the league in touches with 451, which proved to be a career-high; it was also the third-most in NFL history at the time. Tomlinson became the first Charger to gain 2,000-plus yards from scrimmage, with his total of 2,172 ranking third in the league. He also improved his ball security, fumbling only three times. Tomlinson was rewarded for his performances with his first Pro Bowl nomination (together with Junior Seau, he was one of only two Chargers so honored), as well as being named an Associated Press (AP) 2nd-team All-Pro. 2003 season During the 2003 offseason, San Diego signed Lorenzo Neal, a fullback who had blocked for 1,000-yard rushers in each of his previous six seasons, and was coming off his first Pro Bowl nomination. Tomlinson would later describe Neal as vital to the progression of his career, and chose the fullback to introduce him on the day of his induction into the Hall of Fame. The Chargers struggled throughout the 2003 season, finishing 4–12. Nonetheless, Tomlinson continued to produce strong individual performances. In Week 4, he threw the first touchdown pass of his career, a 21-yard throw to Brees, on a trick play, as well as rushing for 187 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Oakland. In Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, he rushed 26 times for 200 yards and a touchdown while leading the Chargers to their first win of the year; in total, Tomlinson accounted for 221 of the Chargers' 289 yards in the 26–20 victory. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against the Browns. In Week 10, against the Minnesota Vikings, he had 16 carries for 162 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 42–28 victory. The top two receiving performances of his career (measured by yards) arrived back-to-back in Weeks 14 and 15; he had nine catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions, and 11 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers. Tomlinson entered the regular season finale against the Raiders needing eight more catches to become the first NFL player to have 1,000 rushing yards and 100 receptions in the same season. He achieved this, getting his 100th catch on the Chargers' final offensive play of the game (excluding quarterback kneels). In the same game, he improved upon his franchise record with 243 yards from