Souhan: Peterson's road back has come full circle

[Mothman]

Here's a link to a nice column about Adrian Peterson that includes a story of a very thoughtful act under difficult circumstances and this:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... =y&refer=y

Buoyed by his team's 4-1 start and Percy Harvin's transformation from versatile oddity to star, Peterson calls himself and Harvin the two best players in the league. "I know talent," he said. "I can watch Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and see the difference."

Who's Pippen and who's Jordan? "There are two Jordans on this team," he said. "I'm not trying to be cocky. I'm just very confident in my abilities."

I love that confidence and they really are two of the most exceptional players in the NFL. I hope AD has a big game in his return to FedEx Field this weekend.

Jim

[losperros]

I think AD and Harvin really are two of the best players in the league, no doubt about it.

That said, I'm nervous about this game. The entire Vikings team, players and coaches, need to be at their best for this one. Of course, I could say that about every game, especially any time the Vikings are on the road.

[VikingLord]

I think AD has a score to settle in this one and he will.

As for the team, they just have to keep playing fundamentally sound like they did against the 49ers and Titans. Redskins are no pushovers, but a sound performance is going to at worst keep them in it right to the end. Ponder also has to stay aggressive. I expect AD to go off, but Ponder has to take advantage of it by pushing it down the field even if he throws a pick or two.

[losperros]

I expect AD to go off, but Ponder has to take advantage of it by pushing it down the field even if he throws a pick or two.

I'm hoping that Jerome Simpson will be healthy and playing. That would help the downfield stuff.

I still wish the Vikings would give Jarius Wright some playing time. The kid showed in college that he can get deep. He did it for the Vikings in preseason, though admittedly that's neither college or preseason is the same as the regular NFL season.

[Mothman]

From SI.com:

http://nfl.si.com/2012/10/21/first-down ... =nfl_wr_a3

Peterson has rewarded that confidence time and again. Case in point: a 13-yard TD run in the first quarter Sunday, when Peterson blew through the line, broke a tackle, then fought through multiple tacklers to reach the goal line.

If Peterson continues on this path, he’ll be right up there with Peyton Manning in the Comeback Player of the Year discussion. And if the Vikings somehow win the NFC North or claim a wild-card spot, Peterson might have an MVP case, too.

[dead_poet]

If Peterson continues on this path, he’ll be right up there with Peyton Manning in the Comeback Player of the Year discussion. And if the Vikings somehow win the NFC North or claim a wild-card spot, Peterson might have an MVP case, too.

[/quote]

I can see a case for Manning being Comeback player of the year, but I think right now Peterson is in the lead for that honor. While I'm far from a medical expert and one that could objectively state which injury was more severe and more difficult to come back from (age factoring in) but the way I see it AD plays a more physically demanding position and missed 0 games while Manning had a year off. Fewer people thought AD could come back (so quickly) and be his dominating self after such a devastating injury. His comeback, to me, seems the most surprising. I'm naturally biased, though, no matter how rationally I try and assess the two.

[Mothman]

I can see a case for Manning being Comeback player of the year, but I think right now Peterson is in the lead for that honor. While I'm far from a medical expert and one that could objectively state which injury was more severe and more difficult to come back from (age factoring in) but the way I see it AD plays a more physically demanding position and missed 0 games while Manning had a year off. Fewer people thought AD could come back (so quickly) and be his dominating self after such a devastating injury. His comeback, to me, seems the most surprising. I'm naturally biased, though, no matter how rationally I try and assess the two.

I'm biased too. Manning will probably get it but it's nice to see that Peterson's name is in the conversation because he should get serious consideration.

[Mothman]

FYI: Peterson is just 7 yards behind the league's leading rusher, Arian Foster. Foster has 659 yards rushing. Alfred Morris is 1 yard behind him with 658. Peterson and Marshawn Lynch each have 652. Of those 4 backs, peterson has the fewest carries (136) and highest YPC (4..

Morris' numbers are almost the same (138 carries, 4.8 ypc).

[losperros]

Peterson's recovery makes me think of Schwarzenegger's Terminator: "I'll be back!"

Well, AD is back.

[Solar]

God bless Adrian, was a full out Raiders fan until he stepped foot outta Texas high school [forgot name] and choose my Sooners . Really didn't think he was gonna, but he took me away from the Raiders once he sighned with Minnesota and been a Vikings fan ever.

My favorite football player of all time, Adrian Peterson .

[Mothman]

Interesting stuff from Kevin Siefert:

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Viki ... 102612?t=2

It didn't get much attention after a loss, but tailback Adrian Peterson's 64-yard touchdown run was his longest since Week 3 of the 2010 season. To me, a breakaway touchdown was the final stage in his comeback from December knee surgery. There really isn't anything left for Peterson to prove. He has been productive, durable and consistent this season. His first-half fumble certainly set back the Vikings, but for him to have 775 yards at the midpoint of the season -- and to be averaging 5.1 yards per carry -- is stunning. Perhaps the most interesting development is that the Vikings have almost exclusively used him on runs between the tackles, rather than send him wide toward the sideline. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Peterson gained 126 yards Thursday night on 13 runs in between the tackles and lost three yards on his two carries to the outside. On the season, Peterson has gained 94.6 percent of his rushing yards between the tackles. I'm not sure if that's related to his knee rehabilitation -- straight ahead is better than lateral for tender knees, I suppose -- but it's worked pretty well regardless.

[Eli]

There really isn't anything left for Peterson to prove.

Nothing to prove about his recovery from the injury. He's back.

But after watching rookie Doug Martin catch the ball out of the backfield, you just have to ask why Peterson has never been a factor as a receiver. His hands aren't the greatest, but that's not the problem. He just doesn't seem to have a knack for running after the catch.

I think Peterson is going to need an unusually long career that is productive into his mid-30s if Viking fans are going to see him voted into the Hall of Fame. He's certainly the best runner of the past five years, but he's not a complete back, and his chances of winning a Super Bowl are about 1 in 100 as long as he wears a Viking uniform. Both of those things will weigh heavily against his HoF chances, and he'll need a ton of yards and touchdowns to be given serious consideration.

[MrPurplenGold]

Nothing to prove about his recovery from the injury. He's back.

But after watching rookie Doug Martin catch the ball out of the backfield, you just have to ask why Peterson has never been a factor as a receiver. His hands aren't the greatest, but that's not the problem. He just doesn't seem to have a knack for running after the catch.

I think Peterson is going to need an unusually long career that is productive into his mid-30s if Viking fans are going to see him voted into the Hall of Fame. He's certainly the best runner of the past five years, but he's not a complete back, and his chances of winning a Super Bowl are about 1 in 100 as long as he wears a Viking uniform. Both of those things will weigh heavily against his HoF chances, and he'll need a ton of yards and touchdowns to be given serious consideration.

I agree, he is not exactly a complete back. He just doesn't seem as fast getting in and out of his routes and his pass blocking is pretty suspect at times as well. But I think he'll make it into the hall of fame as one of the best pure rushers there ever was.

[Mothman]

Ahem... getting back to the subject of Peterson's recovery from a nasty injury...

Kevin Siefert asks if Adrian Peterson 's recovery is the "best ACL recovery ever?":

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... overy-ever

I don't think the exact answer to that questions but it's a remarkable recovery and it's truly gratifying to see Peterson playing so well that he's leading the league in rushing.

From the article:

Documenting Peterson's production and putting it in perspective is easy. Explaining how it happened is much more difficult. As we've discussed, Peterson is as ambitious and competitive as they come. The Vikings have smartly limited the times he is asked to run laterally, directing 94.6 percent of his carries between the tackles, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Medical advances are making ACL rehabilitations more routine, and you can't discount the plan crafted by Vikings athletic trainer Eric Sugarman, who accommodated Peterson's wishes to do part of his rehab in Houston during the offseason.

[BGM]

I think Peterson is going to need an unusually long career that is productive into his mid-30s if Viking fans are going to see him voted into the Hall of Fame. He's certainly the best runner of the past five years, but he's not a complete back, and his chances of winning a Super Bowl are about 1 in 100 as long as he wears a Viking uniform. Both of those things will weigh heavily against his HoF chances, and he'll need a ton of yards and touchdowns to be given serious consideration.

Really?

Earl Campbell had a nine season career on some not great Oilers teams and he is in the HoF. Adrian Peterson has almost twice as many receiving yards and is within 2000 yards of Campbell's total rushing yardage after only five-and-a-half seasons. And Campbell never scored a TD receiving.

Adrian Peterson had 137 rec for 1309 yards (9.55 avg) after his first five seasons. Compare that to Emmit Smith who had 239 rec for 1576 yards (6.59 avg) after his first five seasons, Jim Brown who had 121 rec for 1045 yards (8.64 avg), Barry Sanders who had 166 rec for 1499 yards (9.03 avg), Eric Dickerson who had 123 rec for 912 yards (7.41 avg) and Walter Payton who had 156 rec for 1424 yards (9.13 avg) after their first five seasons.

I think, in this case, perception has trumped reality. While we all see Peterson for the electric runner he is, what gets lost is his excellent production on average as a receiving back. He had 3 rec TDs in his first five seasons. Dickerson had 2. Smith and Payton each had 4. Brown had 6. Should he be utilized more in the passing game? Maybe. But it can be argued that Percy Harvin has shouldered much of that role.

I think he stacks up well in comparison to these HoFers.