Adrian Peterson (Minnesota)
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[edit] Biography
Adrian Peterson is a running back for the Minnesota Vikings. He was born and raised in Texas, but was still decided to go to the University of Oklahoma. He was widely considered the #1 recruit in the 2004 class by virtually every recruiting service.
Peterson was born on March 21st, 1985 in Palestine, Texas. He had a rough childhood, with his father, Nelson Peterson, being sentenced to ten years in prison when he was thirteen and his brother Brian being killed at the age of nine by a drunk driver[1]
Adrian participated in track and field and basketball from early on and up until his high school years. He excelled at both. However, it was his junior and senior years when he played football where people begin to realize he was going to be very, very good.
His senior year in high school, he was voted the consensus national player of the year] after racking up 2,960 yards on 252 carries and 32 touchdowns. This dwarfed even his stellar junior season where he rushed for 2,051 on 246 carries and 22 touchdowns. Suffice it to say, The Oklahoma Sooners were quite excited to have him on board.
They were even more excited when he broke several NCAA rookie rushing records and finished second in the Heisman balloting, all in his freshman year. He finished with 1,925 yards on 339 carries and 15 touchdowns.
A.D. (or ‘All Day’ – his nickname) led the Sooners to the [[[2005 BCS Championship Game]] against the U.S.C. Trojans. The Trojans won however, in a rout, 55-19.
A.D. injured his ankle early in the 2005 season and ended up missing four games. Even so, he rushed for 1,108 yards on 220 carries and 14 touchdowns. He was included on the All-Big 12 Conference team.
Peterson’s final season in 2006 allowed him to play in front of his father, Nelson, for the first time when he was released from prison. He also broke his collar-bone in said game, ending the rest of his regular season.
He returned in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State, needing only 151 yards to pass Billy Sims to be Oklahoma’s all-time leading rusher.
The 2007 Fiesta Bowl, arguably one of the best in Bowl Championship Series history, was eventually won by Boise State in overtime 43-42. Peterson finished with only 77 yards, 74 yards short of Sims school record. For his career, he had 4,045 yards on 648 carries and 41 touchdowns.
Peterson kept mum about his future plans until January 15th, 2007 when he announced he would enter the NFL draft, not returning for his senior season. Mel Kiper Jr. a draft analyst said about Peterson:
- "You can make the argument, [Peterson] is the best player in this draft, if not, certainly one of the top three.”
Comparisons were made to Eric Dickerson as well, when coming out of college. Funny, that halfway through his rookie season, it’s being predicted he has a realistic shot at breaking Dickerson’s single season rushing record.
Tragedy struck again when Peterson’s step-brother Chris Paris was shot to death in Houston, Texas a day before the NFL Combine.
Still, he trudged on, becoming a Minnesota Viking when they took him with the 7th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Upon breaking Jamal Lewis’ single game rushing record on November 4th, 2007, many NFL teams who passed on Peterson in the draft wished they hadn’t done so due to his injury concerns. Doing so meant they perhaps passed on what could be the greatest back in NFL history.
[edit] 2004
In 2004, Peterson began what some consider college football's all time best freshman campaign. He started basically from game 1 for the Sooners, and burst out onto the national scene with 183 yards against Oregon and 225 yards against rival Texas. Peterson continued his success on into the season with a dazzling 249-yard performance against Oklahoma State that included a highlight-reel 80-yard run. After rushing for 240 yards against Baylor and 172 yards and three touchdowns in the Big 12 Championship Game, Peterson was considered a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy. He nearly became the first freshman ever to win the award, losing out to Matt Leinart of USC.
Behind the successes of Peterson and quarterback Jason White, Oklahoma rolled to a 12-0 regular season and a berth in the BCS Championship game against USC. They lost 55-19 in the biggest blowout in the history of the BCS. Peterson was stifled on the ground for just 82 yards on 25 carries, only the second time all season he had been held to fewer than 100. He did finish with 1925 yards, most ever for a freshman.
[edit] 2005
Peterson, unfortunately, could not continue his success during his sophomore campaign. Early in the season, he was plagued by injuries and had less than 10 carries for four weeks in a row, including a 45-12 blowout loss to Texas.
However, he picked it up the last four weeks, with two touchdowns and over 100 yards in each game. With a 24 carry, 237 yard performance against Oklahoma State, he showed flashes of the brilliance of his freshman season. Peterson also played a key role in the team's 17-14 upset of Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. He finished the season with just over 1000 yards and 14 touchdowns.
[edit] 2006
Peterson entered his junior year healthy, and became the dominant force he was during his freshman year. He rushed for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in each of his first six games, and blew up ranked Oregon for 211 yards in a controversial early-season loss.
In a game against pitiful Iowa State on October 14, Peterson had one of his best games. He rushed for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns, scoring almost at will against the Cyclones. However, on the end of his third touchdown run he landed awkwardly on his collarbone, breaking it. The injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, though he still figures to be a top pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
[edit] NFL
[edit] Rookie Season
Peterson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Coming into the league, he was known as a tall, upright runner possessing an ultra-rare combination of speed, strength, agility, size and vision, along with a highly aggressive attitude towards contact.[4] His rare talent as both a great breakaway and power runner has often raised comparisons to past legends, including Eric Dickerson, Bo Jackson, Gale Sayers and Jim Brown. As a rookie in the NFL, he has broken numerous franchise and league records for rushing yardage, foremost being the NFL single-game rushing record when he ran for 296 yards on 30 carries on November 4, 2007, against the San Diego Chargers. Following his stellar first pro season, Peterson was a near-unanimous choice as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl, Peterson rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, achieving the second highest rushing total in Pro Bowl history. Peterson was awarded the MVP award for his performance in the Pro Bowl, being the first rookie to do so since Marshall Faulk in 1995
[edit] Quotes
“I can’t compare him to anyone else; I haven’t seen anyone like him. He’s a powerful, explosive back with great speed and great style. He’s a tough, physical runner. Bottom line, until he was hurt, he’s had a lot of success. It’s not his fault that he got hurt. We plan to give him the ball a lot and hopefully he has a great year. He’s incredibly physical. He’s a guy who can run a 4.3 and weighs 220 pounds. He absolutely destroys a weight room/" -- Bob Stoops commenting on how Peterson compared to other running backs he’s seen, as said at a Big 12 media day[2].
[edit] Statistics
College:
| Year | Carries | Yards | AVG | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 339 | 1925 | 5.7 | 15 |
| 2005 | 220 | 1108 | 5.0 | 14 |
| 2006 | 168 | 935 | 5.6 | 10 |
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[edit] See Also
[edit] Recent Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) ArmchairGM Stories
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