime he touches the ball.

But, I think Silver's main point, was that San Diego doesn't need LT to be Superman to win anymore. There was a time when the Chargers needed a healthy Tomlinson to win. They needed him to touch the ball 35-40 times just to stay competitive.

Not anymore. After last year's AFC title game loss, this is now Philip Rivers' team. The way Rivers plays is how the Chargers will fare the rest of the year.

It's not to say that the Chargers don't need LT altogether. Yeah, Darren Sproles can serve as a pretty legit backup. But at the end, the team will both need Rivers and Tomlinson to play well in order to get to the Super Bowl.

San Diego stay with then-undefeated New England in the bitter cold of the AFC title game with LT on the bench. Tomlinson isn't a necessity to stay competitive anymore.

Just think of what would have happened if a healthy Tomlinson was in the game.

The Chargers don't need LT to stay in games. But they need him to win, because he's still as amazing as he was a few years ago.