The best running back in the NFL, the one his coach says is the best back he has ever seen, the one on pace to set a league record for rushing touchdowns, the one who actually seems to be getting faster and better, has a Denver problem.
LaDainian Tomlinson doesn’t dance around Denver’s dominance.
“They take me out of the game,” San Diego’s superstar running back said Wednesday on a conference call. “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 – the best player to step onto the Invesco Field at Mile High turf this season this side of Peyton Manning – will be a focal point of Sunday night’s AFC West showdown for first place between the Broncos and Chargers, both 7-2. If Denver can contain the visiting tailback once again, it has a strong chance to prepare for its Thanksgiving night game at Kansas City atop the division. But if Tomlinson can break out for his first 100-yard game in Denver, the Chargers have a solid chance of sending the Broncos to their second consecutive home defeat. Manning and the Colts beat Denver on Oct. 29.
“L.T. isn’t the entire focal point; they have other great players,” Denver safety John Lynch said Wednesday. “But it starts with him.”
Denver is one of the few teams that can say it has a clue how to slow Tomlinson. In five games in Denver – all Broncos victories – Tomlinson has not run for more than 75 yards in a game. He is averaging 52.8 yards a game in Denver.
The Broncos know those statistics don’t provide a free ticket to first place. They must stop Tomlinson on Sunday night. And he has been on fire in his sixth NFL season.
Tomlinson has rushed for 932 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns. He has caught 44 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns. In his past five games, Tomlinson has scored 15 touchdowns – 13 rushing and two receiving.
“I think he’s the best running back I’ve ever seen in professional football,” Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said in a conference call Wednesday. “And that’s with all due respect to players like Jim Brown, of course, and Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers, Marcus Allen, all the great ones. I just happen to think because of his versatility and his ability as a playmaker and as a leader he stands at the top.”
He’ll get no argument from the Broncos.
“You look at the film of him and he looks even better, quicker this season,” Lynch said. “He’s a complete player you have to be aware of on every play.”
This week, Denver coach Mike Shanahan joked that he, indeed, knows the secret to stopping Tomlinson, but he won’t share it. It will help if the Broncos jump out to a lead and force first-year starting quarterback Philip Rivers to throw the ball. In past games at Denver, the Broncos have had the lead late in the game, and Tomlinson was less useful because of it.
Still, Denver knows he is a ticking bomb. Things can change.
“You’re never going to control him. You just have to hope and pray you can get by one more game without him hurting you,” Broncos defensive line/tackles coach Andre Patterson said. “Playing L.T. is sort of like playing Russian roulette. You know one of these times the chamber is going to stop and the bullet is going to be there.”
Tomlinson is ready to end his Denver bugaboo, but won’t focus on his past.
“You approach this game the same way you approach any other game and you see what happens,” he said.
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
