Ladanian Tomlinson scores 2 touchdowns in 47sec!!New NFL record

[LXotic]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20061210024

[SADDLE]

props to LT2, couldn't have happened to a better person.

[vboy418]

also broke the NFL single season record for most TD. And theres still 3more games!!! LT mad props!

[1993ES300x]

LaT for MVP..... i've been always a fan.. cheer him on except when my Giants play SD.. anyways i'm extra happy for him cause he's in my Fantasy team..

[javyLSU]

This guy is just insanely good. He's already one of the greatest of all time, and boy, is it refreshing to hear him speak. No chest thumping, "Me, me, me" talk - he's so humble and focused. Way to go, LaDainian Tomlinson...

Javier

[sc.Fred]

it was a great game.. we hit the trifecta today.

1. clinch the division

2. have sole possession of the 1st seed in the NFL, (think we have the best record in the NFL now that i think of it)

3. oh yea, some cat named LT broke the single season TD record

GO BOLTS!

[Seize]

I could not have happened to a better guy. Props to LT

[daygo718]

Yup, mad props to LT and the Bolts!

[Ramon]

I can't help but think of Lawrence Taylor when I hear "LT" but yeah, Tomlinson is awsome, not just as a player but he seems like an all around good guy. I saw him on Leno a few days ago and he's a very likable guy. Mad props to him and the Chargers, hope they go all the way this year.

[SDLexus]

LT is the best RB in the league. He got the TD record in 13 games, which not only stands well in this day but in the history of the NFL since they used to only play 14 games a season.

GO LT!!! GO BOLTS!!!

[1SICKLEX]

I don't even watch football that much but LT is a great guy, good for the sport

[LXotic]

yea LT is a very TALENTED player

[1SICKLEX]

Chargers record-setting L.T. playing like Hall of Famer
By BERNIE WILSON, AP Sports Writer
December 11, 2006

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- He's known around here simply as L.T., and in the opinion of long-suffering San Diego Chargers fans, running back LaDainian Tomlinson is ready for nothing short of enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.

Tomlinson's TD surge -- he set the single-season record with No. 29 Sunday -- has certainly captivated a city tarnished by financial and political scandals. Who knows -- maybe there will be a Super Bowl run to keep fans stoked into February and beyond.

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Hero worship aside, there's another aspect to Tomlinson that fans don't necessarily see on Sundays.

"For all the skills he has as a player, they pale by comparison to the person," coach Marty Schottenheimer said, his voice quivering, after Sunday's 48-20 win over Denver.

Tomlinson scored three touchdowns against the Broncos to break Shaun Alexander's record and help the Chargers clinch the AFC West championship.

On Monday, Schottenheimer said he doesn't think this city's adulation of Tomlinson is over the top or premature, even though Alexander's single-season mark was only set last year.

"Absolutely not," Schottenheimer said.

The coach's opinion of Tomlinson "is a product of a long, long time in professional football and having an opportunity to witness many, many greats. I believe he's the finest running back I've ever seen in professional football."

Schottenheimer goes all the way back to the era of Hall of Famer Jim Brown. He does admit that it's hard to compare players from different eras, but is quick to add: "At this time, in this era, I think he's the very best."

Tomlinson's stats certainly are impressive.

Besides breaking the TD record with three games still to play, Tomlinson has:

-- Tied John Riggins' NFL record with seven straight multi-TD games. Taking it a few games further, L.T. has scored an eye-popping 26 times in the last nine games.

-- Scored 174 points this season, just two behind Hall of Famer Paul Hornung's single-season record set in 1960 with Green Bay.

-- Scored 109 career TDs, tied with Barry Sanders for 12th on the career list. Tomlinson was the quickest in NFL history to reach 100, erasing the mark held by Brown and Emmitt Smith, one of L.T.'s boyhood idols.

Beyond the numbers, though, Tomlinson's humble approach stands out, especially on a team that has had several run-ins with the law this season.

In the huddle before he broke the record, Tomlinson told his teammates he wanted them to join in the celebration. His offensive linemen responded by hoisting him onto their mammoth shoulders.

Last week, right tackle Shane Olivea was discussing Tomlinson's touchdown numbers when he shifted directions as quickly as the running back does.

"The biggest thing I tell people is if your son or your child is ever going to be a superstar or famous, you want them to be like him," Olivea said. "He's the most humble, unassuming, laid-back person you can encounter. For as much success as he has, it's just like it never goes to his head. It's so rare to see that. It's refreshing.

"He's what's right and what's good about the NFL."

As it turns out, Tomlinson is capable of doing wrong.

"Sometimes I probably don't feed my dog on time, or whatever, you know, something like that," he said. "Or get in an argument with my wife, just like you guys do. My wife might tell you something, some little picking that gets on her nerves. Sometimes I just don't see it."

One of his biggest miscues came when he parked his car in the space reserved for the late general manager John Butler, who was a big, gruff man. It was after a loss, and Butler hated losing as much as players do.

"Yeah, that was one time," Tomlinson said with a laugh. "Rookie mistake."

Tomlinson joined the Chargers at the lowest point in franchise history, when they were coming off a 1-15 season. The Chargers had the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, but Butler dealt it to Atlanta for the chance to build depth. He then selected Tomlinson with the No. 5 pick.

It's taken some time, but Tomlinson and the Chargers have finally arrived as an elite team. At 11-2, they currently control AFC home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. San Diego, by the way, hasn't won a postseason game since the first Clinton administration.

Tomlinson credits his demeanor to his mother and others in his family. He tries to keep everything in perspective, from his play on the field to his star status. Last Tuesday, he took a helicopter to and from an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

"I'm not one to really get caught up in all the stuff that's going on, like that," Tomlinson said. "I just look at it like another interview. You know, Jay Leno. Obviously it's a a big one, but it's an interview to me."

So when Tomlinson got to midfield Sunday for the postgame handshakes, what does Denver coach Mike Shanahan say, besides offering his congratulations on breaking the record?

"He said he saw me on Jay Leno. And he said I did a terrific job."

When Tomlinson scores, he acts like he's been in the end zone before, a lesson learned from his Pop Warner and high school coaches. He often pretends to do a finger roll -- a shout-out to his high school basketball teammates back in Waco, Texas -- and almost always hands the ball to the nearest ref.

"I mean, to me, the celebration or the drawing of attention was in the play," Tomlinson said. "People see that play and that was the 'ooh, ah, wow.' Then when you get in the end zone, there's no need to do any more 'ooh, ah, wow.' Drawing attention to yourself, a lot of times it seems like guys, it's all about 'me, me me, look at me.' I don't know, man, maybe I'm just different."

He did do a touchdown dance once in Pop Warner, at the urging of his sister. But his mom, and the officials, weren't amused.

"The ref walks over to me and says, 'You know that dance you just did young man? You can't do that until you get into the National Football League."

Turns out, he still hasn't.

[toy4two]

MVP of the league, MVP for the modern era, heck NFL All Time MVP for all I care.

They posed the question who is better LT or Jim Brown. LT! The competition today is bigger, faster, better work ethic, better technology. Jim Brown was good b/c he was the only 6'2" 230lbs player in the league going against slow, fat, line men. Today's NFL is way more competitive.

When the old timers bring up the old 14 game season, LT can just say, "I did it in 13 games". LOL. Hope he wins a Superbowl this year, too bad Marty is in charge.