Running back snapshot: Examining Adrian Peterson's quest for 2,500 yards

As the NFL draft approaches, the Access Vikings team is taking a position-by-position look at what will be available, offering insight and analysis on top prospects both through print and via daily "Access Vikings: The Show" videos. In addition, here on the blog, we'll give you a brief review of how the Vikings are set up at each position heading into the draft.

Today's snapshot: Running backs

Current starters: Adrian Peterson, Jerome Felton

Reserves under contract: Toby Gerhart, Matt Asiata, Joe Banyard

Biggest offseason move: The re-signing of Felton was a big deal, even if it didn't receive much attention or hype outside the Twin Cities. The 26-year-old fullback was superb as a lead blocker in 2012, aiding Adrian Peterson's MVP season.

Level of draft need: Low. The depth chart seems set and solid for 2013. But Toby Gerhart is also entering the final year of his rookie contract. And if he seeks to hit free agency in 2014 to find greater opportunity elsewhere, the Vikings' may want to start shopping for potential back-ups for Adrian Peterson.

You should know: Peterson's vow to follow his extraordinary 2,097-yard eruption in 2012 with a 2,500-yard explosion in 2013 is downright ridiculous. And maybe it's most preposterous because his teammates and coaches don't question it.

Added Jared Allen: "With that dude? It's logical. And yeah, that's crazy. … But I think too, with the way the league is now as such a pass dominant league, you're seeing smaller fronts. You're not having that 330-pound nose tackle anymore. You've got to have guys there who can rush the passer because of these spread offenses and these check-down systems. So you get a team like us that likes to run the ball with a back like Adrian and smaller [defenders] on the field, 2,500 might not be a stretch."

And then in March, Leslie Frazier chimed in: "I think it's a good goal to have if you're Adrian Peterson. He's more than capable of getting it accomplished."

All that said, the Vikings know it's in their best interest to diversify their offense, to not be so one-dimensional and predictable. And so with an eye on energizing the passing attack, Peterson's workload and production will almost certainly dip some. That will be by design with the hope that another reliable playmaker emerges. (That means you, Greg Jennings.)

Consider Peterson's numbers from the first nine games of last season when Percy Harvin was healthy and adding pop to the offense: an average of 19 carries and 106 yards plus six total touchdowns.

And in the final seven games without Harvin around? Peterson averaged 26 carries and 163 yards with seven TDs.
Balance is a priority and so while Peterson will be aiming for 2,500 yards, Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave are hopeful they won't have to push at that milestone to be successful.

Yikes. Maybe 2,500 yards isn't as asinine of a goal as it sounds.

For what it's worth, six other backs have topped 2,000 yards in a season. Here are their numbers from the following season:

One more thing: When it came to a final vote at the NFL's annual meetings in March, the Vikings actually voted in favor of the new rule that will now penalize any runner or tackler who "initiates forcible contact by delivering a blow with the top/crown of his helmet."

But that "Yes" vote was more a reluctant concession than an indication of support. The Vikings simply did not want to appear in opposition of a player safety proposal that already had enough votes to pass.

Only an hour before that vote was taken in Phoenix last month, Frazier repeatedly declared his skepticism.
"We're not one of those teams who is for it," he asserted.

"It's such an instinctive position," Frazier said. "The guys are just reacting most of the time. If you ask Adrian [Peterson] on some of his runs, 'How did you know that guy was coming from the left or the right?' It's just a sense, just a feel sometimes. … As a running back, it's instincts. For me to start thinking now, 'Oh, man, I've got to lower my shoulder or I've got to turn this way' -- I don't know. We'll see."

We will all see how the new rule is legislated. The league has made it clear that it wants its officials to zero in on only the obvious infractions. But that will still be a judgment call from week to week. And with a back who runs as powerfully as Peterson with the thirst to deliver contact before absorbing it, it's a rule worth monitoring.