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spt_1208_LT[i-1].body = "Really, this guy’s initials should be TD not LT, and not just because there already is an NFL all-time great with those initials. Yes, LaDainian Tomlinson is the league’s best touchdown maker in a record-setting run. The Chargers’ lightning bolt scored 31 TDs this season, which broke the record Seattle's Shaun Alexander set last season -- with three games remaining.
He broke Jim Brown and Jerry Rice’s record of touchdowns in a six-game span with 19 and became the fastest player ever to score 100 touchdowns, reaching that milestone in his 89th game. Emmitt Smith and Brown each scored 100 times in their first 93 games. “I looked up to Emmitt Smith growing up,” Tomlinson said. “Jim Brown was an icon. The man was incredible.”
So is the new LT, who now has exceeded 1,200 yards rushing in his first six NFL seasons. How incredible? Let us count the ways.";
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He isn’t the fastest running back around, but he’s fast enough and faster than most.
The best thing about Tomlinson’s speed is that he reaches it so, well, fast. “He’s at full speed in one step,” Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said.
That’s critical in the stop-start-cut-and-cut-back world of an NFL running back. He’s extremely quick, side to side, and can make his cuts at top speed. He has enough first-step quickness to burst through holes at the line of scrimmage.
Or as none other than Jim Brown said, “He has cutting ability; he has speed and he has balance. These things allow him to make good decisions and utilize whatever is necessary at the time.”";
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Barry Sanders was shiftier and Gale Sayers may have been the king of sharp cuts, but Tomlinson is a pretty elusive package himself. As one San Diego columnist wrote, “Missed tackles are an occupational hazard of chasing LaDainian Tomlinson.”
He is dangerous on off-tackle jaunts or sweeps because of his exceptional cutting ability. He used to initiate contact but another master of deception, Marshall Faulk, talked to Tomlinson last off-season and urged him to avoid as many hits as he can.
Tomlinson has complied and NFL stadiums have been littered all season with sprawled bodies of would-be tacklers who have reached for a lightning bolt jersey and come up with nothing but air.
Denver cornerback Darrent Williams, after LT victimized the Broncos for four touchdowns in November, said, “He’s the best. It’s everything: competitiveness, speed, quickness, ability to break tackles.”";
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Just because he no longer goes out of his way to run over people doesn’t mean LT, who stands 5-10 and weighs a muscular 220 pounds, can’t do it when the occasion calls for pure power.
He said the favorite touchdown run of his NFL career was in the 2005 season during a 41-17 victory over the Patriots. It was only 8 yards, but he broke three tackles and dragged another across the goal line.
“It was just an 8-yard run, but I think it exemplified the way I run,” Tomlinson said. “That one stands out the most to me.”
All those touchdowns did not come on breakaways, either. There was plenty of fighting for extra yards near the finish line. In fact, LT is willing to power his way for extra years anywhere. Comparing his style to that of Barry Sanders, Raiders veteran defensive tackle Warren Sapp said,
“This guy [LT] is more of a straight-ahead runner who understands the importance of not having that minus 5, minus 4. Then he hits you with 60.”";
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Tomlinson seems to have a built-in radar system that detects tacklers and allows him to avoid them. “He has great vision,” Rams linebacker Will Witherspoon said. “He knows where he wants to go before he even gets there. He knows how to use his body to avoid contact and fly forward.”
That’s why so many of Tomlinson’s scoring runs make the video highlights. \"Obviously I'm in the prime of my career. I see things clearly out on the football field,” LT said.
“It's kind of a thing like when you were in high school and you knew you can make plays for your team because you're seeing things clearly and you felt like you were on top of your game. That's the way I feel right now.\"";
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Tomlinson would be headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his running ability alone. But add the 50-plus catches he has made in each of his six seasons and you have double trouble.
In fact, Tomlinson caught an incredible 100 passes for 725 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2003 to go along with his 1,645 yards and 13 touchdowns on the grounds.
“He’s a complete player,” Chargers veteran fullback Lorenzo Neal said. “The numbers don’t lie.” Jim Brown agreed saying, “I don’t categorize him as a running back. He can catch the pass, throw the pass and run the football.”
He also hangs onto it in all situations, rarely fumbling. And he’s not above using his hands to stiff-arm opposing tacklers.";
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Not that you want to waste LT as a blocker, but he’s the kind of back, like the Giants’ Tiki Barber, who is adept at picking up blitzes to help protect his quarterback. Which is why, like Barber, he can stay on the field in passing situations. Even if he isn’t the intended receiver, he can help out his team.
That approach and attitude is reminiscent of the Bears’ Hall of Famer, Walter Payton, a versatile back himself who ran for tough yards, caught passes and was a devastating blocker. Tomlinson says Payton was a boyhood idol who influenced him to become a running back.
“Walter was able to do anything asked of him on a football field,” LT said. “When he ran the football, you obviously knew how special he was, but even when he blocked, when he caught the football, even seeing him throwing the football, that's what made him such a special player.\"
That sounds like a description of Tomlinson today. As his coach, Marty Schottenheimer said, “He is a good pass protector. He brings versatility to everything that we do. He is really the complete running back.”";
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You don’t get to the Promised Land as often as Tomlinson does by accident. In fact, for opponents, LT is an accident waiting to happen –- it’s one collision after another. Often, the Charger is doing the charging.
“You’ve got to be determined in the end zone, whether it’s from 20 yards, 30 yards or from 2 yards,” he said. “The thing that’s going to push you over is how bad you want it -– your determination to score.”
That determination carries over into short-yardage situations, too.
“The big runs are awesome, but to me, some of his 3-and 4-yard runs are unbelievable,” San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers said. “They're runs where most backs may have a 1-yard loss or they get hit in the backfield. But he scrambles around and gets three. He can get you a second-and-7 or get you to third-and-2.”";
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Given that Tomlinson can run for touchdowns from anywhere on the field and catch a variety of passes in a variety of situations, it’s no surprise that he is at his best in crunch time. He’s a big reason Chargers fans are thinking and talking Super Bowl this season.
When everyone in the stadium –- on the field and in the stands -- knows the ball is going to LT, he still makes the big play and scores the big touchdown. That’s a combination of being clutch, being durable and being intelligent.
“I have never seen LT take a big shot,” San Diego fullback Lorenzo Neal said. “He knows how to wiggle and get down.”
He also knows another way to torment opponents: He throws the occasional touchdown pass, making him a rare and true triple threat. “I really enjoy throwing a touchdown pass because it's something a running back is not supposed to be able to do,” Tomlinson said.
When LT threw the sixth TD pass of his career to help edge the Raiders earlier this year, the recipient, tight end Antonio Gates, said, “They’ll leave 85 [Gates’ number] open all day before the let 21 [LT] run.”"; // END editorial data