When the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers hook up in Tampa this weekend for Super Bowl XLIII, there will be millions of viewers worldwide tuning in. Among them will be the San Diego Chargers. To hear the pre-season prognosticators, the Chargers were destined for Tampa coming into the season. What the destiny actually entailed was a second-round playoff exit and more questions than answers. As the Chargers sit back and ponder next season, the biggest question on the horizon is whether star running back LaDainian Tomlinson will be retained for the 2009 campaign. While Tomlinson still has some gas left in his tank, many people are wondering if that gas will be pumped somewhere else next season. Injuries to LT, Antonio Gates, Shawne Merriman and some other key figures were not the only story this season for the Bolts. Having watched the team’s secondary perform this year, one could make the claim that several of the elite NCAA Division I teams could have picked it apart. Until the Chargers improve a very deficient secondary, don’t expect a Super Bowl title anytime soon. The offensive line was also inconsistent during the season, leading to QB Philip Rivers scrambling for his life many times. Attention to this side of the ball is also critical if the Bolts want to make a Super Bowl run in ’09. On the plus side, while Darrel Sproles will not go down in history with the numbers LT has produced, he has proven himself to be a very capable runner, as did Michael Turner (Chargers running back in 2007) with the Atlanta Falcons this season. With a sturdy QB in Rivers, a decent group of receivers, an expected improvement next year in the defensive pass rush with the return of a healthy Pro Bowl linebacker in Merriman and a strong special teams group, the Chargers could make a run at the title. That, however, will mostly be determined on what they do with filling their needs. So now imagine if the Chargers were able to move an LT, who at the back side of his contract is owed a ton of money. Tomlinson, who turns 30 in June, is due to count $8.8 million against the 2009 salary cap. Moving LT now could open the checkbook to signing some much-needed help in the secondary and where needed on the offensive line. Arizona has proven this year that you don’t have to be the most talented team in your conference to get to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals put together a nice run in the playoffs and now go after their first Super Bowl crown, having won a championship back in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. Pittsburgh, meantime, is seeking a record sixth title, which would push it one ahead of the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, both of which have won five Super Bowls. While the Steelers are around a touchdown favorite this Sunday, expect the unexpected, which is what this NFL season has shown us. For the Chargers, meantime, it is an opportunity to look to next year and think back to what might have been this year.