Tomlinson, Come on Down

In the Presidential election, there is a thing called the October surprise. It's a last-minute item that sways enough voters to turn the election. I have made such a move in the AUFL.

I traded for LaDanian Tomlinson.

Our last-place team owned Tomlinson, and put the "on the market" message on the league page. I do not look at the page at work, not due to principal but because of the pictures posted on the page. I cannot believe the filth, unless I have posted the latest from the Philadelphia Eagles lingerie calendar. What are they selling again?

Tomlinson does have a sore big toe, which is a big deal when you have to make lightening-quick cuts to gain extra yardage. I knew that my potential trade partners were Falcons fans, so I made Roddy White the centerpiece of the deal. He's a keeper wideout. I decided to include Jamal Lewis, because when you pick up a RB you need to offer one in return. Jamal Lewis is like Tomlinson, except that he's far less talented.

Initially there was another offer on the table. That led to an hour or so of worry. In the end, my deal was superior. My opponent offered Laveraneus Coles and the Ravens D. Are you serious? This is the same guy who traded for Shaun Alexander one year too late, and his first e-mail to me mentioned that Tomlinson is going to be the next Alexander. That was enough to make me worry.

I like my Tomlinson/Forte backfield, although throwing in the better of Santonio Holmes and Donald Driver opposite Andre Johnson makes me nervous. Three weeks ago Johnson made me nervous. Now he's a mega-stud.

Now I just have to worry about my QB situation. It's a matter of throwing a dart on a board. Last week my leading QB scorer was a guy who had 38 passing yards going into the fourth quarter. My keeper everybody, Derek Anderson. What, no applause?

I play the winless team I just traded with this weekend. I am one loss from calling it a season. Come on, Tomlinson, play like you have a commercial riding on it.