Christian McCaffrey: Comparisons with 3 all-time greats
By Dean Jones
LaDainian Tomlinson
There have been very few running backs who excited NFL fans more than LaDainian Tomlinson. The 2006 NFL MVP was a phenomenal player that has everything one is looking for in a franchise-changing player.
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Tomlinson provided the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets with a dual-threat to the level the league had seldom seen before. He was a touchdown machine and was a ferocious proposition to stop thanks to his incredible combination of speed, power, and elite footwork.
Carolina Panthers’ running back Christian McCaffrey possesses a lot of the same characteristics that made Tomlinson a force to be reckoned with for so long. He is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball. And the player also has no trouble carrying the load and shouldering the responsibility of leading a franchise on his back.
McCaffrey has some way to go before he gets to Tomlinson in terms of numbers. The three-time All-Pro ended his glittering career with 13,684 rushing yards and 145 rushing touchdowns. He also managed to grab 684 receptions for 4,772 yards and 17 scores.
It wasn’t only Tomlinson’s outstanding stats that made him one of the best. It was his overall influence on the NFL. The back made people want to watch with an entertaining style of play that got fans out of their seats whenever he had the ball in his hands.
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The same can be said of McCaffrey, who can look at Tomlinson’s impact as a realistic target to maybe better in the future.