In case you have not heard by now, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson secured his place in history on Sunday. In the process of leading his team to a 35-17 rout of the the Chargers, Peterson managed to set a couple of notable records. He also totally eclipsed the great LaDainian Tomlinson for the day.
The former Oklahoma star averaged an impressive 9.9 YARDS PER CARRY. For those of you who do not speak 'football', that means he came within a couple inches of getting a first down every time he touched the ball. His one reception for 19 yards was not that bad either.
Just how many times did Peterson manage to get his hands on the ball while maintaining such an incredible average? THIRTY.
Yup, thats right... Adrian Peterson averaged 9.9 yards per carry on 30 attempts. The official stats show that Peterson rushed for 296 yards on Sunday. That is a new NFL record for a single day, breaking the old record held by Jamal Lewis by exactly one yard.
Oh... and he scored 3 touchdowns in the process, leading his game to a much needed victory over the heavily favored Chargers.
That was not the only record Peterson set on Sunday. He also became the only rookie in history to record two games with 200+ yards rushing. No other player in history has accomplished this in his rookie season.
In case you missed the point, let me spell it out for you: Adrian Peterson is the real deal. Its amazing to think that 6 teams passed on him in the draft, allowing Minnesota to steal him with the seventh overall pick. There are 6 teams in the league right now who must realize they made a huge mistake.
This rookie currently leads the NFL in rushing. And its not even close. Peterson has 1,036 yards rushing. Willie Parker is in second place with only 726 yards. Peterson already has 1,000 yards and its only week 9. He is on pace to record a 2,000 yard season as a rookie!
My point is this: If you got to see the game on Sunday, you saw something spectacular happening. The Chargers defense is no joke... Peterson racked up these numbers against a real contender.
This guy is something special. A lot of guys are predicted to be the next 'great one', but fail to live up to the hype. Once in a while, somebody comes along and shatters all expectations. They don't come along often. Next time the Vikings play and you have the chance to watch it at home, just sit back and appreciate what you are witnessing. This is the start of a legendary career. Enjoy the show.
On a totally unrelated note... NFL fans witnessed a frightening scene Sunday when superstar wide receiver Chad Johnson suffered a scary blow. Johnson went down motionless for several minutes, and remained prone for a long time while team trainers tended to him. The decision was made to apply head and neck restraints and take him to hospital for further evaluation.
Chad Johnson is reportedly doing fine and flew home with the team as scheduled. He will certainly be monitored closely by trainers and doctors this week. At this point it would be foolish to expect him to play next weekend, but no decision has been made yet.
Its just one of those moments that remind us just how violent this sport is. These are big men colliding with each other at a very high speed. Injuries are a part of the game. Most are minor, but sometimes something terrible happens. While looking at Chad Johnson lying on the field, it was impossible not to think of Kevin Everett, who suffered a serious neck injury while playing for the Bills in week one. Ironically, the Bengals were playing against the Bills when his injury occurred Sunday.
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