The more LaDainian Tomlinson talks, the more it becomes clear he won't be a Jet next season.
That would explain the candidness in which Tomlinson has discussed the recent ills that have befallen the franchise. The future Hall of Fame running back hasn't trashed Gang Green, but he's also unafraid to answer questions other Jets will only touch using the cloak of anonymity after an 8-8, playoff-free season.
The latest example came Wednesday via an interview on Showtime's "Inside The NFL," where Tomlinson said he liked playing for Rex Ryan but admitted the coach's constant chatter doesn't always sit well.
"I would prefer him not to say it as much as he did," Tomlinson said, according to the New York Daily News. "I don't mind every now and again saying we are going to win a championship. Maybe at the beginning of the year just saying, 'Hey, our goal is to win a championship.'
"But at the same time, every week if you are calling out a team on certain things, I think it puts a little extra on your team," Tomlinson added. "Guys really want to go out there and say, 'Let's shut this guy up. Let's shut these Jets up, just end their season.'Â "
Tomlinson didn't stop there. He disputed the notion that Mark Sanchez is lazy but said the quarterback is "a bit pampered because he has no competition." Tomlinson also said the Jets' locker-room attitude, created by Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum's "in-your-face" approach, was "as bad as I've ever been around, honestly."
"You know, it was at the point where I think the players could no longer do anything about it," said Tomlinson, who's contemplating retirement at age 32. "There was nothing that the players could do. So when it gets to that point, there are certain changes that need to happen. Can it be fixed? I think absolutely it can be. But they're going to have to make some tough decisions."
Tough decisions indeed. It's a very delicate time in Florham Park, where the choices made this offseason will determine if 2011 was an aberration ... or the year that returned the Jets to the dark ages.
