Christian McCaffrey made NFL history Sunday, but won’t forget this is still a kids game

Nobody reaches 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same NFL season without great balance.

For Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, that’s emotional balance, not just physical.

“In this league, things can go really good for you quick and really bad for your quick,” McCaffrey said after hitting that historic mark — just the third time in NFL history — Sunday. “The biggest thing I’ve learned this year is control your emotions: Not get too high and not get too low. Stay poised.

“Guys who ride a wave of emotion are in a bad area ... When adversity strikes, know how to handle it, because it’s inevitable.”

There was abundant adversity for the Panthers, reflected in eight consecutive losses to end the season. One of the few significant positives were McCaffrey’s NFL-best 2,392 yards from scrimmage. He joined San Francisco 49er Roger Craig (1985) and St. Louis Ram Marshall Faulk (1999) as the only NFL players to reach 1,000 in both rushing and receiving yards in the same season.

He entered Sunday needing 67 receiving yards to finish that. The catch that put him over the top came late in the third quarter — a short pass over the middle from Kyle Allen.

McCaffrey turned, made two moves, and crossed midfield, gaining exactly the 17 yards he needed to reach 1,000 before Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson pulled him to the ground.

“You see the volume of receptions he has (116 for the season) and how big a part of our passing game he is,” said Allen, who came in for an injured Will Grier in the second half. “A lot of them are short; it’s all about him breaking tackles and making plays.”

McCaffrey said post-game he made reaching 1,000 yards in rushing and receiving a personal goal this season. But his tone suggested it was somewhat hollow because of the Panthers’ sour second half of the season.

Abundant change is coming: Tight end Greg Olsen, who mentored McCaffrey extensively in the running back’s first three NFL seasons, might have played his last game as a Panther. Quarterback Cam Newton’s status is uncertain after consecutive seasons ended abruptly with injury. A new coach is coming after Panthers owner David Tepper fired Ron Rivera weeks ago.

McCaffrey is this team’s biggest asset. He sounded Sunday like he knows he must take more leadership responsibility going forward.

“There are a lot of jokes about Greg being my dad. I don’t know if this is his last one. Obviously, a lot of people have impacted me, and he’s right up there with the best,” McCaffrey said.

“We have a lot of young guys, especially on the offensive side. The quicker we get those guys to realize they are leaders, the faster we can start moving forward with this team.”

McCaffrey’s stardom, combined with the wear-and-tear NFL running backs take, would point toward him wanting a contract extension as soon as possible. He said his body feels good after so many touches. He also suggested he doesn’t want the business of the NFL robbing him of the simple joy associated with the sport.

“The biggest thing I’ve realized is to always have that kid in you — that love for the game you had when you were 7 or 8 years old and playing with your brothers in the backyard,” McCaffrey said. “It’s important to keep that same joy for the game, or you start to play for the wrong reasons.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 3:28 PM.