Rate Adrian Peterson's season

[YGBFKM]

If he doesn't win the MVP, just scrap the trophy. What he did this year is beyond human. Just a joy to watch.

So, after almost 2,100 yards on a knee that should just now be getting back to normal, where do you rate Peterson's 2012 on the list of all-time great single seasons?

Here's my list:

Adrian Peterson, 2012
Everyone other season by anyone else

 

[Uncle.Ruckus]

I hope he dies of dysentery.

 

[Mark2010]

I actually watched Eric Dickerson and Dan Marino in 1984. Men against boys.

Ditto for Peyton Manning in 2005 and Tom Brady/Randy Moss in 2007.

Peterson is impressive because of what he had to come back from.

 

[3OctaveFart]

Adrian Peterson: Hall of Famer?

 

[Grover]

Dickerson vs. Peterson:

Dickerson had 4 Pro-Bowl offensive lineman blocking for him. Peterson had 0.

 

[Songbird]

On the other hand, Christian Ponder > Dieter Brock

 

[joe_schmoe]

It's pretty impressive, I think a lot of people though are going to tend to vote for another MVP option with the justification Peterson is doing this against defenses built to stop a pass-heavy league, and against a league where the linebacker just isn't that key a figure anymore.
I

 

[Care Bear]

I hope he dies of dysentery.

This is one of my favorite things you've ever posted.

You and YG: Two Bears fans with varying takes.

 

[Grover]

On the other hand, Christian Ponder > Dieter Brock

If Dieter Brock was the starting QB that season, you'd have a great argument.

 

[outofplace]

On the other hand, Christian Ponder > Dieter Brock

Brock wasn't the Rams' quarterback in 1984. Jeff Kemp was, at least for most of the season. Though the point still holds up. Kemp sucked, too.

 

[Stoney]

Dickerson vs. Peterson:

Dickerson had 4 Pro-Bowl offensive lineman blocking for him. Peterson had 0.

Yep. I have no problem ranking this AP season ahead of Dickerson's. Just wish he'd gained a measly 9 more yards to make it official and indisputable.

 

[3OctaveFart]

Brock didn't always suck.
People said he had the strongest arm they'd ever seen.
Once threw it 93 yards in the air goofing around before a game.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119765/index.htm

 

[Mark2010]

Truth be told, the only guy ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a season who had a decent QB was Terrell Davis in 1998.

Basically, if you have a good QB, chances are your stud runner isn't going to get enough carries to reach 2,000 yards. I figure that's why Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith never did it.

 

[Songbird]

Brock didn't always suck.
People said he had the strongest arm they'd ever seen.
Once threw it 93 yards in the air goofing around before a game.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119765/index.htm

Yeah, he wasn't bad, but the Bears just ate his asshole in the title game.

Granted, it was the greatest defense ever assembled, but I wasn't prepared for that kind of devastation.

 

[outofplace]

Truth be told, the only guy ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a season who had a decent QB was Terrell Davis in 1998.

Basically, if you have a good QB, chances are your stud runner isn't going to get enough carries to reach 2,000 yards. I figure that's why Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith never did it.

Walter Payton played with good quarterbacks?

 

[LongTimeListener]

You know what's the pisser? Last week in Houston, leading 16-6 the Vikings started to manage AP's carries. His last one came with about seven minutes left, Gerhart finished that drive with a TD and ended up with 31 yards in the last few minutes.

I don't know how exactly to rate them, Marino in '84 is the most dominant I have ever seen, but I have a feeling a side-by-side comparison of Dickerson and Peterson would be pretty favorable to AP. He averaged 158 yards in his last 10 games.

 

[Stoney]

Truth be told, the only guy ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a season who had a decent QB was Terrell Davis in 1998.

Basically, if you have a good QB, chances are your stud runner isn't going to get enough carries to reach 2,000 yards. I figure that's why Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith never did it.

Although your overall point might have some validity, I don't know from where you conclude that Walter Payton belongs in the "good quarterback" club. Other than perhaps three or four decent seasons from McMahon, the majority of Payton's career was spent with a revolving horror show as his QB.

I mean isn't this what the Bears franchise is historically famous for--hideously awful QBs?

 

[93Devil]

Dickerson could not make chicken salad out of chicken **** the way Peterson does. Dickerson was amazing at taking a seam and turning into 50 yards, but he never made people miss the way Peterson does.

When you rank the greatest single seasons by a running back, you throw out names like Campbell, Brown, Payton, Jackson (for half a season), Sanders and now Peterson.

Dickerson was great, but he needed blockers. These guys could have ran for 1,800 yards behind the expansion Bucs.

 

[outofplace]

You know what's the pisser? Last week in Houston, leading 16-6 the Vikings started to manage AP's carries. His last one came with about seven minutes left, Gerhart finished that drive with a TD and ended up with 31 yards in the last few minutes.

I don't know how exactly to rate them, Marino in '84 is the most dominant I have ever seen, but I have a feeling a side-by-side comparison of Dickerson and Peterson would be pretty favorable to AP. He averaged 158 yards in his last 10 games.

I'm sure there are a few spots they will look back on and think how easily he could have gotten the record.

Dickerson was amazing in '84, and fairly consistent. He was only held under 100 yards four times, including 98 in the final game of the season against the 49ers. That was a damn good San Francisco defense. They held him to his lowest total of the year, 38 yards, earlier in the season. The Steelers were the only other opponent to keep him under 50 (He had 49 against them).

Peterson had under 100 yards six times this season, including five of the first six games. His lowest total was 60 against the Colts in Week 2.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Two threads below this people are claiming that Calvin Johnson had a better season.