Adrian Peterson? You can again call him The Freak
Published: 12/17/2012 1:14 PM
Last Modified: 12/17/2012 1:17 PM
Peterson on his way to a 52-yard touchdown against the Rams.
He is reminding us what a freak looks like.
In September, the fantasy football experts at ESPN advised everyone to draft LeSean McCoy, Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Matt Forte, DeMarco Murray, and Jamaal Charles before you should pick Peterson.
In his first game, he averages 4.9 yards a carry and grabs 2 touchdowns. He looks like he's back, but people want to see him do it again. He doesn't. He becomes very average, like any running back on the Steelers. Doesn't score for five games. Only tops 100 yards once. He doesn't have that burst that helped sell so many posters to middle school boys.
At that point, having a shot at Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record was laughable. Funnier was what the Vikings called an offense.
There was no way that Peterson could achieve greatness with 11 people on the other side of the ball focused on him. Not with that quarterback, Christian Ponder, who passed for less than 100 yards in three games and couldn't pass for a touchdown in five. Not with the best receiver, Percy Harvin, on injured reserve. Not with that knee, still full of scar tissue.
But then something happed when the Vikings played the Arizona Cardinals. He breaks 100 yards and scores. Then he does it again. He runs for 182 yards and two more scores against a good Seahawks defense. He averages a 10.7 yards a carry. He's now running past people trained to be able to run him down. He's seeing the eyes on 11 defensive players staring at him every play and he's still breaking through.
I think he'll break Dickerson's record. I think he'll appear again on all the preseason fantasy magazines. I think he'll take back the crown given to the Texans' Arian Foster, and become on consensus No. 1 fantasy football player in 2013.
And then we'll have to remind ourselves that for the first time in a long time, Peterson's knee will be 100 percent.
5 random facts from the weekend
1. I had a feeling about Russell Wilson. I was the guy who drafted him in almost every league I played in. Sure, I was wrong about him being a worthy fantasy starter this season, but he showed against the Bills what he's capable of doing. Leading all players in fantasy points.
2. Front offices do things and sometimes everyone wonders why, like when the Redskins drafted Kirk Cousins three rounds after taking Robert Griffin III with the second-overall pick in the first round. Now you know why that made sense. While other teams can't get a first down with their veteran second-teamer, Cousins won while throwing for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. He's cheap. He's young. He's someone who makes the Redskins win when RG3 can't.
3. Eric Decker made a lot of people who rode Demaryius Thomas into the playoffs not happy. After falling into a coma for the past month, Decker became the target of Peyton Manning. Next season, who's going to be the first one picked? I think it might be Thomas, but Decker is going to be right behind him.
4. Tony Romo continues not to be the problem with Dallas. He threw for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns. I wish his receivers wouldn't drop so many passes and that the running game would get some teeth.
5. Stevan Ridley is done. One thing the Patriots won't put up with and that's a fumbler. He did it twice in Sunday night's game and he's done it too many times this season. Look for someone else to be the starter next season.
Written by
Jason Collington
Web Editor
