Adrian Peterson

Is it a bird? It is a plane? Is it the second coming of Jim Brown? Well the answer to the first two questions is no but the first half performances of rookie running Adrian Peterson have some believing that the third question is quickly becoming reality.
After breaking the NFL single-game record for rushing yards with 296 Sunday against the Chargers, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is well on his way to Offensive Rookie-of-the-Year honors. Through the first eight games of his career, Peterson has racked up a grand total of 1,036 rushing yards averaging 6.6 yards per carry while scoring 8 touchdowns along with 206 yards receiving with another touchdown. He also personally earning this fantasy owner big points every Sunday.
Now we see what the stats say and we knew he was good coming into the NFL, but few had to expect him to perform like this. Looking at the situation strategically, the quarterback play is absolutely terrible causing teams to pack eight guys in the box and there are few other players on that offense that can distract any of the attention. This guy is doing much of this on his own making defenders look silly in the process.
Looking back on his collegiate career at Oklahoma we knew he was good and we knew he would be an NFL star. He is probably one of the few players in history that could have contributed on an NFL roster as a true freshman. He runs with incredible speed, power, moves, ferocity and willpower. He can run through, around, over and under defenders. While he may not be the best running back in the NFL just yet, he probably the best pure runner. And that is where the Jim Brown comparisons are coming from because their running styles are eerily familiar. I have never got to see Jim Brown live but thanks to great televisions shows such as NFL Presents on ESPN Classic, this columnist had the chance to watch some old films and these guys look like the same person just with different jerseys on. Now we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves too much but we’ve seen this guy in the spotlight for four seasons now and he seems to have all the makings of a great one.
The problem is, which many people point to, is that while we have seen him for four seasons, we haven’t seen him for four seasons. He missed time at some point or another every year while at Oklahoma including missing the second half of his final season with a broken collarbone and people believe it is just a matter of time before he goes down in Minnesota.
And you know what, they are probably right; eventually he’s going to pick up an injury that is going to cost him multiple games. But with Peterson, that is part of the contract. His style of running is going to give you big and spectacular plays but injuries are just part of the deal. He has to have the high running style with collisions and spins and everything else and he has to get a lot of carries each game to have a rhythm, it is what makes him so good. If a coach tries to take that part out of his game, then he will soon become an average running back.
So let’s look at this logically. He has chance to become one of the best running backs of his generations, if not history, but don’t expect him to be great for 12 or 15 years. His running style is what makes him great but it also what will end his career by the time he is age 32. We have the chance to see the second coming of Jim Brown so let’s enjoy it as long as possible.