Peterson Comes up Shy of Rushing Record, but Leads Vikes to Postseason

Earlier this afternoon Calvin Johnson failed to accumulate the 108 yards needed to become the first 2,000 yard receiver in league history. Aldon Smith and J.J. Watt fail to record the sacks needed to break the single-season sack record and Adrian Peterson came up just NINE yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record.

But, there is one major difference between these four failed accomplishments: Adrian Peterson's performance won his team a playoff berth. Though he didn't break Dickerson's coveted record of 2,105 yards, his 199 yards put him over the 2,000 yard mark on the season (7th player to ever do so) and put him No. 2 on the list, just ahead of Jamal Lewis' 2,066 yards in 2003.

But more importantly, Peterson's near-200 yard and 2 TD performance allowed the Minnesota Vikings (10-6) to knock off their NFC North counterpart Green Bay Packers, 37-34, to clinch the 6th and final seed of the NFC playoffs.

On the verge of field goal range with under a minute to play in a tie ball game, Peterson broke free for a 26-yard gain. On the play, Peterson stayed in bounds and put the Vikes at the GB 11-yard line, putting rookie placekicker Blair Walsh in great position to kick the game-winner through the uprights with :03 left on the clock.

His 2,097 yards and 13 TDs (12 rushing, 1 receiving) on 348 carries gives Peterson a much better overall season than Dickerson's 1984 season. Peterson did more with far less as both teams finished with a 10-6 record and a wild card berth. Peterson averaged 6.0 yards per carry while running for the second-most times of his six-year career.

Minnesota's second-year quarterback Christian Ponder has been average-at best this season, but posted a 120.2 rating with 3 TDs in today's wild card-clinching victory today. If Ponder can carry his own in a rematch with Green Bay next week at Lambeau (wild card round of NFC playoffs), then the sky may be the limit for this Minnesota team.

So, no record for "All Day" today, but he got something just as good, if not better: another week of football!

NFC Seedings:

1. Falcons

2. 49ers

3. Packers

4. Cowboys/Redskins

5. Seahawks

6. Vikings

Wild Card Round (next weekend):

6 Vikings @ 3 Packers

5 Seahawks @ 4 Cowboys/Redskins

AFC Seedings:

1. Broncos

2. Patriots

3. Texans

4. Ravens

5. Colts

6. Bengals

Wild Card Round (next weekend):

6 Bengals @ 3 Texans

5 Colts @ 4 Ravens

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Adrian Peterson's Magical Season: How Does he Stack up Against the League's All-time Greats?

It's no secret that the Minnesota Vikings' 27-year old running back Adrian Peterson (also referred to as "AP" or "AD," which is short for "All Day") is just 294 yards away from further immortalizing himself within Pro Football history by breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing yards record of 2,105.

With two games left to play Peterson, less than a year removed from surgery to repair a torn left ACL and MCL, is set to become just the 7th player in history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a given season.

Now I know I've said this here on the All-Out Blitz numerous times, and you may start to get tired of hearing about it. But I have yet to dedicate an entire article on Peterson's historic season. And that's exactly what I plan to do: stack AD's 2012 season, and career for that matter, against some of the great ones from season's past.

Not only will I compare 2012 to Dickerson's famed 1984 season among others, but I will also be comparing Peterson's 6-year career to the first six seasons of a couple of Hall of Famers and soon-to-be Hall of Famers.

First off, I'd like to point out that just one season in his so-far illustrious pro career has ended without 1,000 yards rushing, which happened to be last season (970 yards, 12 TDs in 12 games) just prior to receiving his bionic left knee––just kidding, his knee isn't actually robotic, right?

First comparison is the obvious one: Eric Dickerson in 1984.

Eric Dickerson--1984, Los Angeles Rams

Second season in pros, 24-years old

16 games: 379 rushing attempts, 2,105 yards, 14 TDs, Long: 66 yards

5.6 Y/C, 131.6 Y/G on 23.7 A/G

- - - - -

Adrian Peterson--2012, Minnesota Vikings

Sixth season in pros, 27-years old

14 games: 289 rushing attempts, 1,812 yards, 11 TDs, Long: 82 yards

6.3 Y/C, 129.4 Y/G, 20.6 A/G

**Dickerson through first 14 games: 326 rushing attempts, 1,792 yards, 11 TDs

The key to the above comparison is Dickerson's stat-line through the first 14 games. Looking at that and you can tell Peterson is well on his way to surpassing Eric on the list of most impressive rushing seasons of all-time. In terms of both individual and team, Peterson's got the edge. The Rams finished the season at 10-6 with a playoff berth thanks largely to the on-field production from Dickerson.

Much like the Vikings this season, the Rams had an average-at-best quarterback completing 50% of his passes and throwing 20 passes a game with the 25-year old Jeff Kemp. Los Angeles was a middle-of-the-pack defense and was a playoff team based solely on Dickerson's success.

Minnesota is sitting at 8-6 and in line for a wild card spot if they can manage to win out and end the season at 10-6. Second-year quarterback Christian Ponder has underachieved this season after showing promise as a rookie last season. His 2,527 yards, 14 TDs (12 INT) and a 78.6 rating has been just enough to get the Vikes by in terms of passing. It's been AD's career-high 1,812 yards and 11 TDs that has put Minnesota in playoff contention coming out of the North.

With opposing defenses keying in on stopping Peterson and the team's running game, they have still failed to slow down this Vikings offense. Peterson has been on a roll ever since Week 7 against the Cardinals, rushing for 100+ yards for eight consecutive games––150+ in six of those games and 200+ in two. Also over that 8-game span AD has combined for nine of his 11 touchdowns on the ground and Minnesota has put up 34 or more points on two occasions.

A 2-0 finish to the season would put the Vikings in the playoffs and match the regular season record of the 10-6 Rams. Not to mention, if Adrian does break the single-season record he would likely achieve it with much less carries and would have put up the greatest single-season for a running back in NFL history. By far.

I never even mentioned the fact that Dickerson fumbled the ball a total of 14 times during the '84 regular season. Peterson? Just four fumbles through his 14 starts this season. So unless he fumbles five teams in each of his last two games (not likely) he will have beaten Dickerson in that category as well. All Dickerson has left is his 107 yards and 1 TD in LA's 16-13 NFC Wild Card loss that season.

Peterson is just 294 yards in the final two games away from posting the best season by a running back ever. But where does that leave him in terms of his first six seasons as a pro? Here he is next to some legends:

First six seasons in NFL (sorted by yards gained; Hall of Famer; Leader among the 6):

*Eric Dickerson, 88 starts: 2,136 attempts, 9,915 yards, 75 TD, Long: 85; 4.6 Y/C, 110.2 Y/G

*LaDainian Tomlinson, 95 starts: 2,050 starts, 9,176 yards, 100 TD, Long: 85; 4.5 Y/C, 96.6 Y/G

*Emmitt Smith, 91 starts: 2,007 attempts, 8,956 yards, 96 TD, Long: 75; 4.5 Y/C, 96.3 Y/G

*Barry Sanders, 87 starts: 1,763 attempts, 8,672 yards, 62 TD, Long: 85; 5.0 Y/C, 97.4 Y/G

*Adrian Peterson, 80 starts: 1,695 attempts, 8,564 yards, 75 TD, Long: 82; 5.1 Y/C, 98.4 Y/G

*Walter Payton, 83 starts: 1,865 attempts, 8,386 yards, 65 TD, Long: 76; 4.5 Y/C, 94.2 Y/G

Considering that among the group of six listed above––consisting of four current Hall of Fame members and one first ballot Hall of Famer––Peterson has the best yards per carry average through six seasons, I'd say he's in pretty good shape.

Averaging 1,427.3 rushing yards per season, Peterson needs just six more of his "average" seasons and he'll be an automatic lock for the hall and in sight of Emmitt Smith's league record 18,355 rushing yards all-time. Though he's not quite to Dickerson's near-1,000 yards through six seasons, or LT's 100 TDs, Peterson has a lot to be proud of, ranking with the big boys. With two games left to go in his first six career seasons, Peterson can surpass Sanders' 8,672 yards and possibly even reach 80 rushing TDs.

Being on pace and ahead of guys such as the greats Barry Sanders and Walter Payton at this point in his career says a lot for a guy of Peterson's caliber, and it's really scary when you think about what he can accomplish before he hangs up his cleats.

He's got an eye-popping combination of size, speed and power. He's a nightmare in the open field for defenders and no matter which way you slice it, we could be witnessing the best this league has ever seen.

Embrace it.

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Top Six Performances by a Rookie Running Back

With rookie minicamps taking place in the last couple of weekends, I thought it'd be fitting to do a couple of posts surrounding rookies. I've compiled a list of the top six most memorable single-season performances by a rookie running back in the past decades.

Here's what I came up with (listed in chronological order)..

Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears, 1965

Sayers, one of the most durable backs this league has ever seen, had a short-lived career (just seven seasons in Chicago). But there's no doubt he was productive coming out of the backfield for the Bears. In his rookie campaign, Sayers ran the ball just 166 times while splitting carries with Jon Arnett, but he accumulated 867 yards, giving him a 5.2 yards per carry average.

Sayers put the ball in the end zone a combined 22 times (14 rushing, six receiving, 1 KR, 1 PR). In 14 games, Gale compiled 1,374 yards from scrimmage. The yardage doesn't seem like much in today's standards for a running back, but given he had just 195 touches throughout the season.

George Rogers, New Orleans Saints, 1981

Selected first overall in the 1981 draft by New Orleans, the South Carolina alum wasted no time proving he could keep up with the big boys. In 16 games that year, Rogers posted nine 100+ yard games in addition to three multi-TD games on his way to a league-leading 1,674 yard season.

His 13 rushing touchdowns proved to be one of his two double-digit TD seasons, as he went on to play six more years with New Orleans and the Washington Redskins before stepping away from the game following the 1987 season due to lingering injuries.

Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams, 1983

Throughout his 12-year Hall of Fame career Dickerson won the rushing title four times, including his rookie season in L.A. In his second season he became just the second player to join the 2,000 yard club (there are six members now), but it all began with his 1,808/18 TD rookie campaign.

Rushing for an average of 113 yards/game in 16 games with nine 100-yard games, Dickerson quickly became the league's most dangerous runner.

Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions, 1989

Speaking of dangerous runners, next we have Barry Sanders being selected third overall in the 1989 draft, just six years later. Barry's rookie season wasn't quite as productive as Dickerson's 1,800 yards and 18 TDs, but he sure as hell did more with less. Dickerson also happened to lead the league in attempts (390), but Barry managed 1,470 yards and 14 TDs on the ground with just 280 carries, good enough for 5.3 yards/carry.

The most dangerous runner this league has ever seen didn't get much help from his Detroit offensive line, either. If you watched him play, he was always running for his life. The opposing defense would line up, knowing for certain that #20 was getting the ball, and they still couldn't stop him. His numbers weren't as dazzling as some of the other guys on this impressive list, but the results are just as good, if not better.

Clinton Portis, Denver Broncos, 2002

Now, I'm not gonna lie. Before I started my research for this list I didn't realize just how spectacular Portis' opening season was. With even less carries than Sanders, Portis (273 attempts) broke 1,500 yards with 15 TDs in Washington. His 5.5 yards per carry average tied his career-high (he also averaged 5.5 the following year in 2003).

Portis was not named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster that year, and started just 12 games, but considering he was drafted in the second round (51st overall) out of Miami, I don't think he was really expected to produce as much as he did. So kudos to you, Mr. Portis.

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings, 2007

Of course you know I had to have at least two modern-day backs on this list, and Adrian Peterson A.K.A. "AP" A.K.A. "All Day" had to be the second one. This past season was the first time in his five-year career that he missed the 1,000 yard plateau, and that was simply because he played just 12 games. His rookie campaign wasn't a full season either, yet he made the most of his time on the football field.

On his 238 carries, Peterson amassed 1,341 yards and 12 TDs (5.6 YPC) and added a receiving touchdown in to the mix. In his very first game, a 24-3 victory over Atlanta on September 9, Peterson broke 100 yards–103 to be exact–and caught a touchdown pass. Later on that year? A 224 yard, 3 TD performance against Chicago and a record-setting 296 yards at home against the Chargers. To cap it all off, "All Day" put up four multi-TD games and led the league in yards per game as a rookie. If that isn't impressive, then I don't know what is.

Well, that just about wraps up my list of top six single-season rookie RB performances. Are there any other ones that you think I missed? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments section or you can send my an email at benheck77@yahoo.com.

Also be sure to check out my additional blog on Tumblr

I do not own any of the above images, no copyright infringement intended

Adrian Peterson could finish career as a top five running back in League history

Some could call this a long-shot at this point, but I think it's safe to say that in his first four NFL seasons, Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson has drawn comparisons to the likes of Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith.

In my opinion, despite the rushing yard king being Smith, it is in fact Detroit's former star Barry Sanders who holds the title as the NFL's best running back of all-time.

In 15 professional seasons, Smith put up 11 1,000 yard seasons, all in consecutive years (1991-2001) and ran for the most touchdowns in league history, with 164. There's no doubt he was a touchdown machine, and he surpassed the great Walter Payton for most rushing yards in a career (finished with 18,355).

But I personally believe that Smith's resume takes a hit when you look at his sub-par numbers at the end of his career--in his final three seasons he fails to reach 1,000 yards or double-digit touchdown totals. Consistency is key when looking at career numbers.

As for Sanders? He had a short-lived, 10-year career which was spent entirely with one team. And a losing team at that. He ran for 1,100 or more yards in all 10 of those seasons, and posted six double-digit touchdown seasons with 10 Pro Bowl appearances before he mysteriously walked away from the game unharmed.

While the exact reason he retired so early remained a mystery for several years, Sanders finally came out and admitted that it was the Lions' losing reputation that got the best of him. Sanders did, however, get a slight taste of playoff football, rushing for 386 yards and a touchdown in six career postseason games (Detroit's record in those games was 1-5).

The NFL Network named Sanders in the top 20 players of all-time in its The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players series at No. 17, with Smith following him at No. 28. The top-ranked back on the list was Jim Brown (fullback) as the second best player in history. But, because of different playing eras and primary positions I found it a little too difficult to compare Brown to either of the other three backs (Sanders, Smith, Peterson). Walter Payton was added to the mix as well, but he's so close to Smith and Sanders that Peterson may have a hard time beating them out for a spot, but he can surely try.

Because of this, the title may need a little fixing..."Top five running backs in the modern era" may fit the bill a little more smoothly, but I couldn't bring myself to making the amend.

Brown, Sanders, Payton and Smith are so tightly knit in terms of "best running back in history" that almost any of the four could sit atop the rest.

Then, in steps Peterson.

Tough to judge after the first four seasons of the 26-year old's career, but if he keeps up his pace we could easily find Adrian "All Day"/"AP" Peterson amongst the four by the time Canton calls his name.

Sanders is easily the most electrifying and exciting running back to watch play, and his highlight reels, which can be found on youtube, will keep you entertained for hours. But Peterson's nine-minute-long highlight reel (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k-8FUIxIkvo) can be compared to that of Sanders' elongated highlights.

Peterson, who is virtually a larger version of Sanders (6'2''/217 pounds), has the elusiveness and 'turn-on-a-dime' juke moves as a cheetah, speed and gracefulness of a gazelle and power of a lion.

Sanders has the shifty moves, Smith has the jolt and explosiveness (especially for a little guy), Payton has the gracefulness, and Brown had the brute strength. But Peterson? He has the combination of all of the above, and his great size makes him surprisingly powerful.

If you watched the link I provided above, you would see with your own eyes that sometimes it takes the entire opposing defense to bring this man down.

What has held Peterson back from his full potential throughout his career? His knack for fumbling the ball. Now, one could argue against the fumbling, because Sanders, Smith, Brown and Payton all fumbled more through their first four seasons than Peterson has. But in my case, I think it's just the timing of the fumbling. He seems to cough up the ball when his team needs him to come through the most. This can be fixed, of course, and when he does fix it, Peterson's potentially and production will only rise.

Minnesota finally looks to have drafted a franchise quarterback in Florida State's Christian Ponder this year, meaning defenses may not be able to key in on just Peterson. They will have to stop work on stopping both the run and pass.

Even with defenses keying in on the run, Peterson put up just shy of 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. For his career, Peterson has averaged close to 5.0 yards per carry (4.8, to be exact), which is not far from Sanders' (5.0) and Brown's (5.2) averaged in their careers.

Smith and Payton racked up the yardage, but at the same time had low YPC averages--4.2 and 4.4 respectively. Fans like to argue that "stats don't tell the whole story" but that previous bit of information should tell you a whole lot. It's not hard for a guy to rack up 1,200 yards with 300+ carries year-in and year-out.

As a rookie Peterson put up over 1,300 on only 238 carries. Production, production, production.

That's what AP is all about when he hits the field, just ask his 25 100-yard games and four Pro Bowl appearances. They'll tell you just how much potential this guy has, without hesitation. A joy to watch each and every week.

All I am hoping for now, is a way to make the 2011 season happen.

Photo credit

Barry Sanders: borrowed from kevinantcliff.com

Adrian Peterson: borrowed from worldwidetweets.com

The "Return King" Helps Chicago Capture First Division Title Since 2006

Before the season, knowing that Brett Favre would be in a Viking uniform, this matchup was supposed to be heavily favored in the opposite direction. Towards a Minnesota blowout.

But, instead, the now 10-4 Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North division with their 40-14 blowout of the Minnesota Vikings.

The game was played in the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium rather than Minnesota's Metrodome since the Dome had yet to be repaired after snow damaged the roof two weeks ago. Minnesota players had been complaining about the poor conditions all week long. As for Chicago? They are used to playing football in wintry conditions, and we didn't hear a peep from them all week.

The hard ground did prove to be a factor throughout the game, though, as Brett Favre left early in the second quarter with an apparent head injury after rookie defensive end Corey Wootton, out of Northwestern, slammed Favre to the turf for his first NFL sack.

He did not return and was replaced by rookie Joe Webb, the former UAB signal caller, who was named tonight's starter earlier in the week before Favre suddenly decided to tough it out despite the bad conditions. Favre was 5/7 for 63 yards, 1 TD and an INT with Minnesota trailing 10-7 when he left the game.

Minnesota was without All Pro running back Adrian Peterson, who sat out because of lagging leg injuries sustained in previous weeks. Yet another rookie, RB Toby Gerhart, got his chance to shine in the spotlight. It was his first career start, and he sure did show he can tough it out in the cold, running for 77 yards on 16 carries. It was actually Webb who got the ball in the end zone using his legs, though, as he used his speed to hit the corner of the end zone on a 13-yard run early in the second half.

Despite great efforts, Webb's two interceptions became too costly for Minnesota's offense, and Cutler's offense really showed up to play as he threw for three touchdowns.

Other than another spectacular defensive performance put up by Chicago, I think the real headline here may have to do with special teams.

Devin Hester, A.K.A. the "Return King," set an NFL record after he ran back a Minnesota punt 64 yards for a touchdown just three minutes in to the second half. The significance? It was Hester's 14th career kick/punt returned for a touchdown, setting the all-time NFL record for return touchdowns (punt/kick), breaking Brian Mitchell's record of 13. What I think is so great about this, is that Hester hasn't even completed his fifth season in the league yet, and it took Mitchell 14 years with the Eagles, Redskins and Giants to run back 13 kicks.

This truly is a spectacular feat, and although this is certainly a breakable record, I don't think it will ever be achieved as quick as Hester did this season. Funny thing is, Minnesota's fans were booing punter Chris Kluwe for continuously punting out of bounds in his previous punts. Well, Minnesota fans, you got what you want. I hope your happy now.

Congratulations, Chicago.

Photo Credit

Minnesota Fans: AP Photo/Hannah Foslien

Devin Hester: AP Photo/Andy King