Jets' Tomlinson: I'm not wearing down
New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson (21) fumbles the ball as he is tackled by Green Bay Packers' Tramon Williams (38) during the second quarter of an NFL football game at New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets recovered the ball. Credit: AP
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The whispers have begun.
Even though LaDainian Tomlinson is on pace for 1,200 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, the doubters are circling like vultures, preparing to pounce and say, "I told you so." His numbers have taken a steady dip the last three games, leading more than a few to wonder if the 31-year-old is hitting a wall halfway through the season.
"I don't worry about wearing down because I'm in great shape physically and I feel great," Tomlinson said Thursday. "So wearing down, I'm never really worried about that. Prove people wrong? I think every week you do that because there are still some people probably who don't believe an older back can get the job done, particularly me just because of how many carries and yards.
"But that's not something I should be concerned with, because as they say, the numbers don't lie."
Tomlinson sits 14th in the NFL in rushing with 599 yards and has five touchdowns. However, his numbers have been on a slow decline lately, with a total of 164 yards against Denver, Green Bay and Detroit. The future Hall of Famer was gaining 5.7 yards a carry for five games but gained only 3.5 per attempt during the past three.
"I think we just ran into a tough stretch, teams giving us tough looks defensively," said Tomlinson, who's averaging 15.4 rushes a game. "A lot of teams have played our run well and it's been tough on us."
He pointed to Week 6 against the Broncos as an example of some of the exotic defenses the Jets are facing. Denver played a goal line-type scheme in which linemen were matched up one- on-one, a linebacker roamed the middle and a safety came down to help in the box.
"When I was in San Diego and played Denver twice a year, they never played us defensively the way they played us a few games ago," Tomlinson said. "I was in that division for nine years and never saw that defense."
Something else that never happened in Tomlinson's Chargers days? The coaches giving him a scheduled day off.
That's what Rex Ryan did Wednesday for the first time this season, taking a page out of the book he used with fullback Tony Richardson - who also sat out - and Thomas Jones near the end of last season. Don't think it was a knee-jerk reaction to Tomlinson's decreased production, though.
"This was planned for the whole season, just to back guys off," Ryan said. "Once you get up there with the experience they've had, you just want to keep them fresh for games. If you're going to back off at all, back off in practice. Let them get the mental work and get all of that stuff in on Wednesdays. Get the physical in on Thursday and Friday, mental work on Saturday and game on Sunday. That usually is good for running backs."
Tomlinson appreciated it.
"Today, I could definitely tell the difference," he said, "a lot more fresh.
"I feel great, and with the coaches resting me on Wednesday, it makes me feel even better. In years past, I would have to practice every day, take most of the reps. So it just helps me, not being able to practice that one day and being able to take some reps off and save my legs."
