Record-setting Tomlinson impresses on and off field

                    

	LaDainian Tomlinson was all smiles on Sunday after setting the NFL single-season touchdown record. AP
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SAN DIEGO -- LaDainian Tomlinson couldn't stop smiling. As he pulled down his purple socks and grabbed a white towel to dry his face in the Chargers' locker room Sunday, Tomlinson's grin was as wide as it was 20 minutes earlier when he broke the NFL's single-season touchdown record.

"I'm just so happy for my teammates not just for me," said Tomlinson. "This means so much after everything we've been through."

That Tomlinson would score his record-breaking 29th touchdown on a play called "50-power" was predictable. "Everybody knows what '50-power' is," he said. "That is Marty's (Schottenheimer) favorite play. I could've guessed that was the play we were going to call."

It was so predictable that Tomlinson told his teammates to come meet him in the endzone after the play was called in the huddle. "Once I got over the pylon my initial thought was to bring every guy on the offensive unit over to share the moment," he said. "When we're old and can't play this game, those are the moments we are going to remember.

Moments after being carried to the sideline by his teammates after his touchdown run, Tomlinson, still in uniform, was walking back onto the field, an AFC West Championship hat in hand, to do some postgame interviews as fans showered him with chants of "LT" and "MVP." Tomlinson did nothing to dissuade those chants by raising his hands in the air and showing off his hat to the fans. "They've been with us from the very beginning," he said. "I just hope I can give them a Super Bowl."

It's the only outcome that will make this historic season a success in Tomlinson's eyes. While he will finish the season having shattered the single-season touchdown record, single-season scoring record and consecutive multi-touchdown games mark, it won't hold the same meaning unless he is wearing some new jewelry before next season. "I'm really at a loss for words when people start talking about records because I always think I really haven't don anything yet," said Tomlinson. "I don't have a Super Bowl ring."

Tomlinson is struggling at the moment. It's probably the first time today he's been stymied but it isn't long before he figures his way out. As he shakes back and forth, side to side, moving his body every which way, Tomlinson finally gets his uniform off his shoulder pads and throws the historical artifact to the center of the locker room. It is quickly retrieved and folded up by a Chargers official, who understands the importance of the stinky item that will no doubt be sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "They can have it," Tomlinson jokes. "But I'm keeping my shoes."