Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson: Is He The Next Barry Sanders or Walter Payton?

Adrian Peterson is currently leading the NFL in rushing yards.

There are many rankings that have Peterson as the best back in the NFL, and he has certainly been the one (and perhaps only) bright spot on a dismal 2010 season for the Minnesota Vikings. 

The division the Vikings play in has had the opportunity to defend against two of the best running backs in the league at least two times a year—Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears, and Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions.

Comparing the careers of these great running backs to that of Peterson's reveals some very interesting coincidences.

In their rookie season, none of their respective teams had a winning record, but by their third season all three teams would win their division.

Incredibly, the Lions in 1991 would have the same record as the Vikings in 2009—12-4!

The Lions would win the division, defeat the Cowboys in the playoffs, and eventually lose the NFC championship game on the road. This is an eerie coincidence that mirrors Peterson's Vikings in 2009.  

The following year the Lions would fall to 5-11. What kind of sign is this for the 2010 Vikings?

Another coincidence is that all three led the NFL in rushing yards in one of their first three seasons. Sanders and Peterson in their second season and Payton in his third.

Both Sanders and Peterson led the NFL in touchdowns their third season.

In 10 seasons, Sanders was never lower than fifth in the league in rushing, and led the NFL three times in rushing.

In his 13 seasons, Payton led the league in rushing once, and was second five times. Only in three seasons did he finish 10th or lower in rushing yards—his rookie season with only 196 carries, the strike-shortened season of 1982 and his 13th and last season of his career. 

Being compared to these two Hall of Fame running backs speaks volumes of the talent Peterson brings to the Minnesota Vikings.

The downside to this comparison is that during their careers, their teams had more losing seasons than winning ones.

Payton and the Bears won the Super Bowl following the 1985 season, the 11th of his career. Up to that point, Chicago only had three winning seasons from 1975 to 1984.

Sanders abruptly retired after his 10th season in the NFL. The Lions had five winning seasons, making the playoffs each of those years, but would only win one playoff game.

Since his retirement in 1999, the Detroit Lions have had only one winning season since.

The Detroit Lions have become one of the worst franchises in the NFL in the last dozen years since Sanders' departure. What kind of curse did Sanders level against the only team he played for in the NFL?

Still, there is hope that Peterson's Vikings will follow the path of the Chicago Bears and not that of the Detroit Lions.

Peterson's running style is closer to that of Payton's than that of Sanders'.

Sanders was more of a shifty runner, using his quickness to allude tacklers. Don't misinterpret that to mean he wasn't a tough runner, but at 5'8" he was not a bruising type back. 

Payton had grace, speed and power. 

It was rare that the first person to make contact with Payton would bring him down.

In Peterson, there is a lot of Payton. He looks to make contact and run defenders over.

Peyton held the single game rushing record for 23 years when he rushed for 275 yards against the Vikings in 1975. That mark has since been eclipsed twice with Peterson, currently the record-holder at 296 yards.      

The hope is that Peterson will have the same durability as Payton and will eventually lead the Minnesota Vikings to their first Super Bowl title. He just needs to persevere and not get disillusioned if the Vikings are not successful before his 11th season in the league!