EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- LaDainian Tomlinson is now alongside his idol.
The New York Jets running back joined Walter Payton on Sunday as the only players in NFL history to gain 13,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards receiving.
Tomlinson, the seventh-leading rusher in league history, reached the milestone against the Green Bay Packers with an 8-yard run in the second quarter of the Jets' 9-0 loss.
"It's a great honor for me," Tomlinson said. "The late, great Walter Payton, he was my favorite player of all-time, the reason I wanted to play the position."
Tomlinson, who entered with 12,980 yards rushing and 4,062 yards receiving, led the Jets with 54 yards on the ground and caught a team-high five passes for 37 yards Sunday.
"To be considered in that class, to do the rushing and receiving, to join him, it's special," Tomlinson said. "I grew up watching him as a younger kid before he retired."
Payton gained 16,726 yards rushing and 4,538 yards receiving during his Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
