I noticed something happening this past weekend that really got under my skin: all the supposed Chargers fans rooting for LaDainian Tomlinson and the Jets.
Okay, I’ll concede that picking a team to root for in the AFC Championship Game was definitely a pick of the lesser of two evils. On the one side, you have a quarterback who’s been accused of rape 3 times now, on a team whose defense has been labeled as "dirty", and already has 6 Super Bowl rings. On the other side, you have a coach with a foot fetish and a big mouth that people either love or hate, a mediocre quarterback who’s more famous for being "cute" than being even a decent NFL quarterback, and Antonio Cromartie, who’s been playing for the Jets even when he was playing in a Chargers uniform.
But to root for the Jets merely because LT is on the team? Blech.
Have we all forgotten what happened in January 2010? How about January 2005? In the last decade, the Chargers have gone 0-1 in the playoffs 3 times, and 2 of those three times (66.7%, look I can do math!) were at the hands of the Jets. Many fans treat the Patriots as cross-country rivals for the Chargers, so why haven’t the Jets been elevated to that level? Is it because they have a beloved former-Charger on the team? What about Junior Seau being on the Patriots?
I know we all liked Tomlinson when he was with the Chargers, and he’s just a "good guy." Let’s not forget, however, that once he left the Chargers, he threw the entire team under the bus, singling out the offensive line and the front office. It struck such a nerve with the team, it elicited less-than-flattering responses from Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, two of the last players you’d think would be quick to bad mouth a (former or current) teammate.
But what really grinds my gears are the "fans" rooting for Tomlinson to get a Super Bowl ring before he retires. Here’s the thing: he only has one year left on his contract with the Jets. Factor in the average age a running back retires hovers around 31 (which happens to be Tomlinson’s current age), next season may very well be his last chance to win a Super Bowl ring.
So think about it, if you want nothing more than for LT to earn a Super Bowl ring before he retires, well then, you’re not a Chargers fan anymore. LT isn’t on the Chargers anymore, so for him to get a ring before he retires, that just means the Chargers will go another year without making it to the Super Bowl.
I don’t know about you, but I stopped rooting for LT when he left the Chargers. No one player is above the team, and that goes for any player. So long as you’re playing for another team, you’re not helping my team, and I have zero interest in seeing you succeed elsewhere. If you weren't able to win it all with my team, the last thing I want to see you do is win it all with some other team.