The Adrian Peterson Effect

by aramnath on Nov 11, 2009 1:27 AM EST Comment 2 comments

Adrian Peterson has been the the real MVP for the Vikings this year.

I understand that when it comes to football that quarterback is the most important position on the field. Unfair or not they get most of the praise when things are going well and most of the blame when things are going bad. With Favre joining the Vikings this year and leading them to an impressive 7-1 record halfway through the season he has received most of the credit for turning Minnesota into a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Favre has been incredible this year and is having one of his best seasons statistically. He has been impressive so far throwing 16 TD's to just 3 interceptions. He made an incredible game-winning pass against the 49ers in the closing seconds of the game and a 58 yard bomb to Sidney Rice to lead the Vikings back against the Ravens on their last drive.

Not to take anything away from Favre, but as Chad Ochocinco would say, "child please".

The one person on this team responsible for Favre's resurrection and the Vikings' success so far is Adrian Peterson. Simply put, Peterson may be the single greatest talent that has entered the league in the last decade. Just remember that in his rookie year, Peterson rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first 8 games including an NFL single game record of 296 yards rushing against the San Diego Chargers.

Every team that faces the Vikings has to pick their poison; Peterson or Favre. So far the answer has been loud and clear that teams would prefer to take their chances being beat by Favre through the air rather being ran over by Peterson on the ground.

Just take a look at both players' success last year. Last year with an offense that had Adrian Peterson as the focal point and Tavaris Jackson as a mere caretaker at quarterback the Vikings finished 10-6 and won the NFC North. Teams knew the Vikings were going to run the ball and still couldn't stop Peterson who ran for a league leading 1,760 yards.

With the Jets last year Favre showed why he needs the support that Peterson provides. When Favre was forced to lead the Jets offense on his own last year he couldn't deliver. After a hot start he cooled down and finished with 22 TD's and 22 interceptions. The Jets finished 9-7 after an 8-3 start and missed the playoffs.

Favre is an all-time great and carved out a legend for himself in his 16 years in Green Bay. He made bad receivers look average and average receivers look great from Robert Brooks to Antonio Freeman to Billy Schroeder and the list goes on.

Don't let that legend cloud what has been apparent. Playing alongside Peterson has transformed Favre from an aging, turnover prone quarterback on his last legs like he was in New York into the Pro Bowler he's looked like this year.

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For all of the greatness that is AP, the Vikings would not be where they are now without that beastly o-line.

It keeps surprising me how quickly people can forget that football is a TEAM GAME. The Vikings have tons of talent on both lines (Hutchinson, McKinnie, the Williamses, Allen). AP, Favre, Shiancoe, Rice all depend on that line for their success. Look at the Packers this year. They have some nice talent at QB, WR, LB, and secondary. But they don’t have solid lines.

Or Shaun Alexander, who was basically a product of that SEA line in 05 of Jones-Hutch-Tobeck. Tobeck retired, Jones started to decline, Hutch left, Shaun wasn’t getting anything done.

There ain't no turning back when our train is off its track, and there's nothing we can do but watch it crash (watch it crash)
And there ain't no right and wrong when we know it won't be long, and there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
-Tomas Kalnoky/Streetlight Manifesto, Watch It Crash

by kentcheesehead on Nov 11, 2009 11:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I definitely agree with you because their offensive line and defensive line are both among the best in the game. Unfortunately it is hard to pick one player along a line of five as an MVP because they work as a unit. What makes Adrian Peterson great is that he forces you to stack 8 in the box against the run giving Favre (courtesy of the offensive line) the opportunities he has had to make plays.

Almost every great running back has had the fortune of playing behind a great offensive line minus Barry Sanders. Shaun Alexander certainly benefitted from that great offensive line, but he also made countless big plays for that team. I wouldn’t dismiss his play as simply a product of a good line. The guy was an absolute beast in college leading Alabama to an SEC championship in 1999 and he single handedly beat a #3 Florida team in a 40-39 overtime classic at the Swamp. Then again they didn’t have any winners on that Florida team like Tim Tebow….

by aramnath on Nov 12, 2009 1:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs