Tomlinson’s sits atop rushing leaders

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Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

Wednesday morning LaDainian Tomlinson was asked if he was surprised that he finds himself in position to claim his second-consecutive rushing title, considering he ran for only 130 yards in the first three games of the season.

Tomlinson went back to an analogy he presented four weeks into the season, one that makes a whole lot of sense, considering the path LT has taken to claim the NFL lead in rushing yards entering Sunday’s regular-season finale.

“You watch horses race and it’s always dramatic when that horse comes from back and he’s running,” Tomlinson said. “People know that it’s just exciting. I look at myself like that at times. If I’m way in the back, I always just feel like as the season goes on, I’m going to come running somewhere.”

After his first 100-yard game of the season, a 132-yard performance against Kansas City in Week 4, LT ranked 18^th in the NFL with 262 yards on the season. He moved up to 16^th the next week and then catapulted to second following his 198-yard game against Oakland in Week 7.

Tomlinson hovered between sixth and seventh place through November. Then his 177-yard performance at Kansas City allowed him to move to third, and his current run of four-consecutive 100-yard games has him in the lead with one more game to go.

As the Chargers close out their regular season Sunday and prepare for the playoffs, Tomlinson is encouraged by the way he feels and the way that he’s playing. LT believes the team’s slow start, which resulted in a lighter workload early in the season, has ironically helped him reach the high level he’s at as the regular season wraps up.

“I kind of feel like last year where I felt strong at the end of the year and I really felt like I was playing my best football at the end,” Tomlinson said. “I felt good and explosive. I feel the same way as I did last year I think particularly because of the slow start early on, not as many carries. It kind of slowly got started and toward the end of the season obviously getting more carries, I think it was just perfect for me the way the season played out.”

With Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker out with a broken leg, the race for the rushing title essentially comes down to LT, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook. Tomlinson’s 1,418 yards are 113 better than Peterson’s total and 127 ahead of Westbrook’s.

The rushing title does hold meaning for the NFL’s reigning MVP, but Tomlinson said Wednesday that he won’t track his yards as Sunday’s game at Oakland progresses.

“I’m not going to try to keep up with it,” Tomlinson said. “I’m not going to try to worry about it and focus on it at all. The first priority is to win the game. I don’t want to get caught up in worry about the rushing title more than trying to win the game.”

Head Coach Norv Turner joked that LT’s feeling about the honor has influenced the coaches thoughts on the matter, but Turner likes the fact that Tomlinson has put the bigger picture ahead of the statistical achievement.

“I wasn’t really concerned about it until I read the story and LT said he’d like to get it,” Turner said. “Now my concern level has gone up a little bit. It’s a great deal for the linemen and for LT, but we want to win the football game. We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now. The way you continue playing with confidence is by playing well.”

While he’s still unsure exactly how much he’ll play Sunday, Tomlinson echoed Turner’s desire to maintain momentum with a strong outing in Oakland.

“You want to continue to play well,” Tomlinson said. “Obviously going into the playoffs, you don’t want to take a step backwards. It’s important. It’s the next game and it’s a way for us to continue to gain confidence going forward.”

Oakland has been a kind venue to Tomlinson throughout his career. In his last five visits to McAfee Coliseum, LT has rushed for 131, 140, 164, 187 and 153 yards respectively. He always enjoys the banter he receives from the Raiders faithful.

“It’s always fun to play there,” Tomlinson said. “It kind of helps you get motivated to. It helps you get that mindset of us against the world. It kind of gives you some motivation to play. We need to go up there and finish strong.”

Denis Poroy, AP

Despite being in the middle of the pack among NFL rushers for much of the season, LaDainian Tomlinson is in position to claim his second-consecutive rushing title as the Bolts close out the regular season Sunday.

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