The strength of three: The 30 greatest trios in NFL history
By Ian Cummings
Super Chargers . 21. player. 13. . Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates. San Diego Chargers
The “San Diego Super Chargers” theme song was written in 1979, at the introduction of the Air Coryell era of San Diego Chargers football. The Chargers achieved their first and only Super Bowl appearance in 1994, but the Chargers didn’t truly become super until this trio came to town.
The first to arrive was LaDainian Tomlinson, an electrifying running back who was drafted by San Diego at No. 5 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. The Chargers used him early and often and he seemed to only get better with each carry.
He broke 1,200 yards and double-digit touchdowns in each of his first five seasons. By 2005, he’d hit 1,462 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. And if you can believe it, he hadn’t peaked yet.
The arrival of Philip Rivers, after a couple of years of development, sparked Tomlinson’s monster 2006 campaign. With an efficient passing game fueled by the connection of Rivers and All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates, defenses simply didn’t know how to prepare for San Diego. And in this confusion and unwilling admiration, Tomlinson soared to new heights.
In 2006, he ran for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns on 348 carries. He tacked 508 receiving yards and three more pass-catching scores on top of that.
In that season, Tomlinson ran away with the MVP award and he broke the NFL record for single-season scoring by an individual player with 186 points. It’s a record that still stands today. Rivers and Gates’ emergence as an outlet, combined with Tomlinson’s sheer talent, enabled that rise.
Tomlinson would only break the 1,000-yard mark two more times after that, however. Once he faded away, the duo of Rivers and Gates would become the centerpiece of the offense.
Rivers has amassed a 118-90 career record with the Chargers. With Gates, he’s kept them a consistent playoff threat. As it stands, Rivers is eighth all-time in passing yards and Gates is third among tight ends all-time in receiving yards, behind just Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.
Now, only Rivers is left on the team, still searching for the Super Bowl title to truly validate the Super Chargers. But in its prime, this trio’s accomplishments might as well have counted as a ring.