Adrian Peterson Worthy of MVP? All Day

Man, he’s fast.

Very.

At the moment all eyes are on Adrian Peterson, the NFL’s most dynamic running back. Against his opponents on the ground, Peterson bursts through the seam and races down the field, then drives into the end zone. The beauty of the Vikings’ resurgence in the Twin Cities, a town where fans haven’t had much to be excited about, is because of Peterson’s phenomenal season. The Vikings have an idea on what the future beholds, with an indomitable running back, which is amassing superhuman numbers.

Funny thing is, however, some would argue that he’s not worthy of MVP, when he continues his assault on the single-season rushing record. Funny thing is, it’s debatable as to whether he should be named NFL’s Most Valuable Player. It should be obvious that he’s deserving of an honorable award, especially when he’s making a case that he’s arguably the best running back in the league when he’s healthy and not inactive on the sideline. In most respects, he’s the only running back to threaten and come close to Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 yards. At this point, mind you, Peterson is optimistic he can break Dickerson’s record on Sunday, with one game remaining on the schedule.

I cannot see Peterson, proving to be the finest rusher since Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith, being devoid of MVP talk. Just like that, faster than he can race for a touchdown, he’s finally revealed he’s an elite running back and even an MVP candidate, and indeed he should win the award, without much argument. There’s enough evidence to see that he’s playing like an MVP, with the Vikings in a fight for a wild-card spot as they can mathematically still make the playoffs, amid a season when Peterson is respectfully dominating in every rushing category as he cannot be denied but only contained. The strategy of handing the ball off to Peterson in a sequence of plays, since he’s racked up some ridiculous numbers, is a boon to the Vikings impressive season.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the NFL is a pass-happy league, with the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning — the greatest NFL quarterbacks of the modern era. There’s no doubt Brady and Manning are top candidates, and to say they both aren’t favorites to win MVP, is just irresponsible and imprudent. No disrespect to Brady and Manning, but to be fair, Peterson is the greatest rusher of the modern era and deserves consideration.

The numbers don’t lie. For Peterson, for those who are unaware, his 1,812 yards is a league’s best — standing on the NFL Mountaintop. By far, he’s stringing together one of the most individual campaigns, and simultaneously is on pursuit to shatter a record no running back has ever broken. This season alone, Peterson has 1,313 yards in the past eight games and rushed for 150 yards or more in six games, one shy of tying NFL record in that category.

Just recently, he became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for at least 8,500 yards and 75 touchdowns over the first six seasons of an NFL career, with currently 8,564 yards and 75 touchdowns to fall in the company of Dickerson (9,915 yards and 75 touchdowns), LaDainian Tomlinson (9,176 yards and 100 touchdowns), and Smith (8,956 yards and 96 touchdowns).

It’s just the truth, no matter what people say about Peterson, refusing to acknowledge that what he’s mastered this season is beyond incredible. With his nifty footwork, his quickness and explosiveness, his firmness and ability to make defenders hesitate and make it hard to read the play, he is on the threshold of validating his place among NFL running backs. Roughly on his way to attain eminence, Peterson is looking to become the seventh tailback to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

This, more than anything else, is the best season of his exceptional career. It’s a time when he can be placed on Mount Rushmore of running backs. The most exceptional running back is easily the most superlative performer in 2012, and has climbed the mountaintop in the National Football League. If you don’t think AD is highly commendable, you are clueless and blinded by the reality of Peterson’s dominance. There’s a great chance he will win the award — the Most Valuable Player award. Peterson, should the Vikings (8-6) make it to the playoffs, would likely earn MVP honors.

Yet he plays on an inferior team with a struggling quarterback in Christian Ponder. The Vikings also featured receiver Percy Harvin, who sustained an injury. But Peterson, meanwhile, has made defenses fret as he poses a threat. In all, judging by the standings, the Vikings can miss the postseason, and Peterson’s spectacular season would go to waste if Minnesota misses out on all the fun as individual achievements don’t matter as much as team deeds. Now it just comes down to him executing and having another 200-plus-yard effort, coming off a 212-yard performance in a 36-22 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

If that happens, needing 294 yards in his final two games to surpass Dickerson, he could set a new record as an NFL back. In a quarterback-driven league, rarely does a running back fit the description. The odds, as usual, strongly favor Manning and Brady in the age when quarterbacks are often recognized. There have been 37 quarterbacks selected, with a combined record of 470-102-4 (.819).

The world’s biggest curiosity is Peterson, no matter what history says, no matter if the league’s most valuable player has rarely not led his team to the playoffs. There’s not enough promise to confirm he’s the winner, while leading the Vikings through a storybook season. And here’s guessing Manning is favored to prevail, playing for the hottest team in the league and turning the 11-3 Denver Broncos into Super Bowl hopefuls. The downside is, Peterson’s team isn’t nearly as flawless, let alone playoff bound.

Whether or not anyone thinks he merits the honors, which usually doesn’t happen for a running back, Peterson gets my vote. This is generally not a running backs league, known for satisfying quarterbacks and forgetting about every other player on the field. It would be a great accomplishment for Peterson. In recent memory, 55 winners have won an MVP in 55 years — only two of them were on teams that didn’t make it to the postseason.

It’s worth pointing out only four running backs have won MVP while playing for a wild-card team. Sanders’ name sounds familiar and Walter Payton’s as well, two winning backs who made it happen on 9-7 teams. The last we’ve seen a running back win MVP was when Tomlinson earned it on the account of fulgurous numbers. That year, he rushed for 1,815 yards and NFL-record 31 touchdowns, 28 on the ground.

All day, he’s the man of show business, a priceless specimen who overcame medical issues, after tearing his ACL and MCL less than a year ago. All day, he’s been tearing it up in the National Football League. Chances are he still won’t win MVP, although Peterson is the most astonishing athletes in the game today, bouncing back from injuries to likely also be NFL’s comeback kid. If he doesn’t win the award, it would be an insult to Peterson, when he’s convinced us that he’s not only the fastest man directing the greatest show on turf but also the man with otherworldly talent. So at this point, Peterson’s campaign is far more amazing to be ignored.

He’s amazed us with runs and created a compelling story every time he took a handoff this season and couldn’t be stopped. Now the most appreciated player in the game by far, Peterson is carrying out the unthinkable and certainly has been far more amazing than anyone else all season, with his size, a rare combination of speed and stamina. This year, it became apparent that Peterson has stated his case after putting in the hours and working diligently to recover from his health issues, rehabilitating with physical therapists and performing painstaking exercises to rejuvenate energy and motion.

There’s no doubt that he’s in good position to win. But don’t be surprised to see two-time winner Brady or four-time winner Manning win it again. We can only imagine what will happen — worthy of MVP status — now that Peterson is closing in on a record and could potentially carry the Vikings to the postseason. The MVP is an individual award, after all, not a team award.

My vote, however, goes to Peterson. All day.

Mark Sanchez Leads Jets, Gets Even With Patriots: This Sends a Statement

For a moment, the world laughed at the New York Jets, one of the most appealing franchises in the NFL labeled as the most overrated franchise, based on their abysmal and humiliating performance in a prime-time meeting with the Baltimore Ravens.

One day soon, the team in the Meadowlands is likely to blossom as an unstoppable force and escape the inept times to end derision that religiously ridiculed the Jets, a team over the summer that bothered us greatly with its cockiness and smart ass guarantees of a Super Bowl win.

Maybe it wasn’t the time and place for prematurely forecasting an appearance on football’s grandest stage, but as a confident unit, maybe it had some truth.

As the most talented franchise in the NFL, the Jets are the type of team that seek our attention with nonsensical publicity and we love to acknowledge an efficient core, especially when it brings fun to the game populace enjoys in America.

The latest noteworthy win, after convincingly pummeling its foes the New England Patriots, might redefine a sense of belief the rest of the way as the Jets are still on pace to prove worthy of testing its wills in the Super Bowl.

It gives antagonist Tom Brady all the reason to despise the enemies of their division more than ever, weeks removed from his bitter statement when he was asked if he watches the HBO show “Hard Knocks” and said that he hates the Jets.

And something significant always happens when the Patriots and Jets encounter each other on the same turf, raged over the ridiculous trash talk and hard blows in every meeting.

Given the history of antipathy, a critical win may have been enough to settle the score and avenge a heartbreaking letdown last season.

They were sluggish and too complacent in the first half, fatigued and had trouble slowing down the Patriots efficient running plays as Jets head coach Rex Ryan called a sequence of unforeseen schemes, but were incapable tactics and allowed the Pats to gain positive yardage.

They were bullied and outran by an undersized receiving core, and the secondary played like kids who stepped onto the turf for the first time.

But in context of strengthening as a competitive force in football, the Jets challenged came ever quickly and finally happened when Mark Sanchez led New York to a 28-14 win over the Patriots to make a significant statement.

For once, we all understand what Ryan meant when he boldly described the Jets as a Super Bowl team. It wasn’t amazingly, as it seemed, all about the offense but a tenacious defensive unit, which set a tone during the second-half and harassed Brady and his bunch.

It was almost time to panic, and fans had begun to maintain their collective breaths nervous and frightened over the possibility of witnessing a huge disappointment.


With much buzz surrounding the Jets for what is supposed to be a remarkable season amid a pursuit, after many of whom credited the Jets as a trendy pick to win the division, Sanchez matured and completed 21-of-30 passes for 220 yards with a career-high three touchdown passes.

LaDainian Tomlinson, a classy veteran with blistering speed, flashed back to his record-setting days and intensified the rambunctious crowd in the stands on a 31-yard run and ensured a scoring drive without center Nick Mangold.

It’s no longer accurate to refer to Sanchez as a hapless passer who appeared to be confused and frustrated with his incompetent performance. This time, his body language defined him as a franchise quarterback, and he surely was the difference in the Jets recovery.

The assumption that the Jets have invested much hope in Sanchez ever since bringing a modest leader to the organization to rid the flustering era of worthless failures is benefiting the team aiming for headline performances and relevancy.

Seemingly, of course, the Jets were resilient in the aftermath of a devastating rout to the Ravens, and the lost of defensive leader Kris Jenkins after suffering a knee injury.

The adversity has brought the Jets together as a cohesive core, now a team with enough heart and fortitude to assemble a nice pursuit and punch a ticket to the Super Bowl.

From the luxurious suites, owner Woody Johnson watched elated with the sudden progress and growth of Sanchez. Filled with much pressure, he plays with the Super Bowl expectations and a franchise that resides in a territory where the media is very critical if a player under-performs.

In a town where tabloids and fans ridicule useless athletes, Sanchez played a key role in a must-needed win to avoid a 0-2 skid and defied the odds in dazzling performance.


He played with a determined desire and displayed a skilled throwing motion at the New Meadowland Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and fired up the energetic crowd with the ability to translate his mobility and tremendous energy on the pro level. If you haven’t notice, the Jets are blessed to have an elite quarterback.

The frightening turn-of-events happened moments after Randy Moss’ jaw-dropping one-handed touchdown late in the second quarter, and without prolific cornerback Darrelle Revis, the Jets were still potent and physical by raising the intensity level.

It was a huge loss that Revis grabbed his left hamstring and didn’t return. By halftime, they trailed, they seemed victimized and they seemed doomed.

But the Jets survived in desperation and sent a statement to the NFL, becoming a modest favorite to rise to the occasion on Feb. 6.

There were times when Ryan’s team relied on the Patriots clumsiness and took advantage of two pass interference calls to take a commanding lead.

At one point, the Jets effortlessly picked off Brady’s intended pass to Moss on a sterling defensive play. In an instance, the ball was tipped by the Patriots wide receiver and then bounced off of Antonio Cromarite’s helmet and into the arms of Brodney Pool.

In the end, Sanchez was surrounded by a swarm of photographers and reporters. A legion of fans gathered collectively outside the tunnel and applauded him for overcoming a shaky and awful performance. It couldn’t have come at a better time against the Jets’ arch rivals on a day they were limited and lost Revis to a hamstring injury.

It couldn’t have come at a better time that the ageless Tomlinson finished with 102 all-purpose yards. It couldn’t have come at a better time that Braylon Edwards amazingly caught five passes, and converted on the two-point conversion.

It couldn’t have come at a better time that tight end Dustin Keller caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

As the Jets get the last laugh against the Spy-gate criminals, Sanchez made it all possible and stopped the devious Bill Belichick and his partner in crime Brady.

“This is just the beginning,” Sanchez said.

Indeed.

It could be the beginning to a wonderful ending.