Do nine yards really make a difference?

[My Vike in a Box]

Thought this was an interesting take on AD from a non Vikings fan. Worth a read...

http://sportsrighting.com/2013/01/04/just-9-more-yards/

[dead_poet]

Thought this was an interesting take on AD from a non Vikings fan. Worth a read...

http://sportsrighting.com/2013/01/04/just-9-more-yards/

Nice read. My favorite part:

He is unlike any other player in our time. And if you were able to watch him this season, tell your kids about him. Tell them about how you got to see the greatest individual season in NFL history. And when they ask you, “But didn’t somebody rush for more yards than him?”, all you have to say back to them is “You know, there is someone who ran for more yards than he did, but no one ever ran for those yards quite the same way he did.”

That's the truth.

[FailedtoOpen]

For the record yes, but when comparing this season to other great seasons by an RB... no. Adrian season is head and shoulders better than what OJ put together and he came up 9 yards short. In terms of pure running Adrian has had one of the best seasons of all time. If you really wanted to bring in team performance, and injury you could argue for the greatest season of all time easily.

Those 9 yards only matter to those who didn't watch the game, or didn't look at all the other crazy stats he put up this year (Rushes of 20+, YAC, AVG).

[VikingLord]

Had he had the same number of carries, he would have smashed Dickerson's record.

[PurpleMustReign]

Had he had the same number of carries, he would have smashed Dickerson's record.

What is the ratio of AD carries vs ED?

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[dead_poet]

What is the ratio of AD carries vs ED?

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Peterson: 348
Dickerson: 379

[Eli]

Here are some stats from the seven 2,000 yard rushers. O. J. Simpson's yards per attempt is identical to Peterson's, and he's the only player to gain 2,000 yards rushing in a 14 game season. His 143.1 yards per game is the NFL record. Chris Johnson had an amazing 2,509 yards from scrimmage, also an NFL record.

Code: Select all

Player           Year   Yards  Games     Y/G    Att    Y/A  Rush TDs  Rec Yds  Rec TDs
---------------  ----  ------  -----  ------  -----  -----  --------  -------  -------
O. J. Simpson    1973   2,003     14   143.1    332   6.03        12       70        0
Eric Dickerson   1984   2,105     16   131.6    379   5.55        14      139        0
Barry Sanders    1997   2,053     16   128.3    335   6.13        11      305        3
Terrell Davis    1998   2,008     16   125.5    392   5.12        21      217        2
Jamal Lewis      2003   2,066     16   129.1    387   5.34        14      205        0
Chris Johnson    2009   2,006     16   125.4    358   5.60        14      503        2
Adian Peterson   2012   2,097     16   131.0    348   6.03        12      217        1

[indianation65]

Do nine yards make a difference? Well, actually yes...until he or someone else gets more, AP will always be 2nd best, except to Vikings fans of course. A good way to judge whether "you" actually think it matters; weren't all of you hoping for 9 more yards at the end of that game? As great as AP is, I was!

...wisdom

[akvikingsfan]

Yes 9 yards makes a difference. 9 yards is the difference between holding the record and being second place. However, I don't care if Peterson ever breaks the record. I would much rather see him have more TDs. Touchdowns win games, not yards. It would be great to see him put up 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns. Then he could have the record and with 20 touchdowns I'm sure we would be winning. Peterson is a great player, one day he will be in the hall with or without the single season record. I would love to see him be the first play to get multiple 2,000 yard seasons though.

[My Vike in a Box]

I agree. I would have loved to see him get those nine yards. I think anyone who said they weren't disappointed would be lying. Here is something I want to know though, hard many yards after contact did AD have this year? That is a stat I would love to see.

For the record yes, but when comparing this season to other great seasons by an RB... no. Adrian season is head and shoulders better than what OJ put together and he came up 9 yards short. In terms of pure running Adrian has had one of the best seasons of all time. If you really wanted to bring in team performance, and injury you could argue for the greatest season of all time easily.

Those 9 yards only matter to those who didn't watch the game, or didn't look at all the other crazy stats he put up this year (Rushes of 20+, YAC, AVG).

And that is exactly what that article said. Again, I think it is worth a read. I agree a lot with what the guy said.

http://sportsrighting.com/2013/01/04/just-9-more-yards/

[Just Me]

Do nine yards make a difference? Well, actually yes...until he or someone else gets more, AP will always be 2nd best, except to Vikings fans of course. A good way to judge whether "you" actually think it matters; weren't all of you hoping for 9 more yards at the end of that game? As great as AP is, I was!

...wisdom

They (yards) do for purposes of history and "the single season record" which was why I wanted him to get them, but it doesn't determine "second best." With that logic, Johnson is a 'greater back' than Jim Brown (or Payton - which another poster mentioned). It (that logic) also means Barry Sanders isn't as good as Eric Dickerson, despite having the best yards per attempt average of all the 2000 yard club. So no - The yards (agregate for a season without considering any other external factors) do not have ultimate significance... Just my 2 cents....