North County Times from Oceanside, California • 18

C-2 MONDAY, Dhtaihi 10, 2002 NFL: WEEK 17 North County imes Tomlinson short of rushing crown BRIAN HIRO Stafe Writer yards on the Chargers first touchdown drive to tie the game at 7-7. After that, as the Chargers discovered they could exploit the Seahawks through the air, they put their workhorse back in the stable, calling Tomlinsons number just twice more before halftime. He finished with only 17 attempts, his fourth fewest of the season. We kind of got discouraged early and we didnt keep trying to run the ball because our passing game was working, Chargers guard Kelvin Garmon said. I really cant say how good they were until I see the film because it doesnt seem like we really attacked them.

Said quarterback Drew Brees, whose 332 passing yards were only four off his career high: I guess you could say that (Tomlinsons presence) opened the passing game up a little bit. Tomlinson wasnt surprised that Seattles front seven was able to slow him, just as he wasnt surprised when he gored Denvers top-ranked run defense for 220 yards on Dec. 1. As I always tell you guys, I never get excited about teams in the lower half vs. the rush in the NFL because you never know, he said.

Teams get up to play, and anybody can stop the run when they put their mind to it. So its not difficult. Despite the poor finale, Tomlinson unquestionably enjoyed the best season ever by a Chargers runner. His 1,683 rushing yards broke Na-trone Means team mark by more than 300, and his 79 receptions tied Ronnie Harmons record for most by a back. Just dont ask him to put it into perspective for a while.

I cant do it right now, he said. Im too upset and Im too hurt. SAN DIEGO LaDainian Tomlinson dressed deliberately and spoke in a crushed voice that barely rose above a whisper. The Chargers running back didnt get the prize he had been chasing all season, the NFL rushing title, as he was held to just 67 yards Sunday vs. Seattle while Miamis Ricky Williams ran wild in New England.

Tomlinson, however, is nothing if not a team player, and his personal disappointment at not achieving that rare feat melted in the face of the pain brought on by the Chargers seasonending 31-28 overtime defeat to the Seahawks. Im sick and tired of losing, Tomlinson said while seated at his locker-room stall. I dont know how much longer I can take this. Tomlinson entered the game with 1,616 rushing yards and needed to outgain Williams by 53 to claim the first league rushing crown in franchise history. But his task went from merely difficult to monumental before the opening snap as Williams impressively staked his claim by scampering for 185 yards against the Patriots.

That put him at 1,853 for the season, or 237 more than Tomlinson. I knew he was having a good day, Tomlinson said. Still, Tomlinson had rushed for more than 200 yards twice this season, and the Seahawks did carry with them the NFLs worst rush defense, allowing 156.9 yards per game. Not on this day, though. Seattle stymied the Chargers ground game from the outset, stuffing Tomlinson for only 10 yards on four carries in the first quarter.

Things didnt get much better in the second, as Tomlinson ran three times for 7 the Seattle 42 with 43 seconds left in the half, Schottenheimer allowed the clock to run down to four seconds before calling a time out. He then had quarterback Drew Brees throw a meaningless interception in the end zone on the final play of the half. Why not call time right away and throw one more completion and try to get into field goal range? Had we gone for it and failed, they would have had good field position and afforded them an opportunity to score, said Schottenheimer. Thats playing not to lose, which is a lot different than playing to win. Had Schottenheimer had any confidence in his defense, he would have run an extra play.

But with this defense, and this season, we have learned one thing: Nothing is guaranteed. Even after such a promising start. Edwards) still in his prime. The defense turned into a liability, On Sunday, this defease gave up 591 total yards, the second most in franchise history. More guys need to learn how to make plays in critical situations, said Wiley.

Thats when guys have to step up or get stepped on. Wiley talks a better game than he played this year. lie had 13 sacks a year ago but only six this season, just two in the last eight games. Part of that is the soft play of the defensive tackles. Starters Leonardo Carson and Jason Fisk recorded four tackles between them and were pushed all over the place by the Seatde offensive line.

How bad was it? Seattle ran the ball at the Chargers 36 out of its last 39 plays. The Seahawks averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 10 rushes during two possessions in overtime. LaDainian Tomlinson, easily the Chargers most valuable player, called the finish of the season deeply disappointing. So. L.T., why hasnt this team learned how to win? I dont know, it is kind of like a curse, he said.

If we just keep playing, hopefully we will lose it. Tomlinson went into the game with an outside chance of winning the leagues rushing title, trailing Miamis Ricky Williams by 52 yards. Williams had a monster game against New England, rushing for 185 yards while Tomlinson had 67 yards. But Schottenheimer put a collar on his brilliant runner, giving him just 17 carries, eight in the second half. When you consider that Seattle has the worst nin defense in the league statistically, it appeared to be a mistake.

Schottenheimer defended the move, pointing out that the passing game was clicking and that two of his best interior linemen center Jason Ball and guard Toniu Fonoti were out with injuries. Quick frankly, it is easier to pass defend than it is to run block, said Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer opened himself up for some second-guessing just before halftime with his side ahead 10-6. Facing a fourth-and-5 from Steve Scholfield is senior sports columnist for the North County Times. He can be reached at (760) 740-3509 or sportsnctimes.com.

1 I Well happily point out each and every one of its many advancements. But wed rather have you drive it. And feel them all at once. Improved interior space Increased wheelbase more legroom, shoulder room and headroom, and a larger trunk SCHOLFIELD Continued from C-l The eight wins came against teams with a combined 58-69 record. Only two of the wins came against teams that will be in the playoffs.

This is a sad franchise. Schottenheimer, who is used to producing teams that get bettet as the season progresses, admitted he doesnt have the answer right now. Somehow, you have to reach a point where you are going to overcome errors and find a way to win football games, said Schottenheimer. Is this a mental thing? Im inclined to think that to some extent it is mental, he said. If it is, he has a bunch of mental cases.

This was going to be a team built on a defense that returned four Pro Bowlers Junior Seau, Marcellus Wiley, Ryan McNeil and Rodney Harrison. They spent their top draft pick on a cornerback (Quentin Jammer) and added a veteran linebacker (Donnie Williams takes NFL mshing title Assix iathi Press The Miami Dolphins may have failed to make the playoffs, but they did have one bright spot this year Ricky Williams. Williams ended the season with 1,853 yards to win the NFL rushing title. It is the eighth-best rushing season in league history, 1 yard more than Walter Payton had in 1977. Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison and Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon also won individual titles, and now can look forward to the playoffs.

And three more games went into overtime on the final weekend of the regular season. That brought the total to a record 25. One of those OT games was the Dolphins 27-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday in which Williams had 185 yards and two touchdowns. Williams beat out the Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chiefs Priest Holmes. Tomlinson was held to just 67 yards on 17 carries to finish behind Williams with 1,683 yards in his second season.

The Giants Tiki Barber led the NFC in rushing with 1,387 yards after posting a career-best 203 against Philadelphia on Saturday. Gannon led the league in yards passing with 4,689, the third-most in league history. Buffalos Drew Bledsoe, making a strong comeback after losing his starting job with the Patriots last season, finished second with 4,359 yards. Gannon was held to a season-low 79 yards in Saturdays 24-0 win over Kansas City, a game played in a steady Bay Area rain. He was trying to become the second quarterback to reach 5,000 yards.

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The Colts had another sluggish first half, got a scare when Marvin Harrison was hurt midway through the third quarter and needed an 11-yard touchdown pass with 2:26 left to put away the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-13 on Sunday. For Colts coach Tony Dungy, it was good enough. That was a big win for us, an important win for us, he said. We had to play 60 minutes of football, and thats kind of the way you want it. A thing of beauty it was not.

The Colts (10-6) struggled early on offense and couldnt stop the Jaguars ground game, either. Indianapolis needed two Jacksonville penalties to keep late scoring drives going in the games final minutes and also took advantage of a late melee, in which the teams were called for offsetting personal fouls. That allowed the Colts to run another play on third-and-4, and Manning hooked up with Marcus Pollard in the back comer of the end zone for the game-winner. It wasnt the design the Coltshad plotted for their regular-season finale, nor the tuneup they envisioned for next weeks first-round game at the New York Jets. But it was effective.

Peyton Manning went 20-of-28 for a modest 146 yards and a touchdown. Edgerrin James followed his worst career game with a performance more worthy of a two-time NFL rushing champ. He carried 15 times for 86 yards and finished 11 short of his third season and a $1.5 million bonus. I dont want to sit there and then go out next week wondering if Im ready, James said in his first interview with the local media during the regular season. The bottom line is, I got myself back together.

Even Harrison, who has had arguably the best season of any receiver in NFL history, wasnt himself. He caught six passes for a season-low 28 yards to finish his record-breaking year with 143 receptions and 1,722 yards the fourth-most in league history. He came out after injuring his left arm in the third quarter but returned on the Colts next series. The Jaguars (6-10) certainly didnt play like one of four AFC teams eliminated from playoff contention before the weekend started, or like a team about to go through a housecleaning coach Tom Coughlins job could be in jeopatjly. new perspective on driving.

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