During the season, the NFL Network asked the league's players to vote on who they thought were the best players in the National Football League, and they have been counting down the Top 100 for the past couple of months. This evening, the top ten players on the list were announced and, as expected, Minnesota Vikings' star running back Adrian Peterson ranked very highly on the list.
Peterson ranked on the list that was voted on by his peers. In his four seasons in the NFL, Peterson has rushed for 5,782 yards and has scored 52 rushing touchdowns, in addition to two touchdowns scored on receptions. This past season, in fourteen games, he rushed for 1,298 yards and found the end zone a total of 13 times (12 rushing, 1 receiving).
Nobody knows for sure if these rankings are supposed to be based on just the 2010 season (although the list has been touted as the "Best Players Of 2010") or if it's a career sort of thing. . .it's just based on the personal preference of the players, it would appear.
More on Peterson's selection after the jump.
Peterson's introduction video was done by New Orleans Saints' linebacker Jonathan Vilma and Vikings' head coach Leslie Frazier. Frazier said that Peterson reminds him of a running back he was once teammates with. . .guy by the name of Walter Payton that you may or may not have heard of.
Vilma says that Peterson wants the contact while at the same time looking for the home run, that he can do both. He's certainly right about that.
Lots of Peterson's best runs are highlighted. . .of course, he's had so many that I'm not even sure if they got all of them into the clip that they showed.
They briefly discuss his fumbling issues. . .in the past tense, since that issue appears to have been corrected with Peterson only fumbling once in 2010.
The Top Ten broke down like this:
10) Julius Peppers, defensive end, Chicago Bears
9) Drew Brees, quarterback, New Orleans Saints
8) Darrelle Revis, cornerback, New York Jets
7) Andre Johnson, wide receiver, Houston Texans
6) Troy Polamalu, safety, Pittsburgh Steelers
5) Ed Reed, safety, Baltimore Ravens
4) Ray Lewis, linebacker, Baltimore Ravens
3) Adrian Peterson, running back, Minnesota Vikings
2) Peyton Manning, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
1) Tom Brady, quarterback, New England Patriots