I was all set to draft a scathing post detailing all the reasons why your Houston Texans should pass on LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook. Really, I was. I'd started writing it and everything. But then, I stumbled across this article by Sean Pendergast (of 1560 fame) in the Houston Press, and I realized that Sean said it much better than I would have.
The point is simple: Betting on RBs over the age of 30 is a bad idea. You've read and heard that a million times. What you probably haven't read, however, is a thorough analysis of "running backs who have been either first- or second-team All-Pro in the salary-cap era (basically since the 1994 season) -- 31 in all" that examines their peak years and the staggering dropoff that inevitably occurs. Read the article and then tell me you're still interested in signing Tomlinson or Westbrook. Quite simply:
Both are 30 years old and available, which would be great if they were single women looking for a good time. However, they are NFL running backs, with injury histories and wear on their tires that should be scary if you know anything about the life cycle of an NFL running back.
This really shouldn't be a debate. Especially among Texans fans, with our wounds still fresh from the Ahman Green Era. Just say no, Smithiak.