Could 2009 be the best season Adrian Peterson will have during his NFL career? As the Vikings open training camp this week, there’s reason to wonder if Peterson won’t make this a special season.
The longevity and peak performance of NFL running backs is partially defined by the physical beating endured annually by 16 game seasons. At 24, Peterson enters his third season in the league presumably healthy and still blessed with the physical gifts of youth including the acceleration and speed that’s already made him All-Pro.
Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton are the NFL’s all-time career leading rushers. Their third seasons were impressive. Smith rushed for 1,713 yards in 1992, within 60 yards of his best one season total of 1,773 in 1995. Payton gained 1,852 in 1977, a single season career best.
Last season Peterson followed up on his rookie total in 2007 of 1,341 yards, with 1,760 to lead the NFL. In a July ESPN The Magazine article about 2009 Fantasy Football, the publication projected Peterson’s career lasting through the 2019 season and predicted 2009 will be his best for rushing attempts (373) and yards (1,837).
The magazine projected five more seasons of 1,000 yards or more for Peterson. Using ESPN’s numbers, Peterson will finish his career with 14,829 rushing yards. That total would place him fourth on the all-time NFL list behind Smith (18,355), Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269).
Only three other players have rushed for more yards in their first two NFL seasons than Peterson (3,101 yards). Eric Dickerson (3,913), Edgerrin James (3,262) and Earl Campbell (3,147) bettered Peterson.
One NFL record Peterson already has is his 296 yards rushing against San Diego in 2007, the single game league high. As a rookie he only started nine games while playing in 14. Last year he played in all 16 games and started 15 while leading the league in rushing. Among his honors was winning the Maxwell Club’s Bert Bell award as NFL Player of the Year, being named All-Pro and starting in the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive year.
It’s not a bad forecast that 2009 will bring even more “hardware” to the Peterson vault.