Not long ago, Adrian Peterson was supposed to be the running back to take the torch from LaDainian Tomlinson. Certainly he has all the physical tools and he was playing behind a very good offensive line in Minnesota to boot.

Flash-forward to 2010 and Peterson is not the consensus best back in the league, as he was previously expected to be. Amidst fumbling problems and battles with inconsistency, Peterson needs to have a big year in 2010 to get the Vikings back to the postseason and to bring him once again into the discussion of best backs in the NFL.

When Peterson was drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2007, everyone knew that the Vikings had a steal. Despite collegiate injuries, Peterson still projected as a bruising back with the speed, agility and vision to take it to the house each and every time he touched the ball. In his rookie season, despite the presence of veteran back Chester Taylor, Peterson lived up to the hype, breaking out for 1,341 yards and averaging a ridiculous 5.6 yards per carry. With LT entering the twilight of his career at the time, it seemed that Peterson was ready to begin an historic run as one of the most feared backs in the history of the NFL.

Peterson then followed his rookie season by putting up 1,780 yards in 2008 and 1,383 yards in 2009, with the Vikings improving their record all three years he has been in the league. But even though Peterson is certainly an elite back in the league, the buzz around him has certainly declined along with his dipping yards per carry; after averaging 5.6 yards a rush in 2007, he averaged 4.8 yards an attempt in 2008 and 4.4 in 2009.

Even with the great season from quarterback Brett Favre in 2009, Peterson struggled with finding holes at various points and eclipsed 100 yards just three times all season long, though he did punch it in for 18 scores. Peterson didn’t rush for 100 yards after a week 10 trouncing of the Lions in Minnesota.

While Peterson’s overall rushing stats have declined, he also has been criticized for putting the ball on the ground frequently. Peterson fumbled seven total times in the 2009 regular season – six of which he lost – and then fumbled two more times in the NFC Championship game against the Saints. Though the Vikings maintained possession during both fumbles against the Saints, Peterson’s fumbling Brand Levitra problems caused head coach Brad Childress to leave his most talented offensive player on the bench in key segments of the game, the same as he did at various parts of the regular season as well.

As Peterson has struggled with fumbling and consistency, he’s also been surpassed by other backs in the league. After exploding on the scene in 2010, Chris Johnson has to be considered the consensus number one back in the league. Even Rams back Steven Jackson is probably a more complete overall player, though the lack of talent around him – particularly on the o-line – has held him back considerably. You can even make the argument that Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew are more valuable to their teams, even if Peterson remains a top option in the backfield.

What is clear enough for Peterson, of course, is that second-best simply isn’t good enough. Peterson runs with the type of reckless abandon that has brought praise for his toughness around the league and he has the type of competitive motor that won’t settle for anything short of number one. This attitude has certainly sold plenty of Minnesota Vikings tickets but hasn’t been enough to keep him producing at the level of his peers.

Backed by another very strong team in Minnesota, it’s important for Peterson to put the fumbling problems behind him and get back to being the dominant force he was in the first two seasons. With Chester Taylor now gone and rookie Toby Gerhart as his backup, Peterson will certainly get plenty of chances to rise to the top of the league once again in 2010. Peterson has also developed his abilities to catch the ball out of the backfield, which can be another avenue to explore all season long.

Everyone knows that running backs in the NFL have a short lifespan, particularly for a back with the running style of Peterson. Even in only his fourth season in the league, 2010 could be the year that Peterson takes the step forward into NFL greatness or stays stuck in neutral as a very good but not historically great running back.

Author Bio: This article was sponsored by StubHub. For all the best sports tickets like Minnesota Vikings tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets or special events tickets, the best place to look is StubHub.com.

Category: Recreation and Leisure/Sports/Football
Keywords: Minnesota Vikings, football, NFL, sports, tickets