I posted some of these thoughts, along with a quote from Childress on LT's signing, over on the far more popular Zulgoggins' site. But I thought I'd kick the horse a few more times over here, since this should be the last time we have to bring up Tomlinson.
I think the Vikings were wise in going after Tomlinson. Despite his age and the fact he's coming off his worst season in nearly every respect, I warmed up to the idea of Tomlinson as a third-down back, thinking the limited role would benefit him and the Vikings.
But not getting LT could be the old blessing in disguise. Kind of like not getting T.J. Houska;lkkdja;j;kljd;alkjdklj was last year. T.J. spurned the Vikings for the Seahawks. That led to the Vikings taking Percy Harvin in the first round. Had the Vikings taken Housha;klda;lklkj;kkj;lkkj, the Vikings would have become the 22nd team to say Harvin was too much of a character risk to join their fine franchise. Instead, with a need at receiver, the Vikings took a chance, and Harvin rewarded it by being the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.
When it comes to running backs especially, it's generally a great rule of thumb to keep em young, younger and youngest. I think Albert Young has a chance to complement Adrian Peterson quite nicely. Young is 25 and has 12 career carries. Yes, he's unproven. But he's fresh. Let's see how he does. At this stage in LT's career, Young could be better.
If I were the Vikings, I wouldn't mess around with any other free agents, particularly Brian Westbrook. Two concussions in 2009 probably means a third one or more for Westbrook in 2010. The Vikings don't need that on the roster. And Westbrook doesn't need that in his life. It's time to consider retirement, Brian.
I would wait to see what's available to the Vikings in the draft. Yeah, not getting LT sends them into the draft with another important need to fill. But if they don't have enough picks to fill the need at running back, they can always look elsewhere. Good running backs are plentiful.
