You're the man for Campbell's now—what happened to Donovan McNabb? Could you say that he got…canned?!
You know, I'm not sure. Every few years, your contract runs out, and I guess they just go with somebody else.

Hear that, Philadelphia Eagles? OK, that makes you Chunky's lone spokesman. So no slew of you dudes playing in the mud this time?
No, last year was kind of a history-making moment with all the players they used, but this year they are just going to focus on one athlete. They went around to consumers and did some surveys, and they thought it would work best with one athlete. So the consumer can relate to just one guy.

What does everyone have against moms?
[Laughs] I don't know, but the moms are still there. They're just a little more behind the scenes. Plus, this year we wanted some more action scenes.

Whoa, with the moms?!
[Laughs] No, not with the moms. They're not on the football field in real life, so it wouldn't make sense to have them there in the commercials.

Right? God, they're lazy. Hey, that reminds us: Is that really your mom or is it CGI?
No, that's really my mom.

Was she upset at getting pushed into the background?
No, she wasn't upset, 'cause she got the chance to do it last year. She was just happy they still used her. And, she still got paid! [Laughs.]

All right, L.T., let's talk soup for a minute here. What's your favorite kind?
The chili! Chili, hold the beans.

How many cans do you think you could eat in a single sitting?
If I needed to, I could probably eat about three of 'em.

What's the best accompaniment—bread or crackers?
Ummm, crackers.

So would chili with some crackers be your super bowl of soup?
[Laughs] Yeah, definitely! But you can't go wrong with the beef stew because that's a lot of protein, plus you've got the vegetables part. So beef stew is always good, too.

Mmm...the vegetables part. Got a clam chowder preference? You can't possibly like New England, can you?
I don't even like clam chowder. I just avoid all of it. Especially New England. I kick that out. [Laughs.]

If you had to compare your style of running to a soup, what would it be—something smooth and light or something heavier with a little more punch?
It would have to be smooth and light. [Laughs.] Fills you up quick.

Unexpected. Well, the off-season's winding down and the draft wrapped recently; would you say that the Chargers have souped up the roster this year?
Yeah, I would say so. For example, we drafted a fullback from LSU—[Jacob] Hester—and a running back from UTEP—[Marcus Thomas]—in the fifth round, and we definitely needed some depth at running back.

Who would you say is the chunkiest member of the Chargers?
I would have to say Brandon McKinney—our backup defensive tackle. Yeah, I would definitely have to say he's the chunkiest member of the team.

So he could probably down more than your three bowls?
Oh, I would definitely have to say that!

If the Chargers are the beef stew of the NFL, who is your gazpacho?
That's a good question. I guess I would have to say Denver, because they are in the division, and the last few years it's come down to us and them. It's always an intense game with them.

Do you ever get shit for being the "soup guy" when you're on the field?
No, I don't get so much of that on the field, but the fans—they let me have it. They'll all be like, "L.T.! Come in and get your soup!" I hear that a lot when we're on the road.

So tying up all this soup and football talk, would you say your team's chances this year are "Mmm Mmm good"?
I would say they're "Mmm Mmm good!" Yes, definitely.

Will you run our slogan for your next commercial by the Campbell's execs? "I'm San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and Campbell's soups give me the runs!"
No. [Laughs.] I don't think they'd like that.

Screw it. We'll take it over to the folks at Progresso.