Tale o' the Tape: Dickerson vs. Peterson

 

Adrian Peterson was considered one of the best running back prospects in recent years coming out of the University of Oklahoma. Just eight games into his pro career, fresh off the most prolific rushing day in NFL history, Peterson is already being compared to some of the best running backs in NFL history.

 

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips compared Peterson to a combination of Gale Sayers and Eric Dickerson. While they have similar running styles, Peterson is also drawing comparisons to Dickerson based on the record books.

 

Dickerson was a two-time All-American at Southern Methodist (part of the famed "Pony Express" backfield with current college football analyst Craig James). He was drafted by the L.A. Rams in 1983 and set the NFL rookie records for rushing yards (1,808), attempts (390) and rushing touchdowns (18).

 

Twenty-four years later, Peterson is running over, around and past defenses on his way to Dickerson's records. After his 296-yard performance against San Diego, Peterson boasts 1,036 yards for the season, which puts him on pace to break Dickerson's rookie rushing record. Peterson is only slightly off the pace of Dickerson's all-time single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards that he set during his second season with the Rams.

 

Dickerson raised the bar high for rookie running backs. But with a second half similar to his first Peterson could re-write the record book. So who is the best rookie running back ever? No need to wait eight more weeks to decide, the Cold, Hard Football Facts bypass the schedule to crown the king of all rookie running backs right now.

The figures from our Tale o' the Tape that jump out immediately are the respective averages per attempt.

 

Dickerson averaged a very, very strong 4.9 yards per rushing attempt (203 for 995) during the first eight games of his rookie season. 

 

Peterson averages a very, very phenomenal 6.6 YPA (158 for 1,036), which would break the modern single-season running back record of 6.4 YPA set by no less a football immortal than Jim Brown in 1963 (among ball carriers with 1,000 yards or more rushing).

 

Peterson has also been far more explosive in the passing game.

 

Dickerson caught more than twice as many passes (27 to 12) as Peterson through eight games. But he averaged just 8.9 yards per reception (27 for 240). Peterson averages a spectacular 17.2 yards per reception (12 for 206).

 

Peterson has cranked out these explosive performances with very little support from Minnesota's 30th-rated pass offense. Dickerson's 1983 Rams were a bit better (No. 19 in pass offense out of 28 teams) but he was also the featured ball carrier from day one. Peterson, meanwhile, has split carries with previous starter Chester Taylor, who already has 58 attempts, and has surpassed 20 carries just twice in eight games.

 

Peterson reached 1,000 yards in 48 fewer carries than Dickerson. But he has started just five games and could really start to outdistance the former Rams great if he continues to become a bigger part of the Vikings offense.

 

Peterson carried the ball a career-high 30 times against San Diego on Sunday, and still managed to average a mind-blowing 9.9 YPA. It was merely his second highest average of the season. Peterson averaged 11.2 YPA (20 carries for 224 yards) in Minnesota's 34-31 Week 6 win over the Bears.

 

Bottom line: Dickerson touched the ball far more often – he had fewer than 20 touches just once through his first eight NFL games – but Peterson has been far more productive when he does get the ball.

 

Peterson and his high fade simply can't match one of the worst hairstyles in NFL history. Peterson may also be unable to match Dickerson's rookie team success.

 

Dickerson not only led the Rams to nine wins and a playoff berth, he also ran for 99 yards on 23 carries in their playoff victory over Dallas.

 

The Vikings have won just three of their first eight games, though Peterson has certainly contributed: two of those three wins were games in which Peterson ran for more than 200 yards.

 

With injuries as well as other struggles at the quarterback position (Minnesota can boast only one 200-yard passer this season) and a combined opponent winning percentage of .531 on their remaining schedule, Peterson may need to break his own NFL record several times if the Vikings are to have a shot at the playoffs.

 

As great as he was in 1983, four of Dickerson's top five rushing games came during the first eight games of the season.

 

In the second half, Dickerson averaged less than 4.0 YPA in five of eight games. His biggest rushing day in his rookie season was his 199-yard Week 5 effort against the Lions. Peterson outdid Dickerson's best game by 33 yards on Sunday, in the second half alone.

 

With a reduced number of carries thus far, and the nickname "All Day," Peterson is poised to run through any supposed rookie wall just like it was the Bears defense.

 

The Vikings phenom is still more than 60 carries away from matching his college high for attempts in a season, and that was as a freshman (a year in which he placed second to USC's Matt Leinart in the Heisman race, the top finish ever for a freshman). If Peterson is able to keep up his torrid YPA pace for next three games, during which he'll reach the career high in attempts he had at Oklahoma, he would have rushed for more than 1,400 yards and need to average just 80 yards per game over the final five to break Dickerson's rookie record.

 

The biggest obstacle Peterson faces, like any player, is avoiding injury. In college Peterson suffered a collarbone injury that kept him out for much of last season and with his rugged running style he could be prone to suffering injuries in the future.

 

Adrian Peterson has taken the league by storm, so much so that after eight NFL games some were debating whether or not he's already the best running back in the league. His rare combination of size, speed, vision, agility and power may have not been seen since the days of Eric Dickerson.

 

So far, it's clear that the only thing that can slow Peterson is his own coach.

 

Peterson is the ultimate gets-stronger-as-the-game-goes-on type of running back. He has gained 127 rushing yards more in the second half of games than he has in the first half, with just one more second-half attempt.

 

The biggest argument against Peterson is that he plays on a poor team and may not get the ball if the Vikings are trailing by a large margin. But even this theory proves to have little statistical support. With the Vikings trailing by 9 to 16 points and defenses playing the pass, Peterson averages a remarkable 10.6 YPA.

 

So far Peterson has proven far more productive than Eric Dickerson, the gold standard for rookie running backs, at the same point in young careers. He's also grown stronger as the games and season have progressed, which means the best of Adrian Peterson's rookie season may still be to come.

 

That's a scary thought for opposing defense ... as well as for the record books.