Opportunity rings

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer
Despite tons of accolades, L.T. craves Super Bowl ring | Thursday, January 17, 2008 10:50 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- LaDainian Tomlinson is a certain Hall of Famer who has set numerous records in his seven-year NFL career. The back-to-back NFL rushing champion is the undisputed top running back in the game.

Yet while records pile up and milestones are surpassed, the Chargers star has a lonely ring finger and a major hole on his resume.

Tomlinson craves a Super Bowl ring and feels he needs to be part of an NFL championship team to validate his legacy.

"I feel like I do," Tomlinson said earlier this week. "Since I was a kid, that's something I've always wanted to do ---- to win a Super Bowl.

"We still have a shot to do that."

The Chargers are one of four teams with a shot at winning Super Bowl XLII. But to get an invitation to the big game in Glendale, Ariz., they need to upset the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC Championship Game in frigid Foxborough, Mass.

The Chargers are two-touchdown underdogs against the unbeaten Patriots, making Tomlinson's run at the ring an incredible challenge. He's fully aware that it will be a monumental accomplishment if the Chargers beat the Patriots.

Yet he's balancing any apprehension with a strong dose of exhilaration.

"It's very exciting," Tomlinson said. "You know, I can't tell you how excited I am. Ever since I was a kid I've dreamed about playing in the Super Bowl and having the chance to win the championship.

"It's a great feeling, but you know, we've got a tough task ahead of us. We're playing perhaps the greatest team to ever play football, and so we've got a heck of a task.

"We just hope we don't get embarrassed."

The Chargers were embarrassed by New England in September, when the Patriots steamrolled them 38-14 in a nationally televised Sunday night contest.

There also is the memory of last year's playoff contest, in which the Patriots took advantage of some sloppy play by the Chargers to score the final 11 points of the contest and rally to a 24-21 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.

Tomlinson took exception to the Patriots' on-field celebratory tactics after the contest and inferred that Patriots coach Bill Belichick lacked class.

Twelve months later, Tomlinson says he no longer has animosity over what happened last season, despite the common belief that there remains a high amount of tension between the two teams.

"I wouldn't say it's bad blood at all," Tomlinson said. "Last year, we kind of really didn't respect them. That has changed, obviously, because we haven't beaten them in the last few times we played them. So we have a lot of respect for them. There's no bad blood. It's just respect."

Tomlinson certainly will be at less than full strength for Sunday's game. He hyperextended his left knee during last week's playoff victory over Indianapolis and returned to practice on Thursday.

Tomlinson was a full practice participant and was encouraged afterwards over how the knee responded.

"I feel pretty good," Tomlinson said. "I feel I was coming along fine. I tested it. I wanted to see where I was, and I was happy where I was today."

Tomlinson has asserted that he will start Sunday's game. Reserves Michael Turner and Darren Sproles made tremendous contributions against the Colts, but Tomlinson's ferocious hate-to-lose competitiveness would definitely come in handy against the Patriots.

"Every team has a guy that you kind of build around, and he's been that guy here," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "He's persistent in his attitude and his leadership."

And, of course, there's that dogged pursuit of a Super Bowl ring. The NFL MVP award is nice. The single-season touchdown record is memorable. And the rushing-yardage milestones that have led to him being mentioned along with the greatest backs in NFL history are impressive.

But Tomlinson is consumed with doing all he can to assure that Sunday isn't the Chargers' final game of this season. He has spent all week visualizing what it would mean to stun the Patriots.

"You can't help but to think about it," Tomlinson said. "It's a David-and-Goliath kind of match. Perhaps the greatest team ever against a team that no one expected to be at this point. You think about it and you dream about it. It's big for us."

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.

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