Brown blueprint
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DENVER — The NFL’s best defensive players have a beast of a time stopping LaDainian Tomlinson in his tracks, so how did a 70-year-old man do it?
Well, that man was Jim Brown, considered by many the greatest running back in history, and Tomlinson wasn’t going to pass up a chance to pay his respects. The pair crossed paths two weeks ago in a hallway of Qualcomm Stadium before Tomlinson’s San Diego Chargers took the field against the Cleveland Browns, for whom Brown is an executive advisor.
“It was probably the most memorable moment before a game I’ve ever been a part of,” Tomlinson said this week on a conference call. “He just said to me I’ve had a great career so far and continued success.”
A week later, they met again -- in the NFL record books. Tomlinson scored his 15th touchdown over a five-game stretch, eclipsing a mark set by Brown in 1958. Actually, it was Tomlinson’s 18th touchdown of the season, extending his wide margin as the NFL’s leading scorer and only non-kicker in the top five.
Brown will be in Cleveland today when the Browns play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he will be keeping tabs on what happens in Denver tonight when the Chargers play the Broncos.
“I love the fact that he’s so respectful,” Brown said. “He realizes there’s a history of players who came before him. I’m so happy that it’s him doing so well. It would be different if it were somebody who had the talent but not the other characteristics.”
Brown says he didn’t pay attention to records when he was a player, and he didn’t even know the latest one existed until Tomlinson broke it.
“There are probably 100 more that haven’t been invented,” Brown said. “You might set a record if you do something like catch 10 passes on a rainy day, who knows? It’s just that now we have the technology to do the research.”
The next record is on the horizon. Tomlinson needs just two touchdowns to reach 100 for his career. If he scores those tonight, he will have done so in his 89th game and will have reached that mark quicker than any player in history. Brown and Emmitt Smith both did so in 93 games.
“For me, it’s kind of an unreal situation, because ... it’s kind of like a heroic figure you have in Jim Brown,” Tomlinson said.
“Just to be mentioned and to break his record, I mean, it’s just a great accomplishment. It’s one of the biggest things that later on in your life you can brag to your kids about.”
The Chargers have precious few bragging rights in Denver. Since 1970, they are 5-30-1 in the Mile High City. Tomlinson has never won there -- the last time the Chargers did was 1999 -- and has averaged just 53 yards rushing in five games.
“They take me out of the game,” he said of the Broncos, who are tied with the Chargers atop the AFC West at 7-2. “I haven’t had the ball much in Denver. They end up taking me out of the game, whether we get behind and we’re not running the ball much. That’s been the case.”
Tomlinson’s relatively modest numbers in Denver do little to reassure Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan. He knows how dangerous the San Diego star can be.
“I don’t even look” at the statistics, Shanahan told San Diego reporters this week. “We just know how good he is. ... If you don’t have one gap and you make a mistake, he’s going to have a big-time gain.”
One theory about Tomlinson’s latest touchdown tear is that his legs are fresher because his coaches have given him fewer repetitions in practice. They began doing that the week before he kicked off his string of three consecutive games of three or more touchdowns. In the last three weeks, he has run for 183, 172 and 104 yards, and scored three, three and four touchdowns.
“He’s like a razor,” Brown said. “He has cutting ability, speed, intelligence and vision.”
And, just as impressive to Brown, Tomlinson understands he didn’t create this path but is happy to follow it.
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A bankable star
LaDainian Tomlinson has rushed for at least 1,200 yards in five consecutive seasons, the longest active streak, and among the longest all-time:
*--* Running back Times Years Eric Dickerson 7 1983-1989 Walter Payton 6 1976-1981 Emmitt Smith 6 1991-1996 LaDainian Tomlinson 5 2001-2005 Eddie George 5 1996-2000 Barry Sanders 5 1994-1998 Thurman Thomas 5 1989-1993
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Source: STATS LLC
