LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Curtis Martin

Like many Jet fans today, I was pretty excited about the prospect of LaDainian Tomlinson wearing the Jets Green. When I first read the news last night, my thoughts immediately went to the Jets signing Curtis Martin in 1998 to replace Adrian Murrell. I started to wonder though if that was the right comparison.

Curtis Martin came to the Jets in 1998, when he was 25 years old and still in the prime of his career. Tomlinson will be 31 in June and even if he finds his second wind with the Jets, recapturing young glory is not easy for a running back. That said though, LT has said he would need to alter his game by catching more passes out of the backfield, especially on 3rd downs. If he shows a level of practicality not normally seen in a star athlete in any sport, he may be capable of providing the Jets the leadership they need. Thomas Jones was known as a leader in his years with the Jets and Curtis Martin is considered one of the best locker room presences ever, especially with his tutelage of LaMont Jordan, who coincidentally came into the NFL in the same season as LT.

Also, Curtis Martin's best rushing season came at age 31, when he led the NFL with 1,697 yards rushing. Tomlinson won't be expected to carry the kind of load Curtis Martin did that season with Shonn Greene (out of the University of Iowa) and, hopefully, Leon Washington sharing the backfield. And with a two-year contract, he is low risk with a potential for much higher reward.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Lincoln/Darwin Birthdays and Stimulus Holding Pattern

Amazing that both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on February 12, 1809, exactly 200 years ago today. Newsweek has an article that talks about the impact both have had on our world. For anyone trying to determine who made the greater contribution (as many of the comments on that article attempt to do), let's just accept it as comparing apples to oranges and leave it at that.

The stimulus issue is in a holding pattern today as the House and Senate decide when to vote on the newly compromised (pun intended) bill.

As far as sharing birthdays go, I happen to share a birthday with former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin (May 1, 1973). He was certainly my most favorite Jet player of all time even before I knew we shared a birthday. This guy was good and helped put the Jets back on the map but I didn't like him as much as his predecessor.