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Tomlinson Guarantees Jets Super Bowl Title Within The Next Two Years

Jun 29, 2010, 3:51 PM UTC

LaDainian Tomlinson spent the last five years of his career with the Chargers saddled with the expectation that one of the more talented teams in the NFL would finally break through and capture the franchise’s first Super Bowl title. That never came to pass in San Diego, as the Chargers always seemed to come apart in the AFC playoffs. With his skills diminishing, Tomlinson was cast off this offseason.â†µâ†µNow L.T. finds himself with the Jets, and championship expectations are just as high, if not higher, than before any of his nine seasons with the Chargers. Coming off an AFC Championship Game appearance, the Jets added several high profile pieces in addition to Tomlinson, including Santonio Holmes and Jason Taylor. The fact that they belong to the biggest media market in the country and are the focus of this year’s edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks only means more and more scrutiny along with the hype.â†µ

â†µâ†µAfter playing through years of dashed hopes, you would think Tomlinson might work to temper expectations, rather than stoke them to the nth degree. Then again, there’s no room for measured expectations in Rex Ryan’s clubhouse, which might help explain why L.T. is guaranteeing to ESPN that a Jets Super Bowl title is forthcoming within his tenure with the team.â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥[Sal] Paolantonio asked if Tomlinson thought he would join Drew Brees and Rodney Harrison as players who left the San Diego Chargers and won a championship. â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥“I’ll win a Super Bowl,” Tomlinson replied. â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥With the Jets? â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥“Absolutely,” Tomlinson added.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µLaDainian is 31 years old and signed to a two-year contract, so either way you look at it, the window for his guarantee is pretty tight. Not to mention, however big a name Tomlinson maintains for his outstanding play during the prime of his career, he’s less an integral factor to his team’s success than he’s been in the past. There could be more than a few players upset that the backup running back is placing even more pressure on them.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Editor’s note: The Jets are Sporting News’ pick to win the Super Bowl. Read more on the pick here.)â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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