Adrian Peterson: Marshawn is 2nd to me

[HuskerHawk]

AP's not wrong. He's an entirely different animal. I have him as the greatest running back of all time regardless of what he does going forward. I've seen enough.

Then it sounds like you never saw Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith, Walter Payton and most importantly , the incomparable Jim Brown.

I've seen plenty of them all and like I said I believe AP to be the best. He's the same standard deviation above his peers as Jim Brown was, albeit in a time where the athletes are far greater and more specialized to their positions. The one area you could say Brown has an edge is in durability. Modern science has kept AP's career alive when his injuries would've ended his career during JB's time.

 

[Vikes45]

AP's not wrong. He's an entirely different animal. I have him as the greatest running back of all time regardless of what he does going forward. I've seen enough.

Then it sounds like you never saw Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith, Walter Payton and most importantly , the incomparable Jim Brown.

I've seen plenty of them all and like I said I believe AP to be the best. He's the same standard deviation above his peers as Jim Brown was, albeit in a time where the athletes are far greater and more specialized to their positions. The one area you could say Brown has an edge is in durability. Modern science has kept AP's career alive when his injuries would've ended his career during JB's time.

I don't mean to kick dirt on my own player but AP IMO is not a great all time RB because he is not a complete football player. When you watch the game on Sunday, on 3rd and long AP will come out of the game. Because he does not or will not block for the QB. It's a mystery to me how he has gotten away with this with every coaching staff. Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith are all guys who prided themselves on blocking for the passing game.

I personally prefer Chuck Foreman over AP as a great all-time Vikings RB. His numbers are not close of course, his career was shortened with knee injuries. But he was a complete football player. He caught passes as good as he ran the ball. He was a great blocker. I believe it was 1975 when he was just a few yards from having the most rushing and receiving yards in the league.

Terry Allen was another Vikings RB I would prefer over AP even though he had such a short career. Even with the double knee surgery he had to start his NFL career he was a tough nosed runner who could knock defenders on their butts on pass blocking. Guys like that help teams win games, not just stats for themselves.

Chuck Foreman highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VOqDsx5nWk

 

[Persanyu]

I LOVE it. M.L. comes back for his first game vs. a child abuser in his house and gives bulletin board material.

Hey AP, you gained 18 yards against us earlier this year. Shut up maybe?

He was complimentin him. Maybe you need to shut up?

Easy there, Skoal Long Cut... Don't get your fur lined underwear in a bunch... L80 can interpret the statement any way he likes on his home board... Not like he was insulting Odin or something...

No way, he is like that.

 

[Seanhawk]

I was just thinking this thread needed to be bumped from the grave.

 

[NINEster]

Only thing Lynch is better at AP at is career games against the 49ers.

That AP 2012 season is untouchable by backs in the modern era.

AP is tied with OJ for most 200 yard rushing games in career with 6. Lynch doesn't even have a 150 yard rushing game to my knowledge.

A 297 yard game? LOL. Yeah, AP is all by himself.

*****

Lynch is great, but I would have loved to have scooped up 2006 Frank Gore in the time machine and sent him straight to the Harbaugh era. Would have been a GUARANTEED Super Bowl, even with Alex Smith QBing.

1695 yards playing with a garbage team in 2006? Two 78+ yard TDs in one game in 2009?

Gore 2005-2009 was more beastly than 2010-present. Even 2013 on, there's another drop off. Their primes weren't fully aligned.

Not sure Lynch's career is greater than Gore's when you consider Lynch wasn't even on national radar until he left Buffalo, and then has been in the playoffs every year since.

Gore: 4.5 ypc career, 70 TDs
Lynch: 4.3 ypc career, 74 TDs

Lynch has the flashier play, Gore the more subtle, nuanced play.

Since Lynch is stronger and faster than Gore, along with the zone blocking scheme, it's undeniable on pure running instinct, Gore was better. He had to otherwise he'd never have the stats he put up.

Of course there's going to be bias here (and I expect the same in reverse), this comparison I find a lot more interesting.

 

[KiwiHawk]

Lynch is great, but I would have loved to have scooped up 2006 Frank Gore in the time machine and sent him straight to the Harbaugh era. Would have been a GUARANTEED Super Bowl, even with Alex Smith QBing

If you get 2006 Gore, we get 2005 Walter Jones. You might make the NFC Championship game, but you wouldn't make the Super Bowl.