Can Adrian Peterson actually reach 2,500 rushing yards in a single season?

In this post I will attempt to answer whether or not Adrian Peterson can live up to his statement claiming that in the 2014 season he will aim to rush for 2,500 yards. These are big words from an athlete who, just a year ago, was recovering from a torn ACL. Even with last years inspirational season in which Peterson only fell 9 yards short of breaking the single season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984 with 2,105 yards. Peterson now aims to obliterate this record by the minimum of 395 yards which seems unthinkable due to the fact that the NFL is become increasingly a league in which the QB creates the most yardage and the athleticism and speed of defenses can now easily shut down the majority of running backs.

Peterson is a physical anomaly, he is the one of the few of a dying breed in the NFL, his dual threat of speed and power repeatedly punishes defenses. Nowadays it is rare to see a back with the kind of talent and physicality that Peterson possesses. It is likely we will never see one like him again, the only current backs in the league that can draw comparisons are Arian Foster of the Texans and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars. Both of these backs possess similar qualities and also are major pieces in contributing to the success of their respective offenses. This then brings the obvious comparisons between the three players, however Peterson just seems to stand taller than either with his violent running style and the way he consistently punishes defenders attempting to stop him. He is one of a kind, this means that we take his comments seriously because he has the ability and drive to push himself to greater boundaries and maybe even reach his lofty goal.

However Peterson will face some obstacles during the following season. With the departure of Percy Harvin to Seattle the Vikings seemed to be lost in the pass catching department, however they managed to salvage the situation by signing long time Green Bay Packer Greg Jennings. This has allowed them to replace their speedster with a veteran who still remains a legitimate deep threat, a great pair of hands and still can make plays over the middle of the field. Arguably he strengthens the Vikings passing attack because he has the experience and skills to be able to do more on the field than Harvin, however he doesn't appear to possess the big play potential anymore that Harvin brought to Minnesota. Instead he brings constant mid range threat over the middle that will help them to move the ball easier when the box is being stacked to stop Peterson. But it no longer means that defenses will drop their safeties back in order to prevent any deep threats, instead their safeties will be free to roam down near the line of scrimmage the majority of the game and help to stop Peterson. However this will all hinge on whether or not Jennings can establish himself as a deep threat every time that he is on the field, if he can then defenses will still have to account for the deep throw, and consequently give Peterson more room to run.

Also Peterson has to be able to consistently gain big yardage against every team that he faces (he will need to average 156.25 yards per game in order to reach his target) even if they are stacking the box repeatedly, the Vikings need to find some other way to seriously threaten defenses if they are to aid Peterson in his conquest.  They have to re-establish their deep threat with Jennings and ensure that Kyle Rudolph can still remain a consistent threat in the red zone and improve upon the 9 touchdowns he managed to snag last year. If their offensive line can consistently open up holes when the box is stacked we should expect to see Peterson improve upon his yardage total from last year and inch closer to his goal of 2,500 yards. This is because a large amount of Peterson's big plays are made from his own improvisation and talent, if he can run through the holes created for him by his offensive line then he should only be expected to gain more yards. If he can manage to do this then we should expect to see Peterson smash Dickerson's record and power towards the 2,500 mark.

We have now come to the conclusion of this blog, and seem to have shed some light in this statement. Adrian is a supreme physical being who is undoubtedly the only one who has a remote chance at reaching this lofty goal. He does however need to have the support of Christian Ponder and his passing game in order to ensure that defenses aren't constantly stacking the box against him. The continued support of his offensive line is also necessary for him to be able to achieve big gains on the ground consistently if they can manage to open up the required holes. Overall he might be able to achieve this lofty goal if these factors are present throughout the majority of 2014, however he needs to be exceptionally lucky and have a few games in which he rushes close to his single season record of 296 in order to come close to 2,500 yards in a single season.