Tag: ladainian tomlinson

Tyrann Mathieu has a ton of respect for Bijan Robinson: ‘He’s going to be special’

Tyrann Mathieu may play for the Saints, but he knows a quality opponent when he sees one. And he has a ton of respect for Falcons star Bijan Robinson:

Tyrann Mathieu takes a lot of pride in playing for his hometown New Orleans Saints, but he knows a quality rival when he sees one. And he’s eager to compete against Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. Mathieu pointed to the second-year pro during a recent appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast when taking stock of his opponents in the NFC South.

And Mathieu offered some lofty comparisons for Robinson and his unique skill set: “Man, he’s going to be special. Marshall Faulk, you know, Edgerrin James, you know what I mean? Like, LaDainian Tomlinson, you know? And I didn’t think the Falcons really used him as good as they should have last year, but, man, he’s going to be good. He’s going to be real good.”

Robinson proved to be a dangerous dual-threat running back in 2023. He ran 214 times for 976 rushing yards, scoring 4 touchdown runs, while being targeted 86 times as a receiver; he caught 58 passes for another 487 receiving yards and 4 more touchdown receptions. He’s one of five rookie running backs to have 900-plus rushing yards and 400-plus receiving yards as a rookie since 2010, and one of 16 to do so in the history of pro football. Mathieu knows his history — James (1999) and Faulk (1994) are both in that group. Tomlinson (2001) was 33 receiving yards shy of joining them.

Mathieu’s Saints have gone 3-1 against the Falcons in his two years on the team, and they were a foolish Derek Carr pick-six in scoring position from beating them in Atlanta last year. But he sees Robinson as someone who could be a problem in the years ahead.

Robinson broke out with his first multi-touchdown game as a rookie against the Saints in Week 11, scoring a 10-yard run and a 26-yard reception while totaling 123 yards from scrimmage. Mathieu and his teammates did a better job limiting his gains on the ground in the Week 18 rematch (Robinson ran 11 times for just 28 yards) but he took an early grab-and-go pass out of the backfield 71 yards for a touchdown. They adjusted, though, and he finished with 32 yards on his other 6 catches.

Don’t expect first-year Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to make it as easy for them by splitting Robinson’s touches with other players. As Mathieu alluded to, former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith was widely criticized for playing veterans like Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson ahead of the running back they drafted 8th overall. The Falcons are excited to have Kirk Cousins at quarterback after a couple of years in the desert, but they’ll be counting on Robinson to shoulder a heavy load in 2024.

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NFL Hall of Famer expects Will Anderson to have similar role to Cowboys Micah Parsons

NFL HOF RB LaDainian Tomlinson shares high praise for Texans rookie Will Anderson

The Houston Texans are in the beginning of a rebuild, and they will be starting from the ground in 2023. Houston brought in first-time head coach DeMeco Ryans to turn the ship around, and in the 2023 NFL draft he found his offensive and defensive pieces of the future.

Ryans and the Texans used the No. 2 overall pick on former Ohio State quarterback, C.J. Stroud, and then immediately after traded back into the third overall pick to select Alabama’s Will Anderson Stroud will be the quarterback of the future, but Anderson has arguably been the best player in college football over the last two seasons.

It is no surprise that Ryans fell in love with Anderson as he is an Alabama man himself. However, Anderson’s speed, football IQ and love of the game make him the perfect building block for this defense, especially with how sought out an elite pass rusher is in the modern-day NFL.

People all across the league have been remarkably high on Anderson, but maybe none more so than Chargers Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson says that he expects Anderson to be utilized all over the place, whether that be lining up in a three-point stance or rushing the passer from a linebacker position, he’s going to get a lot of different looks. The praise continues as he believes that Anderson will be used in the same type of role as Cowboys superstar young edge rusher Micah Parsons.

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Watch: Tre Tomlinson gets advice from uncle LaDainian Tomlinson before preseason debut

Rams rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson got a pep talk from his uncle, LaDainian Tomlinson, before his preseason debut

Rams rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson comes from NFL bloodlines. His uncle is Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who also works for NFL Network now in his post-playing days.

Before kickoff between the Rams and Chargers on Saturday night, Hodges-Tomlinson got a little pep talk from his uncle on the field.

“Don’t make it bigger than what it is. Go out there and play ball and dominate. Consistency, like we always talk about. Go out there and dominate. Can’t nobody hold you, bro. You know that,” Tomlinson told his nephew.

LaDainian was there at Tre’Vius’ draft party when he was selected by the Rams in the sixth round of the draft this year, so the two former TCU Horned Frogs got to celebrate together in that big moment.

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LaDainian Tomlinson calls Titans’ Ryan Tannehill ‘one of the most underrated QBs’

Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson believes Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is “one of the most underrated quarterbacks” in the NFL.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill is probably the most polarizing player currently on the team.

Many genuinely appreciate the highs that Tannehill has helped bring to Tennessee since taking over as the starting quarterback in 2019, while others solely focus on the lows, which has subsequently led to a lot of those people being non-believers in No. 17.

No one is claiming he’s an elite quarterback by any means, but Tannehill has been a productive and efficient signal-caller who has won a lot of games since becoming a Titan.

Despite that success, some refuse to give him the credit he rightfully deserves for at least doing his part. And, more often than not, he’s seriously underrated.

However, it appears that you cannot count Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson among those who fall into that category.

During a recent segment on “NFL Total Access”, the Texas A&M product received some high praise from LT.

“Ryan Tannehill is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the National Football League,” said Tomlinson. “He’s still very athletic, he has an explosive live arm, and I think there are things that he’s been through that have sharpened his tools. Meaning, he’s gonna be able to be a true leader for this offense and get them back to playing at a high level.”

Tomlinson is on point with his brief analysis of the Titans quarterback.

He’s not the type of guy who can put the entire team on his back and carry it to the promised land, but if you surround Tannehill with competent talent, he’s more than capable of getting the job done and keeping Tennessee competitive.

Since taking over back in 2019, Tannehill ranks in the top 10 in the following categories among 39 qualified quarterbacks:

  • Yards per attempt: 7.9 (No. 4)
  • Passer rating: 100.5 (No. 6)
  • Adjusted yards per attempt: 8.09 (No. 6)
  • EPA per dropback: +0.12 (No. 9)
  • Completion rate: 66.9 percent (No. 10)
  • Touchdown/interception ratio: 2.7 (No. 10)

LT also mentions one of Tannehill’s most underrated qualities: his leadership.

That is something that gets completely overlooked when talking about the 35-year-old. He not only leads by example, but he holds guys accountable and is constantly letting his teammates know what he expects out of them.

Tennessee’s signal-caller has especially been known to give detailed explanations of what he wants to see from his pass-catchers on any given rep.

This might sound like a common practice, but Tannehill has experience with playing wide receiver in the past, so he’s able to relate to his wideouts and explain what he’s specifically looking for better than most quarterbacks.

Obviously, a lot of the criticisms of Tanne come from his subpar playoff performances, but that shouldn’t completely overshadow everything he does to put the Titans in those situations in the first place, either.

Nevertheless, whether it’s right or wrong, until Tannehill has that playoff moment where he essentially leads the team to victory without a legendary performance by Derrick Henry, there will always be people who will say he was mostly just along for the ride.

For everybody’s sake, let’s hope we can get that from No. 17 come January.

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The best pro football player to wear every jersey number

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar picks the best pro football player to wear every jersey number — from Jim Otto (00) to Aaron Donald (99).

Football is a game of numbers, and that includes jersey numbers — which define players in our minds to a certain degree. Who can think of Hall of Fame center Jim Otto without thinking of his 00 jersey, or Warren Moon’s No. 1, or a host of legendary quarterbacks rocking the No. 12, and on and on.

In this specific exercise, we are determining the greatest player in pro football history to wear each jersey number from 00 to 99. Sometimes, the choices are eminently obvious, and other times… not so much. No. 8 had the duel between Steve Young and Troy Aikman, just as we saw in multiple NFC Championship games in the early 1990s. No. 21 had us deciding between LaDainian Tomlinson, Deion Sanders, Frank Gore, Charles Woodson, and Patrick Peterson. Yikes!

On and on it went, but we finally worked through each jersey number and each correspondingly greatest player, and here is that list for your perusal — with the honorable mentions that made this process quite tricky at times.

2023 NFL draft: Who were the last 23 players picked fifth overall?

Here are the last 23 players who were selected at this spot in the draft.

The Seattle Seahawks hold the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, which will kickoff in Kansas City one month from today. That high pick puts them in position to get a rare and special talent. There’s no guarantee they’ll get it right, though. Several Pro Football Hall of Famers have been taken fifth overall in the draft, but there have also been some busts along the way.

Here are the last 23 players who were selected at this spot in the draft.

Chargers’ all-time Mount Rushmore: 4 best players in franchise history

Here are the four best players in Chargers franchise history.

Even though the Chargers don’t have any Lombardi Trophies in their trophy case, they have had a handful of legendary players come through the doors to help the team with successful seasons over the past 64 years.

That said, here are the four best players in the franchise’s history.

Best Chargers draft pick by year since 2000

Taking a look at the best draft pick by each year for the Chargers over the past couple of decades.

The Chargers have seen a slew of top players roll through the franchise over the past couple of decades.

With the draft just a month away, let’s take a look at the best picks for the Bolts since 2000:

LaDainian Tomlinson’s nephew going through drills at the combine is sure to make you feel old

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson beat his uncle by .01 seconds with his unofficial 40-yard dash.

It may not seem like that long ago that LaDainian Tomlinson, who retired from the league in 2011, was the most dominant running back in the NFL.

But try this one on for size: LT’s nephew, TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, is about to be drafted into the league. Feel old yet?

Hodges-Tomlinson went through drills with the rest of the defensive backs on Friday, and it’s clear he’s got some of his uncle’s speed. He impressed with a solid 40-yard dash time of 4.42 seconds, beating his uncle’s time from back in 2001 by just .01 seconds.

How’s that for some Thanksgiving trash-talk fodder?

Hodges-Tomlinson is coming off a fantastic senior season in which he was named a First Team All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

His 5-foot-9 frame may work against the three-time First Team All-Big 12 selection, but athletic testing results like this are sure to help his cause.

A bit of name recognition probably won’t hurt, either.

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Nick Chubb needs just 46 yards vs. Bills to join historic group

With just 46 yards rushing today, Browns running back Nick Chubb can join Adrian Peterson and Ladainian Tomlinson in exclusive territory

There have not been a ton of bright spots this season for the Cleveland Browns, but one of them has certainly been running back Nick Chubb. As the Browns get set to take on the Buffalo Bills in Detroit today, Chubb is just 46 rushing yards away from joining a group that includes just Adrian Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson.

Peterson and Tomlinson are the only two running backs in NFL history who have recorded 950 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in each of their first five seasons in the NFL. Chubb already has double-digit touchdowns on the season and needs just 46 yards to get to 950. The Bills have a stout run defense, but Chubb has not rushed for less than 56 yards in a game all season.

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