Ladainian Tomlinson is the Best Running Back of Our Generation

LaDainian Tomlinson (referred to as L.T.) has softened the blow of losing Barry Sanders prematurely to retirement after the 1998. L.T. was the #5 pick in the 2001 draft, actually being a part of the trade that brought Michael Vick to Atlanta. Since arriving in San Diego, L.T. has revitalized a franchise that hadn't had an identity since being blowout in the Super Bowl and even that team didn't have an offensive star on the roster. Every week, the opposition focuses on stopped Tomlinson, much like Barry Sanders back in the 1990s (course Antonio Gates is a more threatening #2 option than Herman Moore or Brett Perriman ever was).

L.T. has quietly had one of the best six-year stretches for any running back in NFL history. He is not a loud, brash superstar ala Ray Lewis or Terrell Owens and certainly doesn't find the camera after one of his game-winning plays. Tomlinson plays football to the best of his ability and lets his performance between the white lines do the talking for him. L.T. has missed only one game in his outstanding six-year career. He has almost 9,200 yards and 100 touchdowns rushing, not to mention another 2,900 yards and 11 scores receiving. To put that into perspective, Emmitt Smith had 8,950 yards and 96 scores in his first six campaigns. Barry Sanders had 8,700 yards and 72 touchdowns. Jim Brown might be the only other running back off to a better start to his career. Brown, with 4 years of 12-game schedules and 2 years of 14 games, rushed for 7,600 yards and 70 touchdowns, not to mention leading the a run-dominant league in rushing 5 of those seasons. Tomlinson, barring any significant injuries, is not only on pace to break the all-time rushing mark, but could possibly make a run at 200 total touchdowns (Jerry Rice territory) and 5,000 receiving yards by a running back (Marshall Faulk and Larry Centers).

Tomlinson hasn't been ran into the ground being the featured back since coming into the NFL - he has only one year of more than 350 carries (372 in 2002) and has Michael Turner, one of the league's premiere back-up running backs, to spell him without a huge drop-off in production. Turner is most likely become a free agent after 2007, which may be a factor on L.T. staying fresh, but ideally San Diego would fill the void with another competent runner. In addition to his outstanding production, Tomlinson has had just two seasons with more than three fumbles during the year, another impressive statistic for the number of touches he has on a weekly basis. He will continue his greatness for at least another 3-4 years and should still be very productive after that point with his excellent blocking, pass-catching and overall knowledge of offensive schemes.