Rushing, TD records within reach and now part of long-term plan
March 12
San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan
"LaDainian Tomlinson's brand new three-year contract is accompanied by a bold new five-year plan.
After years of artful evasions and smooth sidesteps, the Chargers' reunited-and-it-feels-so-good running back officially took aim at Emmitt Smith yesterday.
LT declared his desire for the National Football League's career records for rushing and rushing touchdowns, both presently in Smith's possession, and says he is now prepared to pursue them longer than he had previously planned on playing.
"For so long, I blocked it out," Tomlinson said during a news conference at the Chargers' Murphy Canyon complex. "It was so far out there. But re-evaluating where I'm at in my career now, I think it's reachable."
Tomlinson finished his eighth NFL season with 11,760 rushing yards, which ranks 14th on the all-time list and leaves him 6,595 yards short of Smith's staggering standard: 18,355.
That's five years at 1,319 yards per year. That's a matter of nearly four miles, a distance no NFL running back has traveled after the age of 30. Because Tomlinson turns 30 on June 23, the relative reachability of Smith's rushing record would seem remote. (Smith leads LT in rushing touchdowns 164-126.)
Still, you can't fault a guy for having goals, and Bolts fans ought to feel buoyed by LT's ambition. If his revised contract is just a reprieve, a one-year commitment with another payroll decision due next spring, Tomlinson's interest in a long-term project is profoundly positive. That he has the confidence to openly target Smith's records tells you there may be more left in LT's tank than was evident last fall.
"I guess I just kind of got the sense of, 'Why not?' " Tomlinson said. "Why should I, at the end of my career, look back and say, 'I was this close to Emmitt's record. Why didn't I continue to play and try to get it?' I don't want to have that regret. I don't want to have any regrets when I leave this game. I guess that's kind of what's changed."
Upon reaching the 10,000-yard plateau in November 2007, Tomlinson insisted he would be finished with pro football no later than 2012, and that he would certainly not hang on for statistical significance.
"If my heart is not in it," he said then, "I'm not going to keep playing to break a record. I would never do that."
That time has changed his tune is not unusual. The closer an athlete gets to his career's finish line, the more eager he becomes to extend the race. When an athlete plays hurt, as Tomlinson did for much of the 2008 season, he sometimes discovers that the inability to dominate does not eliminate the desire to compete.
If you really love the game, and all of the adulation and rewards that accompany it, you're liable to linger past the point where you're the hottest thing happening. The key question about LaDainian Tomlinson is whether he is already past that point or if it's still possible he can retrace his steps to pro football's summit
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