Rookie Love

"Gimme gimme gimme that ROOKIE love"

You can hear Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson singing that all the way to the bank! As most of us expected, Peterson was voted, almost unanimously, Rookie of the Year. Peterson earned 46 1/2 of the 50 votes submittd by a national panel of members of the media that cover the NFL. And I must say, they got this one right! In a season where few teams had consistent, healthy, high-performing running backs, Adrian Peterson (& Chester Taylor!) definitely made his presence felt. Even after missing 2 games with a serious knee injury, he still managed to rank 2nd in the league in rushing yards with 1,341, behind LaDainian Tomlinson. Peterson also tied for 2nd with 12 rush ing touchdowns, finishing with 13 overall. In one of the best offensive performances of the year, Peterson ran for 296 yards, setting the NFL's single-game rushing record, on only 30 carries. He scored 3 TDs that game to lift the Vikings defeat the Chargers 35-17. Jamal Lewis held the record since rushing for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns in 2003.

This is another reason why I love watching college football. Yes, it always comes back to college football. Peterson was amazing at Oklahoma and it was obvious that he could make the leap to the NFL easily. The NFL DraftTracker ranks players eligible for the draft, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. Here's what they had to say about Peterson when he was drafted in 2007:

Peterson is a tough runner who can pick up yards between the tackles and break tackles when he gets into the open field. He has the burst to turn the corner, make the first defender miss and turn on the jets when he gets a seam. While the Vikings have more pressing needs at several other positions, including defensive end and running back, Peterson was too good to pass up on.

I would say not much has changed. There's a reason why he was the 1st RB selected in the 2007 NFL Draft, 7th overall. As RoY, Peterson joins the likes of Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown and Billy Sims, who also won the award. "It's a great honor to join a list with names like those. They are guys that I looked up to growing up."

By the By:

The 3 1/2 votes that Peterson didn't get went to Joe Thomas, OT for the Cleveland Browns.

Unsigned Hype

The 2007 NFL Draft came and it went, but up until today there were 2 first-rounders that were yet to be signed. The #1 pick, outstanding LSU QB Jamarcus Russell, and #14 Darrelle Revis, a corner out of the University of Pittsburgh. Russell was drafted by the Oakland Raiders and Revis by the New York Jets.

The Jets and Revis had differing views of how the contract should be structured. The Jets, who traded up in the draft in order to snag Revis, want as much out of this investment as possible. They'll pay him the money, but they want him for 6 years. Revis, not wanting to be locked into a long contract, was looking for 5 years. Most of the first rounders signed 5-year contracts and the Jets are pretty much tryna buck the system. Revis hadn't reported to training since it started on July 27th. Well, after weeks of negotiating the two parties finally reached an agreement, in principle. The deal is believed to be worth $36 million over 6 years. I'm assuming there's some sort of opt-out clause somewhere in this 50+ page contract, but things are still pretty vague. After missing more than 20 days of practice, and the Jets preseason opener, Revis is expected to report to camp within in the next few days. With the solid offense the Jets have, this deal was going to get done either way because Revis is expected to be a starter. Hey, defense wins championships.

And then there was 1...
The issue with Russell and the Raiders is simple. Oakland wants the talent but refuses to pay. With a bass ackwards offense, and the number 1 pick in the draft, the Raiders chose Russell. If you watched the kid in college like I did, then you know Jamarcus is the troof. And yes, I said troof. At 6-6, 263 lbs, he's a beast with a monster arm. Not only can he throw deep, he's great on his feet and hard to bring down. The Raiders really don't wanna come outta pocket and pay Russell what the 1st overall pick is usually paid. Every year the price gets higher and higher, and yes, it's getting pretty ridiculous. Remember last year's first pick Mario Williams?! He signed his $54 million contract with $26.5 guaranteed the night BEFORE the draft!! And he's a defensive end! The Houston Texans ain't no joke!! And clearly, the Raiders are and enjoy it. They're the laughing stock of the NFL, and with this punk ass, cheap ass face-off they've got goin on with Russell, that stands to be the case for at least one more season. With all the information I've heard, a deal is no where near being reached, so we shouldn't expect to see Jamarcus in preseason. Scratch that, the ENTIRE 2007-2008 season. What a damn shame!! Have you even seen the depth chart at QB for the Raiders? Josh McCown and Dante Culpepper are fighting for the starting spot. Oh yeah, Andrew Walter is somewhere back there too. If Culpepper is healthy, I’m a smidgen less worried about the Raiders. Not only would it be impressive, but it would also give the Dolphins a real kick in the fins for dropping him after one objectionable season. If he gets hurt, which seems to be his thing the past few seasons, then we’re left with McCown and Walter. I. Am. Not. Impressed.