LaDainian Tomlinson no longer hangs his cleats in East Rutherford, N.J., but the former New York Jets running back is just a few months removed from life inside that (sometimes chaotic) locker room.
On the heels of his retirement from the NFL, L.T. sat down with "The Rich Eisen Podcast" this week to predict how the Jets will deal with the Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow pairing at quarterback.
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Far from the drama predicted by some, Tomlinson sees Tebow sticking to a well-defined role.
"I think Tebow is the Wildcat," Tomlinson said. "He's their Wildcat quarterback. I mean, let's think about it. Since Rex (Ryan) has been the head coach, he's always had that Wildcat guy at quarterback. Brad Smith. Now he's simply bringing that back in Tebow. Now, they probably are going to throw the ball a little bit more with Tebow in the Wildcat situation, but that's how they will play it: Mark's our quarterback; Tebow will be our Wildcat quarterback."
Tomlinson is convinced the Jets will tap into Tebow's corner of the playbook early and often against opponents.
"I think Tebow will definitely be a part of that first 15 plays, because he's a guy you're going to have to get on the field. He makes plays," Tomlinson said. "Coaches always want to get the guys that make plays on the field. And so he's going to be a part of that first 15. Mark just has to understand that this is a role that Tebow plays, every single game, he's going to get his plays."
Tebow's role -- and how it grows and shifts as the season progresses -- remains one of the juiciest question marks surrounding the Jets. Tomlinson had much more to tell Rich about how this could go down in Gotham. It's worth a listen.
You can download the entire podcast at NFL.com/richeisen or subscribe on iTunes.
