Glad To See L.T. Gone … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

The marriage between the San Diego Chargers and LaDainian Tomlinson is over.

That should be cause for celebration throughout the Chiefs Nation on this Tuesday. Although Tomlinson plans to continue his career and hopes to do it with a Super Bowl contender, it’s unlikely that he will pop up twice a year on the Chiefs radar screen.

And that’s a good thing for the Kansas City defense. L.T. got a shot at the Chiefs 17 times during his nine seasons (2001-09) with the Chargers and he made the most of those opportunities. Tomlinson ran for 1,488 yards, or more rushing yards against the Texans/Chiefs than any running back piled up in 50 years.

There’s a basket of impressive numbers that he collected against the Chiefs; we’ll get to those in a minute because they are historic.

This is a football breakup similar to any relationship where one party loses interest in the other. Despite Tomlinson’s remarkable career with 12,490 rushing yards, 3,955 receiving yards and 153 total touchdowns, the Chargers offense has moved on. Head coach Norv Turner has fallen hard for QB Phillip Rivers and wants the scheme to roll through him. General Manager A.J. Smith doesn’t want to pay Tomlinson his scheduled $2 million roster bonus on March 1. No money for the past; only for future production.

It all qualifies under the category of it’s not what have you done lately, but what are you going to do next?

“It was a longtime coming, but I knew it was coming,” Tomlinson told SI.com on Monday. “Now that it’s official I can kind of look to the next step in my career and playing football for someone else … the next team I go to has to have a chance of winning a title. I can think of a few teams off the top of my head, but that’s what my agent (Tom Condon) is for. I’m sure he’s going to do some research, talk to some teams and present some options to me.

“I do know that I would have to go to a team that has a (proven) quarterback, a place where you know you have a chance to win because of the quarterback.”

A Super Bowl has eluded Tomlinson and like all players who can see the end of their career on the horizon, he craves a chance to play in the final game. And like so many Hall of Fame quality runners in the past – Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, O.J. Simpson – his pride does not allow him to believe that it’s time to finish his career. The last two seasons have been the lowest in production over nine seasons with 1,110 rushing yards in ‘08 and just 730 rushing yards in 14 games last year. Nagging injuries have bothered him for the last few seasons, evidence that his work load of 24 touches per game in the regular season and playoffs had worn him down. He had seven straight seasons with 375 touches or more.

If Tomlinson is willing to play for less money, then he might find some contenders interested in his services. Teams like New England, Philadelphia, Green Bay, Indianapolis and Minnesota could all be landing spots. His desire to play for a contender with a proven quarterback would take him out of the AFC West, as Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton and JaMarcus Russell have not yet proven they are capable of taking their team on a successful post-season run.

And that brings us back to Tomlinson and his history against the red and gold. Tomlinson was the biggest opposing thorn in the side of the Chiefs in their first 50 years:

• His 1,488 rushing yards was significantly more than the No. 2 rusher, Marcus Allen with 961 yards while playing with the Raiders.
• His 1,965 total offensive yards is eclipsed only by former Raiders WR Tim Brown, who had 2,056 total yards against the Chiefs. Tomlinson did his in 17 games, or 115.6 yards per game. Brown got his yards in 30 games.
• No offensive player has scored more touchdowns against the Chiefs than L.T., with 14 (13 rushing/1 receiving).
• No opposing running back had more big runs against the K.C. defense with 38 at 10 yards or more.
• In 2006, his 85-yard run was the longest rushing play against the Chiefs in their history.
• His 756 rushing yards at Arrowhead is tops among all visiting running backs and more than any visiting back has gained in Kansas City in 47 seasons of Chiefs football.

No, the Chiefs will not be unhappy that LaDainian Tomlinson has to find a new home. Somewhere in the NFC would be preferable.

Here are the numbers:

TOP RUSHERS AGAINST THE TEXANS/CHIEFS 1960-2009

And, here is what Tomlinson did in his 17 games against the Chiefs defense, with the games in chronological order:

TEAR DOWN OF THE CARL PETERSON CHIEFS CONTINUES

If you are an employee of the Chiefs and you were around before 2009, the clock is apparently ticking on further employment.

More changes have come down in the organization as last Friday the team’s executive director of player development Lamonte Winston was told he would not be offered a new contract. Winston had been with the football operation for 17 years, starting as a scout and working his way in the player development field. Several years ago, the Chiefs player development programs were honored as one of the league’s best. Winston served many roles in his position, as he was the man players called when they had problems, or wanted to finalize their college education, or just joined the team and needed help in housing and family matters. It was a sensitive position that Winston handled well.

Among the front office employees at the end of the 2008 season, there are 39 that are no longer employed or working in the same job. Sports teams generally can have high turnover, but 37 people in 13 months is a remarkable number..

And those still standing at the team’s offices think the purge is not over.

SAY A PRAYER FOR KARM

Former Chiefs defensive line coach Bob Karmelowicz was admitted to a Detroit hospital critical care unit last week and remains there as of Monday. Coach Karm has been battling health problems for the last decade and is in very serious condition.

Karmelowicz spent nine years as a defensive line coach with the Chiefs (1997-2005), working for Marty Schottenheimer, Gunther Cunningham and Dick Vermeil. He spent three years with the Houston Texans and then went to Detroit last year to work on head coach Jim Schwartz’s staff with the Lions.

SIGNINGS, DEALS, DESIGNATIONS AND OTHER MOVEMENT AROUND THE LEAGUE

• BEARS – signed TE Richard Angulo and WR Eric Peterman.
• CARDINALS – named Donnie Henderson as defensive backs coach.
• JAGUARS – re-signed TE Ernest Wilford.
• PANTHERS – ESPN was reporting Monday evening that Carolina will not place the franchise player tag on DE Julius Peppers. The deadline for using the franchise tag is Thursday. Peppers will become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team in the league and there will be no compensation due to the Panthers.
• PATRIOTS – announced they were putting a non-exclusive franchise tag on DT Vince Wilfork. This means Wilfork can negotiate with other teams, but it would force any team that wanted him to cough up two first-round draft choices in compensation.
• RAMS – announced they would lower ticket prices on 67 percent of the seats in the Edwards Jones Dome for the 2010 season. Upper deck seats dropped in price from $44 to $25, the same price as when the Rams arrived in St. Louis from Los Angeles in 1995.

SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY … TO AN OLD NEMISIS

Born on February 23, 1942 in Erie, Pennsylvania was Hall of Fame WR Fred Biletnikoff. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1965 AFL Draft out of Florida State University. At 6-1, 190 pounds, Biletnikoff played 14 seasons with the Raiders (1965-78), catching 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns. He was a six-time AFL All-Star/Pro Bowl player and he was named MVP of the Raiders victory in Super Bowl XI over Minnesota. Only former Raiders WR Tim Brown caught more passes against the Chiefs than Biletnikoff’s 78 catches for 1,304 yards and seven TDs in 23 games against Kansas City. That’s him above catching one against Chiefs CB James Marsalis. Biletnikoff went on to coach for 18 years with the Raiders, retiring after the 2006 season. He’s celebrating his 68th birthday.

Former Chiefs with February 23rd birthdays were RB John Stephens (1966), RB Greg Hill (1972) and QB Pat Barnes (1975).