At 1-6, should Vikings start tapering Peterson's carries?

Taking a break from the police blotter and the Winter Park sing-a-long "Ding, Dong the Berrian's Gone!" ...

Most fans probably say the same thing when they spot backup running back Toby Gerhart making his 1.7 carries per game:

"What are they DOING? Where's ADRIAN!?"

Well, you should know that no other NFL team has bigger discrepancy in the amount of carries between the starter and the backup running back (138). Adrian Peterson has 146 (20.8 per game) while Gerhart has 12.

Heck, Toby trails receiver Percy Harvin (16) in carries.

The only other teams in the league that have a difference of at least 100 carries between the starting running back and the backup are Atlanta (122) and Chicago (101).

Peterson is a once-in-a-generation player that we all want to see play. But running backs don't last forever. Carries take their toll, even on men who look like Peterson.

He's on pace for 334 carries, which would be 29 fewer than his career high of 363 in 2008.

He's also on pace to have 306 more carries than his backup. That would be a career high by far. In 2008, Peterson had 262 carries more than Chester Taylor. Last year, he had 202 more than Gerhart. In 2009, he had 220 more than Taylor. And in 2007, his rookie season, he had 81 more than Taylor.