MVP Profile: LaDainian Tomlinson, 2006

Running Back, San Diego Chargers



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]

1984: Outlaws Take Advantage of Turnovers to Beat Panthers

The Michigan Panthers, defending champions of the United States Football League, had won their first six games of the 1984 season and 12 straight going back to ’83. However, they had also suffered a significant loss offensively the previous week when star WR Anthony Carter went down for the remainder of the year with a broken arm.

On April 7, the Panthers faced the first-year Oklahoma Outlaws in a Saturday contest at Skelly Stadium. The Outlaws, under Head Coach Woody Widenhofer and led by veteran QB Doug Williams (pictured above), were off to a 4-2 start, and all four of their wins came when it was either raining or snowing. For the Saturday game against Michigan, attended by 21,510 hardy fans, the weather featured rain and wind.

Williams scored the initial touchdown of the game on a one-yard run in the first quarter, capping a short drive of 28 yards in three plays. In the opening moments of the second quarter, Michigan DB John Arnaud blocked a Case deBruijn punt and LB Will Cokeley returned it 25 yards to even the score.

Oklahoma put together a nine-play, 47-yard drive capped by FB Sidney Thornton scoring a TD on a one-yard plunge to put the Outlaws back in front at 14-7, but the score was tied at halftime after Michigan QB Bobby Hebert ended a short, 12-yard scoring drive by connecting with TE Mike Cobb for an eight-yard touchdown.

Oklahoma’s veteran placekicker Efren Herrera broke the tie ten minutes into the third quarter with a field goal. The Panthers, burdened by turnovers and sloppy play, seemed unable to mount a threat.

However, Michigan drove 76 yards to a game-tying field goal of 28 yards by Novo Bojovic with 2:13 remaining to play in the fourth quarter. Still, they had settled for three points after WR Derek Holloway dropped a pass in the end zone that could have given the defending champs the lead.

The Outlaws had to punt following the ensuing possession, but CB Bobby Futrell of the Panthers muffed it and Oklahoma recovered at the Michigan 11 with 55 seconds left. Three plays ran the clock down and set up the game-winning field goal attempt. Herrera did not disappoint, kicking a 32-yard field goal on the game’s last play for the 20-17 win – it was the second straight contest in which the veteran of eight NFL seasons booted a field goal in the final seconds for an Oklahoma victory.

The Panthers were victimized by turnovers, fumbling the ball away four times and suffering four interceptions, with seven of them coming in the second half. Neither club generated much offense, combining for a total of 99 yards on the ground (62 on 21 attempts by Michigan, 37 on 31 carries by the Outlaws), 230 through the air (the Panthers had the edge by 123 to 107), and 19 first downs (Michigan once again led, 10 to 9). But Oklahoma turned the ball over just three times (they had seven fumbles, only two of which were lost).


Doug Williams completed 12 of 33 passes for 115 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. Sidney Thornton (pictured at left) led the team’s miniscule running attack with 32 yards on 16 carries and also caught the most passes (4) for 24 yards. TE Ron Wheeler gained 44 yards on his three pass receptions.

Bobby Hebert, who had played so well during the team’s winning streak, had a rough performance as he was successful on just 13 of 34 passes for 144 yards and four interceptions as opposed to only one TD. RB Ken Lacy led the team both in rushing (40 yards on 11 carries) and pass receiving (three for 57 yards).

The loss to the Outlaws signaled a nosedive by the defending champions as they lost their next three games and won only four more times. They just made it into the playoffs as a wild card team with a 10-8 record, losing in triple overtime to the Los Angeles Express in the first round. Oklahoma, after showing promise in the first half of the season, advanced to 6-2 the following week against Washington but then proceeded to lose the remaining ten games to end up in fourth place in the Central Division at 6-12. Poor defensive play and the lack of an effective running game proved to be the team’s undoing.

Past Venue: Tulane Stadium

New Orleans, LA



Year opened: 1926
Capacity: 80,985, up from 35,000 at opening

Names:
Tulane Stadium, 1926-80

Pro football tenants:
New Orleans Saints (NFL), 1967-74

Postseason games hosted:
Super Bowl IV, Chiefs 23 Vikings 7, Jan. 11, 1970
Super Bowl VI, Cowboys 24 Dolphins 3, Jan. 16, 1972
Super Bowl IX, Steelers 16 Vikings 6, Jan. 12, 1975

Other tenants of note:
Tulane University (college football), 1926-74

Notes: Hosted annual Sugar Bowl, 1935-74. Hosted Pelican Bowl, 1974. Hosted one home game for NFL Pittsburgh Pirates, 1938. Owned by Tulane University and built on site of former sugar plantation, perhaps the inspiration for the Sugar Bowl. After the Louisiana Superdome opened, the stadium was used for high school and intramural football games.

Fate: Demolished in 1979-80, the site is now used for student housing and a fitness center.

1985: Late Collier TD Clinches Orlando Win Over Memphis

After two unsuccessful seasons as the Washington Federals (a combined 7-29 record and average attendance in 1984 of 7694 fans per home game), the franchise moved south to Florida and became the Orlando Renegades for the 1985 United States Football League season. They had a new owner (Donald Dizney) and head coach (Lee Corso) in addition to a new name and surroundings. However, they still yielded the same results, losing their first six games. To be sure, the club was becoming more competitive, losing one game in overtime and, in the sixth contest, led the Gold by 17-0 at halftime before succumbing by a final score of 21-17.

On April 4, 1985 the Renegades hosted the Memphis Showboats at Orlando Stadium. The Showboats, in their second USFL season under colorful Head Coach Pepper Rodgers, had started strong with three wins, but then lost the next three games prior to the contest in Orlando.

There were 21,223 fans in attendance for the Thursday night game and they saw it get off to a rousing start as WR Jerry Parrish took the opening kickoff for the Renegades, found a hole up the middle of the field and then broke for the right sideline on his way to an 87-yard touchdown.

Midway through the first quarter, the Showboats responded as QB Walter Lewis completed a 10-yard TD pass to TE Mark Raugh to cap an eight-play, 64-yard drive. Just under two minutes later, Orlando culminated an eight-play possession that covered 70 yards, including three straight pass completions that moved the ball from the Memphis 38 to the one. QB Reggie Collier, starting his second game in place of injured veteran Jerry Golsteyn, sneaked for a one-yard TD to put the Renegades back in front at 14-7 after one period.

That was all the scoring until the fourth quarter as neither team was able to generate much offense. Collier ran for his second TD, this time from two yards out on the second play of the final period. At that point, with a 21-7 lead, it seemed as though Orlando had the game in hand, but the Showboats mounted a comeback.

RB Harry Sydney ran for a 13-yard touchdown to culminate a quick possession by Memphis in which QB Mike Kelley, who took over for Lewis, completed two passes that covered 49 yards, including a 30-yard throw to Raugh.

Kelley passed the Showboats into scoring position again with a crucial completion to RB Ricky Porter that covered 34 yards on a third-and-23 play. When Chuck Bushbeck kicked a 26-yard field goal with 4:25 left on the clock, Orlando’s margin shrank to 21-17.

The Showboats again threatened, and it seemed as though another late defeat was in the offing for the Renegades. But Kelley then missed on four straight passes, including a fourth-and-ten play at the Orlando 30 with the clock running down to 58 seconds in which his throw was just beyond the outstretched fingertips of RB Anthony Parker. Three plays later, Collier dropped back to pass, couldn’t find an open receiver, eluded two Memphis linemen in the backfield, and took off down the right sideline on an electrifying 63-yard run for a touchdown to nail down the win with 33 seconds remaining. The final score was 28-17.

Memphis had more first downs (24 to 15) and led in both rushing (185 yards on 33 attempts) and passing yards (216). The Renegades had 147 rushing yards on 29 carries and 136 passing yards. In addition, Memphis missed two costly field goals, to one by Orlando.

Reggie Collier ran for a team-leading 70 yards on 6 carries and completed 12 of 19 passes for 136 yards with none intercepted. RB Curtis Bledsoe ran for 45 yards on 12 attempts and caught three passes for 25 yards. FB Rickey Claitt had 29 yards on three catches.

For Memphis, Walter Lewis, who entered the game as the USFL’s top-rated passer, completed 6 of 13 throws for 64 yards with a TD and had none picked off before being benched, while Mike Kelley was successful on 7 of 15 passes for 152 yards with one intercepted in relief. Harry Sydney rushed for 95 yards on 16 attempts. Mark Raugh caught 5 passes for 97 yards.

“I said all along that we were becoming a better team each week,” Coach Lee Corso commented afterward. “Our philosophy this week was that if we could win this week we could wipe out all the other games and get respect.”


While there was jubilation among the Renegades and their fans, an angry Coach Pepper Rodgers and GM Steve Ehrhart of the Showboats locked the locker room door, refusing to admit reporters after the game in violation of USFL rules. The club’s PR director appeared with a statement from Rodgers that read, “To say that I'm disappointed is the understatement of the year. This is undoubtedly one of the low points of the season for the.Showboats.”

It was the fourth straight loss for Memphis after a 3-0 start. They recovered to end up at 11-7 for third place in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the postseason – after dismantling the Denver Gold by a score of 48-7 in the Quarterfinal round, they lost to the Oakland Invaders in the Semifinal game. Orlando continued to improve, at least offensively (the defense gave up a league-high 481 points), and went 5-7 after the 0-6 start, which still left them in the Eastern Conference basement with a record of 5-13.

Third-year QB Reggie Collier, as he did decisively against Memphis, continued to make the most of his mobility by running for 606 yards on 92 carries (6.6 avg.) with 12 touchdowns. His passing statistics were less impressive as he was successful on 53.6 percent of his passes for 2578 yards with 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

MVP Profile: Ken Anderson, 1981

Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals


Age: 32
11th season in pro football & with Bengals
College: Augustana (Illinois)
Height: 6’2” Weight: 212

Prelude:
Anderson was chosen by the Bengals in the third round of the 1971 NFL draft, despite coming from a small college, and took over as starting quarterback in his second season. Mobile and intelligent, he also adapted well to QB coach Bill Walsh’s early version of the West Coast passing attack with short timing passes. Anderson led the NFL in passing, passing yards, and yards per attempt in 1974 and ’75, as well as completion percentage in ’74, and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1975 and ’76. The team regularly contended during that period, but through coaching changes and attrition, the Bengals slumped later in the decade and Anderson, who also battled injuries, even briefly lost his job during the 1980 season.

1981 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 479 [9]
Most attempts, game – 52 at Houston 10/4
Completions – 300 [5]
Most completions, game – 30 at Houston 10/4
Yards – 3754 [5]
Most yards, game – 396 vs. Denver 11/22
Completion percentage – 62.6 [2, 1st in AFC]
Yards per attempt – 7.8 [6]
TD passes – 29 [3]
Most TD passes, game – 4 at Cleveland 11/29
Interceptions – 10
Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Seattle 9/6, vs. San Francisco 12/6
Passer rating – 98.4 [1]
300-yard passing games – 3
200-yard passing games – 12

Rushing
Attempts – 46
Most attempts, game - 8 (for 37 yds.) at Pittsburgh 12/13
Yards – 320
Most yards, game – 58 yards (on 4 carries) vs. LA Rams 11/15
Average gain – 7.0
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 1
Points - 6

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 77
Most pass attempts, game – 34 vs. San Francisco, Super Bowl
Pass completions – 53
Most pass completions, game – 25 vs. San Francisco, Super Bowl
Passing yardage – 653
Most passing yards, game – 300 vs. San Francisco, Super Bowl
TD passes – 5
Most TD passes, game – 2 vs. San Diego, AFC Championship, vs. San Francisco, Super Bowl
Interceptions – 2
Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. San Francisco, Super Bowl

Rushing attempts – 11
Most rushing attempts, game – 5 vs. San Diego, AFC Championship
Rushing yards – 69
Most rushing yards, game – 39 vs. San Diego, AFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 6.3
Rushing TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFW, NEA, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
1st team All-AFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl

Bengals went 12-4 to win AFC Central with best record in conference. Won Divisional playoff over Buffalo Bills (28-21) and AFC Championship over San Diego Chargers (27-7). Lost to San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl (26-21).

Aftermath:
Anderson again led the NFL in passing during the strike-shortened 1982 season (95.3) and completed a then-record 70.6 % of his passes. He led the league once more in completion percentage in ’83 (66.7) but after one last year as the starting quarterback, he backed up Boomer Esiason in 1985 and ’86, his last two seasons, all spent with the Bengals.

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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]
[Updated 11/28/14]

1983: Luther Bradley Intercepts 6 Passes as Chicago Routs Bandits

Luther Bradley had been a first round draft choice of the Detroit Lions out of Notre Dame in 1978 and played cornerback for the Lions without much distinction. Getting a new chance in the United States Football League, the 27-year-old joined the Chicago Blitz and was moved to free safety by Head Coach George Allen. The change of position paid off, and on April 2, 1983 Bradley had a record-breaking performance.

The Blitz had gotten off to a slower-than-expected start in the USFL’s inaugural 1983 season and the veteran-laden club was 2-2 coming into the game against the Tampa Bay Bandits. By contrast, the Bandits, coached by Steve Spurrier, were undefeated at 4-0 and were especially adept at the passing game with veteran QB John Reaves.

There were 46,585 fans at Tampa Stadium for the Saturday night contest, even though there had been heavy rain up until kickoff. Chicago got off to a quick start. In the first possession of the game, the Blitz went 69 yards in six plays, capped by a 45-yard TD pass from veteran QB Greg Landry to WR Trumaine Johnson. Bradley intercepted a pass in the first quarter and the score remained 7-0 after one period.

Early in the second quarter, Chicago’s John Roveto had a 37-yard field goal attempt blocked. The Bandits turned that into a score as Zenon Andrusyshyn kicked a 32-yard field goal that cut the Blitz’s lead to 7-3. It was the high point of the game for the Bandits.

Bradley’s second interception gave Chicago the ball at the Tampa Bay 27 with 4:17 remaining in the half and set up a touchdown. It took four plays to score, including a swing pass from Landry to rookie RB Tim Spencer that covered 23 yards. FB Kevin Long leaped into the end zone from a yard out to make it 14-3 in favor of the Blitz at halftime.

Landry suffered a bruised shoulder when sacked on the final play of the first half but was back for the second half. Chicago proceeded to put the game away with a 21-point third quarter, moving quickly downfield on the first possession of the half. WR Lenny Willis returned the second-half kickoff 32 yards to the Chicago 43. Landry threw to Johnson for a 52-yard gain and then a five-yard touchdown for a 21-3 lead at just over a minute into the period.

The Bandits appeared on the verge of getting back into the game six minutes later as they drove to the Chicago 11, where they faced a second-and-nine situation. However, in the pivotal play of the game, Reaves overthrew his receiver across the middle and Bradley intercepted, returning it 93 yards for a touchdown and 28-3 margin.

Landry ran for a four-yard touchdown to finish off the third quarter scoring, and left the game midway through the final period staked to a safe 35-3 lead. Bradley intercepted a fourth pass, which tied the still-existing NFL record, but was not done. John Reaves was, however, as Spurrier pulled him late in the third quarter and replaced him with rookie Jimmy Jordan.

Bradley, who had intercepted Reaves four times, picked off Jordan twice in the last period to finish up with an incredible six interceptions – all the more amazing when considering that, with the outcome long decided, he sat out the last eight minutes of the game.

Chicago’s rookie QB Tim Koegel led the team on a final 31-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. HB Jim Stone ran eight yards for the TD that provided the final margin of 42-3.

In addition to Bradley, DE Junior Ah-You, previously a star in the CFL, had an outstanding performance, as did the defense as a whole. The Bandits were held to 35 rushing yards on 22 attempts and 265 yards overall while Chicago gained a total of 383. The Blitz also had the advantage in first downs (21 to 14) and time of possession (32:06 to 27:54).

Greg Landry completed 19 of 26 passes for Chicago, gaining 277 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Star rookie Trumaine Johnson caught 7 passes for 146 yards and both TDs. The other key rookie on offense, Tim Spencer, led the ground attack with 42 yards on 14 carries while former Cowboy Doug Dennison added 29 yards on 8 attempts and Kevin Long also ran the ball 8 times, for 26 yards. Luther Bradley accumulated 127 return yards on his 6 interceptions, with the one long TD and one that set up another score.

For the Bandits, John Reaves had an uncharacteristically bad day, going to the air 29 times with just 12 completions for 180 yards, and of course four of his passes were picked off by Bradley while none resulted in touchdowns. In relief, Jimmy Jordan was successful on 6 of 12 throws for 72 yards and two more Bradley interceptions. RB Sam Platt caught 5 passes for 35 yards and WR Danny Buggs had the most receiving yards with 64 on his two receptions.

Naturally, most of the talk afterward was about Luther Bradley’s stunning performance. “Luther is a natural centerfielder and should have been playing free safety all along,” said George Allen. Bradley went on to lead the USFL with 12 interceptions in ’83 and was selected to the All-League team.

The win pulled the Blitz (3-2) to a game behind Tampa Bay (4-1). Ultimately, Chicago came out ahead with a 12-6 record and a wild card spot in the playoffs (they lost in the Semifinal round to the Philadelphia Stars). The Bandits were third in the Central Division at 11-7 and just missed the postseason.

Past Venue: Fenway Park

Boston, MA



Year opened: 1912
Capacity: 37,400, was 33,375 when Patriots played there

Names:
Fenway Park, 1912 to date

Pro football tenants:
Boston Bulldogs (AFL), 1926
Boston Redskins (NFL), 1933-36
Boston Shamrocks (AFL), 1936-37
Boston Bears (AFL), 1940
Boston Yanks (NFL), 1944-48
Boston Patriots (AFL), 1963-68

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
Boston Red Sox (MLB – AL), 1912 to date
Boston Braves (MLB – NL), 1914-15
Boston Beacons (NASL), 1968

Notes: Both the Boston Bulldogs and Boston Shamrocks split their home games between Fenway Park and Braves Field. Stadium occasionally hosted college football games for Dartmouth College, Boston College, and Boston University. Hosted NHL Winter Classic, Jan. 1, 2010.

Fate: Still in use