Age: 27
6th season in pro football, all with Chargers
College: Texas Christian
Height: 5’10” Weight: 221
Prelude:
Chosen in the first round of the 2001 draft by the Chargers, Tomlinson gained over a thousand yards rushing in each of his first five seasons, with a high of 1683 yards in 2002. He also caught at least 50 passes in each season, including a high of 100 for 725 yards in 2003, when he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2370. Tomlinson was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection once and had been selected to three Pro Bowls.
2006 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 348 [2]
Most attempts, game - 31 (for 131 yds.) at Oakland 9/11
Yards – 1815 [1]
Most yards, game – 199 yards (on 25 carries) vs. Kansas City 12/17
Average gain – 5.2 [7]
TDs – 28 [1]
100-yard rushing games - 10
Pass Receiving
Receptions – 56
Most receptions, game – 8 (for 34 yds.) vs. Pittsburgh 10/8
Yards – 508
Most yards, game - 74 (on 3 catches) at Denver 11/19
Average gain – 9.1
TDs – 3
Passing
Pass attempts – 3
Pass completions – 2
Passing yards – 20
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 0
Scoring
TDs – 31 [1]
Points – 186 [1]
The 31 touchdowns and 186 points set NFL single-season records.
Postseason: 1 G (AFC Divisional playoff vs. New England)
Rushing attempts – 23
Rushing yards – 123
Average gain rushing – 5.4
Rushing TDs – 2
Pass receptions – 2
Pass receiving yards - 64
Average yards per reception – 32.0
Pass Receiving TDs - 0
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
Pro Bowl
Chargers went 14-2 to win AFC West and gain top playoff seed in conference while leading the NFL in points scored (492) and touchdowns (59). Lost Divisional playoff to New England Patriots (24-21).
Aftermath:
Tomlinson again led the league in rushing (1474 yards) and rushing TDs (14) in 2007 and was named once more to the Pro Bowl as well as receiving first-team All-Pro honors. While he gained 1110 yards rushing in ’08, he averaged only 3.8 yards per carry and was beginning to show the effects of eight years of wear-and-tear, and suffered through an injury-plagued season in 2009. He signed as a free agent with the New York Jets for 2010 and, splitting duty at running back, gained 914 yards and caught 52 passes.
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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 2/15/14]