Players at different positions on both sides of the ball can move up or to the top of some impressive lists this season.
On offense, all milestone eyes will be on Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez and New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson.
Gonzalez currently ranks sixth on the all-time receptions list. If he catches 34 passes this season he’ll move all the way up to number two behind only Jerry Rice. Gonzalez begins the 2011 campaign with 1,069 receptions. He can pass Terrell Owens, Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison this year. No matter how much longer Gonzo plays, he won’t catch the Hall of Famer Rice who finished up with 1,549 receptions.
Tomlinson needs six rushing touchdowns to become the second player with 150. He is currently 20 rushing scores behind all-time leader Emmitt Smith. If Tomlinson rushes for 698 yards he’ll move into fourth place on the all-time rushing yardage list by passing Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin and the three players at the top are all Hall of Famers in Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders.
On defense, watch for Baltimore’s Ray Lewis and Green Bay’s Charles Woodson to pursue historic marks.
Lewis, who heads into his 16th season all with Baltimore, needs 1.5 sacks to become the first player in league history with 40 sacks and 30 interceptions.
If Woodson returns three interceptions for touchdowns he’ll be the all-time leader in that category. Woodson is currently number three on the list with 10 INTs for TDs, trailing only Rod Woodson (12) and Darren Sharper (11).
On special teams, Devin Hester is one punt return for touchdown away from having the record all to himself. The Chicago Bears wide receiver starts the season tied for the top spot with Eric Metcalf.
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