Adrian Peterson, last year's top vote-getter in the NFL Network Top 100 list, fell all the way to fourth this year—possibly because he didn't duplicate his 2,000-yard, MVP-worthy season of 2012. His peers, however, gushed about him just as much.
"He should be in the top 100 every year,'' said the Chiefs' Jamaal Charles, the No. 8 player in the poll and third among running backs, behind the Vikings' Peterson and the Eagles' LeSean McCoy. "He is his team; his team cannot move without him.''
Peterson managed 1,266 yards in an injury-riddled season in which the Vikings went 5-10-1 and changed coaches in the offseason. Dipping by more than 800 yards from the year before didn't mean he dipped much in the eyes of his peers, though.
"When he makes his cuts, my knees hurt,'' marveled Raiders fullback Marcel Reese. "He's that good.''
It was the sixth 1,200-yard season of his seven-year career—the exception was 2011, when he tore his ACL. In December, he became the third-fastest player to reach 10,000 career rushing yards.
"We're witnessing greatness, something that we'll tell our grandchildren you got to watch him in person,'' said Lions tight end Joseph Fauria. "I'll definitely tell my grandchildren.''
Quote:Peterson is a Christian. Peterson has spoken about his faith in his life saying, "Jesus Christ means the world to me. I've been through so many different situations through my childhood and now my adulthood...God just helped me get through them and made me stronger at a young age. [Through] all the adversity and hard times I've been through, God has always been present. I've always prayed to Him and asked Him to give me the strength to endure and to help others and to better understand whatever situation I deal with in my personal life. And He has always showed up! It brings hope and peace of mind knowing that God gave His only begotten Son for us." Peterson also spoke of his faith in relation to his injury of a torn ACL and MCL by saying "...‘This is a blessing in disguise. I’ll come back stronger and better than I was before.’ What flashed in my mind was, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’...".
