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A little tidying up on the New England Patriots’ decision to put the franchise tag on nose tackle Vince Wilfork …



As ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss reported, the Patriots used the non-exclusive version of the tag. That allows Wilfork to make free-agent visits to other teams and sign an offer sheet if he fields a deal he likes. The Patriots would have the right to match the offer. If they decline, they would receive two first-round draft choices from Wilfork’s new employer.



Wilfork also released a statement via his wife’s Twitter account. Here are the tweets, pieced together:



“In regards to the many calls and emails I am receiving in response to the franchise tag we figured this would be the easiest way to [address the Patriots' decision] …



“The franchise tag has been applied. After six years of dedicated service I do understand this is a business. With that being said it is my hope that the tag is applied for its true purpose: For the purpose of allotting more time for us to continue our talks and be able to reach a long term agreement. Only time will tell what the final result will be.”



Boston Globe reporter Albert Breer laid out what everyone can expect to transpire next.



Breer also makes a keen observation about the statement the Patriots released. In it, the club made a point to call Wilfork its “top contractual priority” and noted the franchise tag was applied because a long-term deal hasn’t materialized: “Unfortunately, despite numerous conversations and proposals, the goal has not yet been realized.”



Considering that confidentiality is part of the Patriots’ operational ideology, it would appear they inserted that line with a purpose.



Ian R. Rapoport of the Boston Herald gives an overview of how New England handled franchise tags in the past, and there isn’t a track record for long-term deals being hammered out.

LaDainian Tomlinson recently said he believes he can still be an effective running back. Expect the 30-year-old Tomlinson, who was released by San Diego on Monday, to continue his career.



Some league observers believe Tomlinson may have to wait a while to garner interest. Here is a list of potential suitors.



Baltimore



Why: Tomlinson said after he was kept by San Diego that he thought Baltimore could have been a potential landing spot.



Denver



Why: Tomlinson is still effective at the goal line. Denver struggled in short yardage last season.



Green Bay



Why: The Packers could use a veteran presence in the backfield.



Houston



Why: Texans coach Gary Kubiak has long been a fan of Tomlinson’s.



Kansas City



Why: The Chiefs could use a veteran mentor for young star Jamaal Charles.



New Orleans



Why: Tomlinson and Drew Brees, the king of New Orleans, would love to reunite.



Washington



Why: Mike Shanahan loves veterans and he was a huge admirer of Tomlinson’s while he was in Denver.

LaDainian Tomlinson‘s release from the Chargers drew parallels to Shaun Alexander‘s demise in Seattle.

Alexander

Tomlinson

“I was wondering if you think the release of L.T. from San Diego might in someway provide a level of vindication for our own NFC West-curbed MVP in Shaun Alexander?” JasonJHann wrote. “To me, this is nearly the exact same circumstances and timeline, although L.T. had remained less of a liability in the year before he was cut (probably because he wasn’t the teams only option with Sproles around.”



Tomlinson and Alexander saw their production fall dramatically after age 28, not uncommon for NFL running backs. Their careers lined up pretty closely before that, although Alexander got a later start because he spent one season backing up Ricky Watters.



Pro Football Reference includes a column for annual player ages as part of its career stat information, helpful for comparing career trajectories for two of the most productive running backs in the last decade. This made it easier to explore JasonJHann’s question, left in the comments of this item.



The chart shows season-by-season rushing totals for Alexander and Tomlinson as each passed milestones for certain ages.

San Diego’s release of running back LaDainian Tomlinson came two days after we engaged in this bit of funny-talk speculation in the weekend mailbag.



The short of it: Chester Taylor signs with his hometown team in Detroit and Tomlinson replaces him in Minnesota as the Vikings’ third-down back/insurance for Adrian Peterson. I’ll stress I have no inside information to suggest it’s a possibility. But from an outsiders’ perspective, I think it makes some sense.



The move also gives us an opportunity to make one addendum to the Final Eight discussion we had last week. As you know, the Vikings can’t sign an unrestricted free agent unless one of their own unrestricted free agents signs elsewhere first. Moreover, the contracts must be comparable.



But in a very technical sense, Tomlinson won’t be an unrestricted free agent. In the NFL, a player who is released from his contract is classified differently than one whose contract expires. So assuming there is an uncapped offseason in 2010, the Vikings — or any of the other 2009 “Final Eight” teams — could sign Tomlinson even if they don’t lose an unrestricted free agent first.



Hope that makes sense.

Future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson was released by the San Diego Chargers Monday. Obviously this begs the question: What does Tomlinson have left and what is his value around the league at this advanced point of his career?



My answer to that question is short and simple: very little. Surely Tomlinson will get an opportunity with another team. He still consistently gets into the end zone, is a high character person and no one can question his will to win. The Houston Texans come to mind immediately as they need to add some veteran leadership. But I think his mind now writes checks his body can no longer cash. Tomlinson knows what it takes to succeed, but his once-exceptional long speed, jump-cutting ability, overall quickness, power and explosiveness have left him, as they leave most great runners his age with that much wear and tear on their bodies. I hate to say it, but I see Tomlinson ending his career much as Edgerrin James or Emmitt Smith did in Arizona. That’s not good.



Despite featuring one of the most feared passing games in the league, San Diego was simply awful on the ground in 2009. The offensive line was certainly not great and there were several prominent injuries up front, but Tomlinson deserves much of the blame. The Tomlinson of a few years ago would have carved up defensive fronts that did not dedicate an extra defender to the box. This Tomlinson simply could not.



As happens with most declining runners, Tomlinson could no longer create big plays for himself. The long runs are gone. He can’t run away from defenses or create the same space for himself as he once did. Tomlinson averaged a measly 3.3 yards per carry and was unable to break a run longer than 36 yards last season. He has rushed for 100 yards in a game only twice over the past two seasons.



Tomlinson also has become a forgotten member of San Diego’s passing attack, catching only 20 passes this season. Before 2009, Tomlinson had never caught fewer than 51 passes. This once-great receiving option is no longer dynamic enough to make a difference in this phase of the game. When was the last time Tomlinson made a play that made you say “wow” to yourself? The answer probably is the 2007 season. That was a long time ago. It doesn’t make me happy to say it, but Tomlinson is done.

Well, San Diego fans, it finally happened: The LaDainian Tomlinson era is officially over.



Yes, I know, it’s not any easier to digest now that it has happened.



Tomlinson’s release has been expected since late last season when it was clear he could no longer be the bell-cow back in San Diego anymore. Tomlinson even admitted recently that he knew his time in San Diego was over.



Still, it’s an extremely sad day for Chargers fans. Tomlinson was an icon in San Diego.



The No. 5 overall pick in the 2001 draft out of Texas Christian University, Tomlinson quickly become the face of the franchise.



He is arguably the most popular and best player in franchise history. He will be a Hall of Famer. He had a nearly flawless nine-season career in San Diego; an NFL version of Padres legend Tony Gwynn. His consistency and nose for the end zone coupled with his easy smile and desire to work in the community made him part of the fabric of San Diego. Unlike Gwynn, Tomlinson wasn’t a native. But now, Tomlinson will forever be a part of San Diego.



He will always be a Charger.



While it is a melancholy day in San Diego, it was necessary. Tomlinson’s time is up. He can no longer carry the team. That was evident last season when he was only effective at the goal line. Tomlinson had a career low 730 yards and he never registered a 100-yard game. San Diego had the second worst run offense in the NFL.



He had just 24 yards rushing in the Chargers’ stunning home playoff loss to the Jets. He couldn’t help the team when it needed him the most.



It is obvious Tomlinson can no longer help San Diego like he once could. The Chargers had to move on. Expect Tomlinson, who turned 30 last summer, to try to play elsewhere. But he won’t be a star for anyone.



Those days are over. We have all known it for a while. But it doesn’t make it any easier.

It is clear the Chargers understand the enormity of their decision to release legendary running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The team just sent out a long, thoughtful, detailed statement on the release.



Kudos to San Diego for making this move with class and dignity.



Here is the team’s release:

(Read full post)

It is clear the Chargers understand the enormity of their decision to release legendary running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The team just released a long, thoughtful, detailed statement on the release.



Kudos to San Diego for making this move with class and dignity.



Here is the team’s release:

(Read full post)