Adrian Peterson says Eric Dickerson should be nervous

Posted by Mike Florio on December 12, 2012, 10:07 AM EST
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Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has 1,600 yards in 13 games.  That puts him on pace for 1,969.

He’s aimed a little higher than that.

As he told Peter King after Sunday’s win over the Bears, Peterson is shooting not for 2,000 but 2,106 — one yard more than the all-time single-season record held by Rams running back Eric Dickerson.

Earlier this morning, Dan Patrick asked Peterson if Dickerson should be nervous.

“I think so,” Peterson said.  “I think so.”

We think so, too.

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89 responses to “Adrian Peterson says Eric Dickerson should be nervous”

  5. He needs 168 yards a game, well above his average thus far. He plays three teams all in the upper half of the league against the run, including Houston who is tied for 2nd.

    Sorry, Adrian. I’ll take the under…

  6. When he does it in 12 games then he will have the record. Still amazing after that injury but Dickerson’s record is untouchable in the same amount of games.

  9. What’s he supposed to say when he’s asked that question? Of course he’s going to say he’s going to do it, he’s a competitor. Can you hear Adrian responding to that saying, “I don’t think so, I can’t do it.” That’s definitely the attitude that’s gotten him to lead the league in rushing after 13 games, and we still haven’t hit the 1 year anniversary of him tearing his ACL, MCL, and meniscus.

  11. Adrian Peterson may not be human. Guy tore up his entire knee and came back better than ever in less than a year. 10 years ago this was a 2 year injury at best, now guys are playing in 9 months.

  12. one of the better guys in football. Unlike when Jamal Lewis was chasing 2k,he wasn’t as easy to root for and likable. With the cocaine trafficking and all.
    Peterson is seriously remarkable, he is almost super human. To wreck your knee like that and not even miss a season and come back for the opener is unreal. Not a vikings fan, but a football fan, i hope he gets it, especially coming off an injury in only a short amount of time that is generally career threatening for most or come back a shell of his former self. Of course there are comments on here and will be after how he’s “running his mouth” “or talking” Patrick asked him a question, he didn’t jump on the air “DICKERSON BETTER BE NERVOUS” what should he say. “HI Dan, im content where I am, coming back from this injury is satisfying enough, i wont get this record”

  13. It still surprises me to no end how Jamal Lewis didn’t get as much fanfare as he deserved when he not only broke the (then) NFL record for rushing yards in a single game, but that he predicted he would do it days in advance of the game.

    This is what AP is doing now but with a different record. I truly applaud AP and I hope e gets it, but lets show a little love to Jamal Lewis who did the exact same thing but with a different record

  14. AP’s a good dude all the way around, but I wish his confidence was a bit quieter. The Rams, Texans and Packers are a tough slate of games to rack up over 500 yards, particularly if the Pack and Houston are still playing for something at season’s end. While 2,000 yards is at least realistic, Dickerson’s record will be very tough to reach.

  15. If he’s going to do it, he’d better do it in the next two weeks because it ain’t gonna happen in the last game of the regular season.

  16. Peterson should have kept quiet. The Rams are a good defense and this is exactly the type of thing that they will use to fire themselves up to stop AP.

    Fischer should be coach of the year.

  17. Alfred Morris over Peterson? You’re a dumbass…Peterson is doing what Barry Sanders did, destroying 8 and 9 guys in the box with a crappy qb. Morris would not do jack crap if Ponder was the qb for Skins.

  19. Killer,
    I’d suggest that he be considered even IF hey don’t make playoffs. Its definitely a tossup between Manning and AP for comeback player of the year.

  20. People keep citing the Pack as a good run D. The dude just ripped them for 210 yards @ 10 yards a clip. And houstons run D has been getting worse by the week.

  21. I would love to see AP get to 2,000. But, to challenge Dickerson, he would have needed more yards last week. He was over 100 in the first quarter, but only finished around 150 total. Had he put up a 220 last week, then talk of reaching Dickerson may have been more realistic. Not saying he can’t do it, but it would be very difficult.

  24. “He needs 168 yards a game, well above his average thus far. He plays three teams all in the upper half of the league against the run, including Houston who is tied for 2nd.

    Sorry, Adrian. I’ll take the under…”
    ————————————————
    That’s before 2 of these teams played Adrian, and the third, well, he’s already proven he can shred them, and he’ll do it again.

  25. Playing on a bubble team I think his confidence is a tool to rally his team in these last few weeks rather than a certainty of a breaking the record.

  26. Honestly, I hate it when reporters ask players questions like this. They are intending to set this up in a confrontational manner and pit one player against another (former in this case) player.

    Dickerson should only be nervous if he has his whole life wrapped up into that record. My guess is Dickerson has always known someone would come along and break that record someday. If Peterson does break that record, he should understand that one day his will fall as well.

    As a Viking fan, I wish Peterson was spending more time talking about winning than about record setting.

  27. lets see, during his first six games of the season, AP rushed for 499 yards, or 83 yards per game. over his last seven games, he has rushed for 1101 yards, or 157 yards per game (including a season high 210 against the packers, whom he plays again in week 17). he needs to average 168 per game over the remaining three games to break the record. that would exceed his projections, but isn’t that something we’re getting used to with mr. all day?

  30. What you guys that are talking up the Packers rush defense seem to be forgetting, is that Peterson went off for 210 yards against them two weeks ago at Lambeau. 2000 yards is well within his grasp, Dickerson’s record (which was done in 16 games, not 12) is not as likely. but if AD has shown us anything this year its when the guy says he can do something, don’t bet against him.

  31. “He needs 168 yards a game, well above his average thus far. He plays three teams all in the upper half of the league against the run, including Houston who is tied for 2nd.

    Sorry, Adrian. I’ll take the under…”

    He’s been averaging 157 yards the last 7 games, so it’s not completely inconceivable that he gets 168; especially considering how the Vikings have almost no reason to believe throwing with Ponder and these WRs is a better option than running the ball with Peterson.

    While I have my doubts he’ll break the record, Peterson has been erasing doubts all season long…

  32. True Talker says:
    Dec 12, 2012 10:13 AM
    When he does it in 12 games then he will have the record. Still amazing after that injury but Dickerson’s record is untouchable in the same amount of games.

    —————————————–

    Dickerson accomplished his record in 16 games, not 12. Look it up.

    You may be thinking of O.J. Simpson’s 2003 yards he gained back in 1973, in only 14 games. In terms of average yards per game, Simpson holds the record.

  33. This is why the vikes will never win a super bowl. AD as great as he is should be focused on winning a super bowl

  34. No he shouldn’t. AP won’t break the record.

    Heck of a year coming off his injury, but he won’t break it.

  35. Snagging AP in the 2nd round of my fantasy draft was the highlight of my season (sadly).

    PS, If you get asked if you can break a record at your job, what would you answer? You know you’d say “yes I can”, or you’re a bum!

  36. True Talker – what the heck are you talking about?!!! Dickerson got 2,105 in 16 games just like they play now!!! OJ Simpson was the first 2000yd rusher, he got 2,003 in 1972. Dickerson averaged 131.6yds a game. OJ averaged 143.1 a game. Adrian Petersen is currently averaging 123.1 a game. If you are going by game played then OJ is king….

  37. True Talker says:
    Dec 12, 2012 10:13 AM
    When he does it in 12 games then he will have the record. Still amazing after that injury but Dickerson’s record is untouchable in the same amount of games.

    _________________________________

    What are you talking about 12 games? Dickerson didn’t do this in 12 games. He did it in 16 games. Everyone said AD wouldn’t be back by week 1 and AD said he would. Nobody believed him and there he was rushing for 2 TDs in week one. AD didn’t say he would break the record, he set a goal to break the record. I believe he can do it!

  38. He said he’d be back better than he was before. He has been.

    He said he’d be back for the first regular season game. He was.

    He said in the first half of the season that he still wasn’t 100%. He has been putting up more numbers in the 2nd half of the season.

    Listen, it sounds improbable, but when this guy says something, you listen – he delivers. You probably won’t find a more determined person in sports.

  39. Who cares if he’s talking about it. He said he would come back from blowing his knee out and everyone doubted him. So if he says he’s gonna break it ill believe him till it doesn’t happen. No one should be doubting him.

  40. Hey, packer fans. He just put up 210 against your squad (in your house), so should be able to put up at least 240 at home. That means he only needs to average 133 over the next two games. Which is only 10 ypg above his average.

  41. We’re witnessing one of the all time great running backs right now. If he can stay healthy he’ll be breaking a lot of records. I’m not a Vikings fan, but I appreciate what a great player AD is. That said, I don’t think Dickerson is nervous at all and likely is thrilled for Peterson. Records are made to be broken.

  43. And you people who claim to know for a fact that he won’t are the same people who claimed to know that he wouldn’t be back week 1 this year and would never be the same. Don’t doubt AP the only reason the rams and texans have good run D’s is because they haven’t played a team with as good of a running game as Minnesota. Everyone said the packers “good run D” is going to shut AP down and look what happened..

  44. I like the fact that AP came back from a devastating injury and can still compete at not only a hight level, but the highest. He has proven he is still the best RB in the league. I don’t know if he breaks the record or not, but if the season stopped tomorrow, I have no problem with him being considered for MVP. On a side note, Alfred Morris is a fine young running back, but he is no AP and he probably never will be. Sorry, but you have to be a fan of football first, before a fan of your favorite team.

  47. The guy is a droid! The one thing guarnteed he will have more rushing yds than Flounder will have passing yds.

  50. Considering most “experts” said Vikings would only win 2-3 games this season, it has shown nice progress in a lot of areas for the team. And AP hitting 2k (I doubt he gets the record, but hey that would be wonderful if he did) would be just a little cherry on top.

    As for everyone talking about how the Vikings wont go to the playoffs…they were never slated to…even if they get in they are one and done. Its a rebuilding year, and not that bad of one at that.

  51. I have learned a lot through watching football since I was a child, and one of them is do not doubt Adrian Peterson.

    The fact that he is running the ball as well as he’s been goes to show that he’s the best and everyone else is far behind.

    His quarterback is Christian Ponder, a FSU graduate he gets more attention for his academics while he was with the Seminoles than his actual play.

    Peterson is a workhorse who at the end of his career will go down top-three barring injury. Most exciting running back in the game at the moment.

  52. As a Viking fan, I’m very impressed with AP this year. He definitely proved me wrong because I thought that surgery would have a big affect on his abilities. I thought he’d still be a good RB but what he’s doing is nothing short of phenomenal. He is more than human.

    That being said I agree with a lot of the valid points in this thread. AP should concentrate more on helping his team win. The problem is, as it is with many other athletes, the media doesn’t allow him to not think about it. I have no problem with AP showing and voicing his confidence as a competitor. At the same time, in my opinion, AP should be answering the questions differently. Saying something to the affect, “My goal is to do my best and help this team win. I’d love to break the record but I know how difficult it is.” We will see what happens.” Something that shows confidence but at the same time leaves the arrogance aside. Just my opinion.

  54. Carl Gerbschmidt says:
    Dec 12, 2012 10:34 AM
    If he’s going to do it, he’d better do it in the next two weeks because it ain’t gonna happen in the last game of the regular season.

    ————————————–

    Um, Carl, the last game of the season for AP is against the Packers. The same Packers that AP just torched for 210 yards on 21 carries in Week 14.

  55. It seems to me that if your team is on the verge of making the playoffs, your focus should be on winning games to get in, not personal stats.

    Of course he wouldn’t make it, just talking about it sealed that deal. The shelf lives of most RB’s are very short, its too bad that Peterson has to waste the prime of his career on a terrible team like the Vikings.

  57. Megatron breaking 2,000 receiving yards in a single season would be the greatest individual single season accomplishment, by an individual player, in the NFL’s entire history. Petey is having a nice little year, but it’s been done before.

  58. Adrian is good but he’s no Eric Dickerson. Dickerson just didn’t run, he would glide. I’ve seen them both up close and personel and Dickerson will always rule this matchup. Now Bo Jackson is another matter.

  59. Eric shouldn’t be nervous. Especially after he broke that record from O.J. Simpson, he was humble in that feat, saying that he wouldn’t have got the record if it wasn’t for a 16-game season. O.J. did it in a 14-game season.

  60. True Talker says:
    Dec 12, 2012 10:13 AM
    When he does it in 12 games then he will have the record. Still amazing after that injury but Dickerson’s record is untouchable in the same amount of games.

    ——————————————–

    True Talker needs to learn some football history. Dickerson got to 2,105 with a 16 game season. Want to know how? In 1978 the NFL switched from a 14 game season to a 16 game season. Dickerson broke O.J. Simpson previous record as O.J. reached 2,003 yds in 14 games. The NFL hasn’t seen 12 game season since Jim Brown.

    Now that the history lesson is over, I’m rooting for AP. It would be nice to see him average 168 yards over the next 3 games to get the record after coming from reconstructive knee surgery.

  61. I forgot to mention that Dickerson wasn’t drafted until 1983. Well after the league had decided to change to 16 game seasons.

  62. The difference between the Packers 2 weeks ago and what the Packers will be in week 17 is a healthy (unless something else happens) defense.

    AP is amazing, but if he needs more than 125 coming into week 17 it isn’t going to happen. The Packers run defense is among the best in the league when they are healthy, and you better believe they are going to pride themselves on denying him that record.

  64. Carl Gerbschmidt says:Dec 12, 2012 10:34 AM

    If he’s going to do it, he’d better do it in the next two weeks because it ain’t gonna happen in the last game of the regular season.
    —-
    Since you provided no logic on why he will not I will go ahead and provide logic as to why he will get it on the last game of the season which happens to be against the Packers.

    Vikings fans should want the Packers to win the next 2 games because it will most likely result in them sitting out starters for the last game of the season in preparation for the playoffs. This means Peterson has a shot at breaking the record against the Packers. Also, if the Vikings win the next 2 as well, it means that the Vikings can also secure the wild card spot in the NFC.

  65. 1) AP put up 200+ vs. the Packers minus 3 defensive starters.

    2) The Rams were 10-6 the year Eric D. ran for over 2,000

    3) With Ponder as your QB, what else are you suppose to do?

    The only way he breaks the record is if the Vikings can keep the game close so they don’t have to pass. Not gonna happen in all 3 games.

  66. Maybe he should tell the Redskins & Cowboys to be worried because they are going to win out and make the playoffs,I guess that isn’t the important thing to Peterson

  67. Folks are forgetting some important details here.
    1. The Packers game is in the dome. That game WILL be close. It always is, regardless of who’s better in any given year. It was close in Lambeau as well.
    2. The Ram’s Running D is spotty at best. Ridley and Lynch ran all over them (not to mention Kaepernick).
    3. Houston may not be playing for anything in the final week. And, they also didn’t look that hot against the Patriots vs the run.

    NET: Will it be tough, of course, but let’s not exaggerate the strength of schedule here….

  72. LoL like people saying Adrian can’t do it versus a tough Packers defense. He just ran for 210 on them! Hahaha rams and texans I worry more about over that horrible GB D

  74. cakemixa says: Dec 12, 2012 10:10 AM

    Talking about something before you actually do it generally isn’t a good idea.
    ——————

    Talk about a low-achiever’s mindset. If people never set high goals, none of what we have today in technology, professional sports or otherwise would exist.

    And he WILL run all over that “vaunted” Texans defense to the tune of 200 yards next week.

  75. Like many others have said, while it’s not likely, it is possible. Personally, I would love to see AP get the all time record, he is a great guy and a great player. Same with Megatron, I hope he breaks 2,000 yards as the guy is just a phenomenal human being and player. I hope they both get records this year, they both deserve it.

    Also as others have stated, AP needs to avg 168 yds per game to break the record. Over the past 7 he’s averaging 157 yds. It isn’t outside the realm of possibility for him to pick up an extra 33 yards (11 yards avg per game) over the course of 3 games. As someone else pointed out, AP already ran for over 200 vs GB a few weeks ago.

  76. For those that are saying he should be talking bout winning games or the playoffs – how do you propose they win games without him running for 170 a game. Do you think that maybe aiming for the record is his way of trying to help the team win those games? Should he be talking about how he should be passing more, or maybe how he should get more sacks? The only way this team wins is with him running like a freight train, that’s his way of contributing to wins or a playoff shot.

  77. People who think he is too focused on the record and not on winning games need to figure it out. You don’t think Brady was asked questions when he was encroaching the TD record? He is simply answering a question and he has the same goal that every back in the NFL should have. And quite frankly, the Vikes have no shot at winning games or making the playoffs if he doesn’t flirt with the record.

  78. 8 or 9 guys in the box is the reason he has so many yards. Break thru the line make someone miss and get a huge gain. Peterson should thank Ponder for being completely inept.

  79. “8 or 9 guys in the box is the reason he has so many yards. ” *****************

    Wow, can’t believe you feel having 8-9 guys in the box to stop the run is an advantage for any RB. This would shut down most RB’s, right now it doesn’t matter who AP is playing, he’s just a machine. You see what he’s doing against an 8-9 man front, just think what he’d do against a 4 man front like crappy RB’s see?

    AP is one of the few RB’s this year that imposes his will on the defense regardless of what the defense does to stop him, even elite run defenses. In fantasy football he is just gold, NO ONE can slow this guy down this year. He’s posessed.

  81. true talker you are wrong he played 16 games to get his record. he also had close to the amount of yards in the last last three games of season that a.p needs to break it. hers looking at you kid.

  82. true talker you are wrong he played 16 games to get his record. he also had close to the amount of yards in the last last three games of season that a.p needs to break it. heres looking at you kid.

  83. @ Carl Gerbscmidt, why won’t he do it the last game of the season? If AP can get 210 on the sod farm at the Lambeaux trailer park, he just might get 310 at the Dome.

  84. Bobby u spend to much time kneeling and it’s rotting your brain. Yes it is easier to break off huge gains with 9 men in the box because if you break the line of scrimmage their is only 2 guys left to prevent a TD run. If you understood football and not just regurgitate what you here on ESPN you would know that.

  86. Being a life long Vikings fan and seeing #28 play every weekend for 6 seasons. I have to say there is no RB in the NFL thats Adrian Petersons equal “Not Even Close” and if anyone can reach Eric Dickersons mark of 2,105 it’s AP! He ran for 220-yds on Green Bay in Lambeau field already this year and play the Packers again in the dumpty toilet the last game of regular season. AP’s last 6 game average has been right at the yardage needed to reach Dickerson’s NFL record. For all you nay sayers.. Teams have been stacking the box on the Vikings who have vertually “No Verticle Passing Attack” to speak of all season long to stop #28 with very little success! I wouldn’t bet against Mr.Peterson breaking the single season rushing record!

  87. Being a life long Vikings fan and seeing #28 play every weekend for 6 seasons. I have to say there is no RB in the NFL thats Adrian Petersons equal “Not Even Close” and if anyone can reach Eric Dickersons mark of 2,105 it’s AP! He ran for 220-yds on Green Bay in Lambeau field already this year and play the Packers again in the dumpty toilet the last game of regular season. AP’s last 6 game average has been right at the yardage needed to reach Dickerson’s NFL record. For all you nay sayers.. Teams have been stacking the box on the Vikings who have vertually “No Verticle Passing Attack” to speak of all season long to stop #28 with very little success! I wouldn’t bet against Mr.Peterson breaking the single season rushing record!

  88. I think it’s pretty funny how all the Packer backers think the weak link on that team (defense) and the reason they will be beat in the playoffs! Are going to stop AP at home in the dome if he’s in striking distance of Dickersons record. The way AP has been running this season and ran against those Packers in Lambeau three weeks ago. I think it would be a greater feat them stopping Peterson than him accually breaking the record in my humble opinion!

  89. Great , now we get to hear Eric Dickerson talk about his record every day all day on TV for the next 3 weeks… time to turnoff the TV until the playoffs

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