If you haven't seen the NFL Replay of Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson romping under, over and through the San Diego Chargers defense, then you may be missing a part of history. Actually, he made history in the game by running for 296 yards, an NFL single game record.
I caught a glimpse of him the other week against Chicago and immediately knew there was something special about him. He's one of those few backs who runs with power, finesse and blazing speed. He sees the holes as they're about to open and is through them by the time the defense even knows there was a hole.
If you watch his footwork you'll be as mesmerized as the d-backs who go left on him when they should've gone right or stayed put. He has a way of skipping by defenders while theiy're trying to adjust to his change of speed and direction.
They say he's had injury problems in college and that he may not be able to handle the pounding of the NFL. Well if you ask me its the NFL that may not be able to handle Adrian Peterson. He's so fast and agile that defenders never really seem to get a clean shot on him. Add to that his power running and he's just one versatile monster of a weapon that you don't wanna face come Sunday.
I've always thought of Gale Sayers as one of the most exciting and eye-popping runners ever to play in the NFL. The first runner who they said must've had eyes in the back of his head. But injuries forced him out of the game way too soon. Sure Barry Sanders had that Sayers knack for knowing when a defender was blindly approaching and readjusting his run, but Barry had a lot of negative yards while juking defenders out of their shoes. O.J. Simpson was another who had the moves and was fun to watch, but I can't remember O.J. running over defenders or straight through them, he either ran around or past them after juking his way down field. He also had some pretty good line blocking.
Funny that Ladanian Tomlinson, a proven great in today's game, was on the San Diego sideline to witness Peterson's record running day. I'm still in awe after watching the replay of the game. Peterson didn't just have a few nice runs, he had many sensational romps. If what I saw was real, then we may be witnessing a running back who comes on the scene once in a blue moon. And many of these blue mooners don't stay around long due to injuries. So when you next hear that the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson are being televised in your local network area, take the time to get a glimpse of him. Then pick your jaw up off the floor and have someone pinch you. It wasn't just a dream.
A fan's answer to the question of who is the better running back, L. Tomlinson or A Peterson:
With the injury history it's hard to say
posted at 11/5/2007 11:39 AM EST
SeanW
First post: 10/22/2007Last post: 11/5/2007Total posts: 20
If Adrian Peterson stays healthy then I would say without a doubt yes. LT is a great back, however I think Peterson has a power to him we haven't seen in a very long time. However his health is key, we all know how his running style wears on running backs. He might not have the longevity of an Emmitt Smith, but it doesn't make him any less spectacular. I watched that entire game yesterday and had to constantly pick my jaw up off the floor. Even on the relatively short runs.
I caught a glimpse of him the other week against Chicago and immediately knew there was something special about him. He's one of those few backs who runs with power, finesse and blazing speed. He sees the holes as they're about to open and is through them by the time the defense even knows there was a hole.
If you watch his footwork you'll be as mesmerized as the d-backs who go left on him when they should've gone right or stayed put. He has a way of skipping by defenders while theiy're trying to adjust to his change of speed and direction.
They say he's had injury problems in college and that he may not be able to handle the pounding of the NFL. Well if you ask me its the NFL that may not be able to handle Adrian Peterson. He's so fast and agile that defenders never really seem to get a clean shot on him. Add to that his power running and he's just one versatile monster of a weapon that you don't wanna face come Sunday.
I've always thought of Gale Sayers as one of the most exciting and eye-popping runners ever to play in the NFL. The first runner who they said must've had eyes in the back of his head. But injuries forced him out of the game way too soon. Sure Barry Sanders had that Sayers knack for knowing when a defender was blindly approaching and readjusting his run, but Barry had a lot of negative yards while juking defenders out of their shoes. O.J. Simpson was another who had the moves and was fun to watch, but I can't remember O.J. running over defenders or straight through them, he either ran around or past them after juking his way down field. He also had some pretty good line blocking.
Funny that Ladanian Tomlinson, a proven great in today's game, was on the San Diego sideline to witness Peterson's record running day. I'm still in awe after watching the replay of the game. Peterson didn't just have a few nice runs, he had many sensational romps. If what I saw was real, then we may be witnessing a running back who comes on the scene once in a blue moon. And many of these blue mooners don't stay around long due to injuries. So when you next hear that the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson are being televised in your local network area, take the time to get a glimpse of him. Then pick your jaw up off the floor and have someone pinch you. It wasn't just a dream.
A fan's answer to the question of who is the better running back, L. Tomlinson or A Peterson:
With the injury history it's hard to say
posted at 11/5/2007 11:39 AM EST
SeanW
First post: 10/22/2007Last post: 11/5/2007Total posts: 20
If Adrian Peterson stays healthy then I would say without a doubt yes. LT is a great back, however I think Peterson has a power to him we haven't seen in a very long time. However his health is key, we all know how his running style wears on running backs. He might not have the longevity of an Emmitt Smith, but it doesn't make him any less spectacular. I watched that entire game yesterday and had to constantly pick my jaw up off the floor. Even on the relatively short runs.
No comments:
Post a Comment