Look up probably in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Probably may refer to:

• Probability, the chance that something is likely to happen or be the case
• "Probably" (South Park), an episode of the TV series South Park
• "Probably" (song), a song by Fool's Garden

See also[link]

• Problem (disambiguation)
• Pro (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

András Schiff (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˌɒndraːʃ ˈʃifː]) (born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who made numerous recordings and is one of the most highly honored pianists of our time, having won numerous major awards. He has also become an outspoken critic of the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán, whom he has publicly accused of racism, anti-Semitism, and neo-fascism, stating in January 2012 that he would never again set foot in his native country.^[1]

Biography[link]

Schiff was born in Budapest into a Jewish family and began piano lessons at the age five with Elisabeth Vadasz. He studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest until 1974 and in London with George Malcolm. He was a finalist in the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition in 1975. He emigrated from Hungary in 1979.^[2] He was unable to meet requirements for US citizenship because of his long absences for touring ^[3], and accepted Austrian citizenship in 1987 and established homes in London and Salzburg. He became a British citizen in 2001. He is married to the violinist Yuuko Shiokawa, and resides in London, England, and Florence, Italy.^[4]

Awards he has won include a 1990 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) - English Suites by Bach; a 1990 Gramophone Award for a Schubert recital with Peter Schreier; the Bartok Prize in 1991; the Claudio Arrau Memorial Medal in 1994; the Kossuth Prize in 1996; the Léonie Sonning Music Prize in 1997; honorary membership in the Beethoven House in Bonn, awarded in 2006 in honor of his complete recording of Beethoven's piano sonatas; the Italian prize, Premio della critica musicale Franco Abbiati, also for his Beethoven cycle in 2007; also in 2007, the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize, sponsored by the Kohn Foundation, awarded to "an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the performance and/or scholarly study of Johann Sebastian Bach" ^[5]; the Wigmore Hall Medal in 2008 ^[6]; also in 2008, the Klavier-Festival Ruhr Prize, for outstanding pianistic achievement; the Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau in 2011; and in January 2012, the Golden Mozart Medal of the International Stiftung Mozarteum of which there have been only four previous winners in 70 years. He has been made an Honorary Professor by music academies in Budapest, Detmold and Munich, and a Special Supernumerary Fellow of Balliol College of Oxford University.

From 1989 until 1998 Schiff was Artistic Director of the "Musiktage Mondsee" chamber music festival near Salzburg. In 1995, he co- founded the "Ittinger Pfingstkonzerte" in Kartause Ittingen, Switzerland, together with the famed oboist Heinz Holliger. From 2004 to 2007 he was Artist in Residence of the Kunstfest Weimar. In the 2007-2008 season he was Pianist in Residence of the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2011-12 he was one of the "Perspectives Artists" of Carnegie Hall ^[7], a prestigious position.

In 1999 he formed an occasional chamber orchestra, which he named the Cappella Andrea Barca, with the name coming from an Italian translation of his last name (Barca and Schiff both mean "boat"), although he has provided a humorous pseudo-biography of the fictional Barca.^[8] He has appeared as a conductor with several major orchestras, including regular appearances with Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Schiff is one of the most renowned interpreters of Bach, Mozart, Schubert and Schumann. His many recordings for the Decca label include the complete piano sonatas of Mozart and Schubert and much of the keyboard music of Bach, as well as the complete Mozart piano concertos with the Camerata Academica Salzburg led by Sándor Végh. His recordings for the Teldec label include the complete Beethoven piano concertos with the Staatskapelle Dresden led by Bernard Haitink. For the ECM label Schiff has recorded the music of Janáček and Sándor Veress, and made live recordings in the Zurich Tonhalle of all of Beethoven's piano sonatas. He gave a series of lecture-recitals on the complete Beethoven sonatas in London.^[9] His live concert recordings for ECM also include his second traversals of the Bach Partitas and Goldberg Variations.

For G. Henle, he provided fingerings for new editions of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (published in 2006) and fingerings and missing cadenzas for a new edition of the Mozart piano concertos (begun in 2007).

He prefers to play a Bösendorfer piano rather than the more widely used Steinway, and when possible travels and performs with his own instrument. He has also recorded Mozart using Mozart's own piano.

Political views[link]

Schiff has made public statements about politics in Austria and Hungary.

• Austria

In 2000 he commented on the rise of the far right in Austria.^[10]. He subsequently renounced his Austrian citizenship.

• Hungary

On 1 January 2011, Schiff published a letter in the Washington Post questioning whether "Hungary is ready and worthy to take on" the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, as it did that day,^[11] because of "racism, discrimination against the Roma, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, chauvinism and reactionary nationalism," and "the latest media laws" (referring to new media laws passed by the government of Viktor Orbán). On 16 January 2011, Schiff told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he had become "persona non grata" in Hungary and would probably never perform there again "or even visit." On 17 January he joined Hungarian conductor Ádám Fischer and six other Hungarian intellectuals and artists in publishing an open letter "To the artists of Europe and the World" protesting "racism against Roma, with homophobia and with antisemitism" and saying that "the freedom of the media, of the arts and artists, and of those who could most effectively act against such tendencies is more and more curtailed." The letter appeared in German and in English,^[12] with a note of support from Daniel Barenboim appended. As a result of his statements, he came under attack from Hungarian nationalists. ^[13] On January 14, 2012, in an interview with the German newspaper Der Tagesspiel Schiff accused the Viktor Orbán government of racism, anti-Semitism and neo-fascism, and declared that he would never set foot in Hungary again.^[1][13]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Andras Schiff: Beethoven Lecture-recitals at Wigmore Hall, London
• National Public Radio Article
• In Concert on National Public Radio
• Andras Schiff biography at the Pittsburgh Symphony

Adrian Peterson

Peterson playing for the Minnesota Vikings
No. 28     Minnesota Vikings
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1985-03-21) March 21, 1985 (age 27)
Place of birth: Palestine, Texas[1][2][3]
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight: 217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school: Palestine (TX)
College: Oklahoma
NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Debuted in 2007 for the Minnesota Vikings
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (2007–present)
Roster status: Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Hall Trophy (2003) ESPN RISE High School Football Player of the Decade (2000s)[4] Consensus All-American (2004) College awards and honors AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2007) PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year (2007) Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year (2007) 4× Pro Bowl (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) 4× All-Pro (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) NFC rushing leader (2007) NFL Rushing Title (2008) Pro Bowl MVP (2008) FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award (2008) Bert Bell Award (2008) NFL awards NFL records
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Rushing yards 6,752 Average rushing yards 4.8 Rushing TDs 64 Receptions 137 Receiving yards 1,309 Receiving TDs 3 Stats at NFL.com

Adrian Lewis Peterson^[1] (born March 21, 1985), nicknamed "A. D." (for "All Day"), "A. P." and "Purple Jesus",^[5] is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).^[6] Peterson was selected by the Vikings with the seventh overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma.

While at Oklahoma, Peterson set the NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards as a true freshman during the 2004 season. As a First-team All-American, he became the first freshman to finish as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind USC quarterback Matt Leinart. Peterson finished his college football career as the Sooners' third all-time leading rusher.^[7]

Following his stellar first pro season in which he set an NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game (296), Peterson was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.^[8] He was then awarded the MVP award for his performance in the Pro Bowl and became only the fifth player in NFL history to have more than 3,000 yards through his first two seasons. In 2010, he became the fifth fastest player to run for 5,000 yards, doing so in his 51st game. Currently, Peterson has the fourth highest average rushing yards per game total in NFL history (min. 50 games) with an average of 92.5, trailing Jim Brown (104.3), Barry Sanders (99.8) and Terrell Davis (97.5).

Early years[link]

Born in Palestine, Texas, to Bonita Brown and Nelson Peterson, who were also star athletes in college.^[9] His father was a shooting guard for Idaho State, however, his dream of an NBA career was derailed when a gun that his brother was cleaning discharged into his leg.^[9][10] His mother, a three time Texas state champion at Westwood High School, attended the University of Houston on an athletic scholarship and was a sprinter and long jumper.^[9] Peterson's best friend was his older brother, Brian. Adrian was nicknamed "All Day," which was later shortened to A.D., by his father because he was a hyperactive kid.^[11]

When he was seven, he saw his older brother, Brian, 9, killed by a drunken driver, as he rode his bicycle.^[11] It was around that time that Peterson began to deal with his pain through sports and became interested in football; he began playing at the age of 7.^[12] He was the star of the Pee Wee football team coached by his father and played in the popular Pop Warner Football program when he was twelve.^[1] When Peterson was thirteen, his father was arrested for laundering money for a crack cocaine ring.^[11]

Peterson continued his interest in athletics into high school, where he competed in track and field, posting a wind-assisted time of 10.33 seconds^[13] in the 100 meters, basketball, and football at Palestine High School.^[2] Peterson was most notable in football, which he played during his junior and senior years.^[14] During his sophomore year, he was not eligible to play for the Palestine High varsity football team.^[9] Peterson's 2002–2003 campaign as a junior ended with 2,051 yards on 246 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry, and 22 touchdowns.^[2] It was during his junior year that he began to attract the attention of Division I recruiters and realized he would likely have his pick of colleges after his senior year.^[9]

As a senior in 2003–2004, he rushed for 2,960 yards on 252 attempts, an average of 11.7 yards per carry, and 32 touchdowns.^[2] After a game, players from the other team asked for his autograph.^[9] Following Maurice Clarett's unsuccessful attempt to sue the NFL over its age limit in 2004, there was considerable debate over whether any high school football player might be able to make the leap from the preps to the pro game. The player most frequently mentioned was Peterson.^[15]

After considering schools such as Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Arkansas, and Miami,^[16] he decided that he wanted to go to a school where he could be a difference-maker in a national championship run and narrowed his choices down to USC and Oklahoma.^[9] Concluding his high school football career at the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he led the West squad with 95 yards on 9 carries and scored 2 touchdowns, and announced at the game that he would attend college at Oklahoma.^[17] Following the season, he was awarded the Hall Trophy as the U.S. Army National Player of the Year.^[17] In addition, he was named the top high school player by College Football News and Rivals.com.^[2]

College career[link]

Freshman season[link]

Peterson before a game against Washington Huskies.

During his freshman season at Oklahoma, Peterson broke many NCAA freshman rushing records, rushing for 1,925 yards and leading the nation in carries with 339.^[6] In the first nine games of the season, he rushed for more than 100-yards, which is a freshman record.^[18] He rushed for 100 yards in the season opener against Bowling Green,^[19] 117 yards against Houston, 183 yards against Oregon, 146 yards against Texas Tech, 225 yards against Texas, 130 yards against Kansas State, and 122 yards against Kansas.^[18][20]

Against Oklahoma State on October 30, 2004, Peterson had an 80-yard touchdown run and rushed for 161 yards in the third quarter, finishing with a career-high 249 yards.^[21] Despite dislocating his left shoulder in the first half, he managed to run for 101 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, his ninth straight 100-yard game, against Texas A&M.^[22] In the next game, he saw little action because of his shoulder injury and finished with 58 yards, which ended his streak of consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing at 9.^[23] In a game versus Baylor, Peterson ran for 240 yards, including three second-half touchdowns,^[24] and set the NCAA record for most 100-yard games by a freshman with 11 against Colorado.^[25] Oklahoma, who were one of the poorest rushing teams the year before, became one of the nation’s best.

Despite his record-breaking season, he finished second to USC quarterback Matt Leinart in the Heisman Trophy voting, which was the highest finish ever for a freshman.^[6] Among other honors, he was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award,^[26] and the first Oklahoma freshman recognized as a First-Team Associated Press All-American.^[6] Peterson contributed to a perfect regular season for the Oklahoma Sooners and participated in the 2005 BCS National Championship Game with a berth to the 2005 Orange Bowl against USC Trojans.^[26] USC retooled their defense to stop Peterson and limited him to just 82 yards, as the Trojans defeated the Sooners, 55-19. USC later vacated the win due to NCAA infractions. After the season, he had surgery on his left shoulder to strengthen the muscles around the joint.^[9]

Sophomore season[link]

In 2005, Peterson's playing time was limited by a high ankle sprain.^[2] He injured his ankle in the first Big 12 Conference game of the season against Kansas State University.^[28] Despite missing time in four games, he rushed for 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns on 220 carries, finishing second in Big 12 rushing yardage.^[6] His 2005 season was also notable for a career-long 84-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma State University.^[6] Oklahoma finished the season with an 8–4 record, the worst season since 1999. They finished third in the Big 12 behind the Texas Longhorns and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sooners would represent the Big 12 in the Holiday Bowl where they defeated the sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks, 17–14.^[29] On July 11, 2007 the NCAA announced the Sooners would have to vacate all victories from the 2005 season, including the bowl game, due to NCAA violations.^[30] Upon the conclusion of the season, he was named a member of the All-Big 12 Conference team.^[6]

Junior season[link]

Peterson runs against Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Peterson's father, Nelson Peterson, was released from prison during the 2006 college football season and was able to watch his son as a spectator for the first time on October 14, 2006,^[12] when Oklahoma played Iowa State University. Oklahoma defeated Iowa State in that game, however, on the final drive for the Sooners, Peterson broke his collar bone when he attempted to dive into the end zone on a 53-yard touchdown run.^[31] During a press conference on October 18, Peterson said he was told by doctors to expect to be out for 4–6 weeks.^[32] At the time of the injury, Peterson needed only to gain 150 yards to pass Billy Sims as the University of Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher.^[33] He was unable to return for the rest of the Sooners' regular season and missed seven games. The Sooners would turn to Allen Patrick, a junior, and Chris Brown, a freshman to replace Peterson. The team went on a seven game winning streak including winning the Big 12 Championship game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.^[34] He returned for their last game against Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, where he rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown.^[31] He refused to discuss his plans beyond the end of this season with the press.^[32] He concluded his college football career with 1,112 rushing yards his final season, even after missing multiple games due to injury ^[35] for a total of 4,045 rushing yards (only 3 seasons).^[36] He was 73 yards short of passing Billy Sims as Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher.^[36]

Awards and honors[link]

• Hall Trophy (2004)
• First-team AP All-Freshman (2004)
• First-team consensus All-American (2004)
• Doak Walker Award finalist (2004)
• Heisman Trophy finalist (2004)
• Jim Brown Trophy winner (2004)
• Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team (2009).

Professional career[link]

Pre-draft[link]

On January 15, 2007, Peterson declared that he would forego his senior year of college and enter the 2007 NFL Draft.^[37] Coming into the league, he was known as a tall, upright runner possessing a rare combination of speed, strength, agility, size, and vision, along with a highly aggressive running style.^[2] His rare talent as both a great breakaway and power runner has often raised comparisons to past legends, including Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, O. J. Simpson, Franco Harris and Jim Brown.^[38] Concerns about his injuries suffered during college were noted by the media and potential NFL teams.^{[7][12][39][40]} He started 22 out of 31 games in his college career and had a dislocated shoulder his first year (although he did not miss any games), a high ankle sprain his sophomore year, and a broken collarbone his final year at Oklahoma.^[7] His durability was a consideration for at least two teams in their draft analysis,^[40] which impacted selection position. Prior to the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson was compared by professional football scouts to Eric Dickerson.^[41] ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. said of Peterson, "You can make the argument, [Peterson] is the best player in this draft, if not, certainly one of the top three."^[42]

Minnesota Vikings[link]

On April 28, 2007, Peterson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Peterson was the first running back selected in that year's draft. At a press conference during the draft, Peterson announced, "My collarbone, I would say it's 90% healed. A lot of teams know that, and I don't see it stopping me from being prepared for the season."^[44]

Peterson believed he was a player that a franchise could build around. In an interview with IGN following the NFL Draft, he said, "I'm a player who is coming in with the determination to turn a team around. I want to help my team get to the playoffs, win…and run wild. I want to bring people to the stands. I want people to come to the game to see what I can do next. Things like that can change the whole attitude of an organization. I want to win."^[45] He later told the Star Tribune in an interview, "I want to be the best player to ever play this game."^[46] Nearly three months after being drafted, he was signed by the Vikings on July 29, 2007. His contract was worth US$40.5 million over six years, with $17 million guaranteed.^[47]

2007 season[link]

Peterson began his outstanding rookie season with high expectations for himself; he announced ambitious goals including being named Offensive Rookie of the Year and rushing for over 1,300 yards during the course of the year. The NFL's rushing record for a rookie was formerly held by Eric Dickerson at 1,808 yards.^[48] Just 11 weeks into his rookie season with the Vikings, Peterson was well on his way to Dickerson's record and considered one of the elite running backs in the NFL.^[49]

On August 10, Peterson made his Minnesota Vikings debut in a preseason game against the St. Louis Rams.^[50] Peterson ran for 33 yards on 11 carries with 1 catch for 2 yards.^[51] On September 9, 2007, Peterson ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in his first NFL regular season game against the Atlanta Falcons.^[52] In addition to his rushing yardage, he scored his first professional football touchdown on a 60-yard pass reception.^[52] Over his first three regular season games, his 431 yards (271 rushing & 160 receiving) from scrimmage are a team record.^[53] For his performance during the three games, Peterson received the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month award for both September and October 2007.^[54][55]

His breakout game as a professional came on October 14, 2007 against the Chicago Bears, highlighted by a three-touchdown performance and a then-franchise record of 224 yards rushing on 20 carries.^[56] Peterson established additional team records for a rookie during this game, which included the most 100-yard games rushing and the longest touchdown run from scrimmage.^[57] He also set an NFL rookie record with 361 all-purpose yards in a single game. His 607 rushing yards through the first five games of the season is second in NFL history to Eric Dickerson.^[58] Following Peterson's record performance, Deion Sanders, now an NFL Network analyst, said about him: "He has the vision of a Marshall Faulk, the power of an Earl Campbell, and the speed of an Eric Dickerson. Let's pray he has the endurance of an Emmitt Smith."^[59] He has also been compared to Walter Payton and Tony Dorsett by Star Tribune sports journalist Jim Souhan.^[60]

Three weeks later, on November 4, 2007, Peterson broke his own franchise record as well as the NFL single game rushing yard record (previously held by Jamal Lewis since 2003) when he rushed for 296 yards on 30 carries and 3 touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers in a home game in Minneapolis.^[61][62] That game was his second game of over 200 yards rushing, a feat no other rookie has ever accomplished in a season.^[63] In addition to the NFL rushing record in a single game, it took him past 1,000 yards rushing for the year after just eight games.^[63] His 1,036 rushing yards represents the best eight-game performance by a rookie in NFL history.^[64]

Peterson splitting defenders in the 2008 Pro Bowl.

In honor of Peterson's record-breaking performance against the San Diego Chargers, the jersey he wore that night was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On November 11, 2007, just a week later, Peterson injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee in a game against the Green Bay Packers.^[65] The injury occurred in the third quarter of a 34–0 defeat at Lambeau Field on a low tackle by Packers cornerback Al Harris.^[65] Almost a month after the injury, Peterson returned to action on December 2, 2007 against the Detroit Lions scoring 2 touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards.^[66]

On December 17, Peterson played in his first Monday Night Football game, where he had 78 yards rushing, 17 yards receiving and 2 TDs. The next day he was named as the starting running back for the 2008 NFC Pro Bowl team. On January 2, he was named The Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.^[8]

On February 10, 2008, Peterson won the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl MVP award with 16 carries for 129 yards rushing along with 2 touchdowns. The 129 yards rushing was the 2nd most in Pro Bowl history. He was the first rookie since Marshall Faulk in 1994 to win the Pro Bowl MVP award.^[67] Peterson and Faulk are currently the only NFL players to win both the NFL Pro Bowl MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same year. Peterson finished in second place in rushing yards (1341) in the 2007 season behind LaDainian Tomlinson, who finished with 1474 rushing yards.^[68]

2008 season[link]

Peterson in a 2008 NFC Wild Card game against the Eagles

Peterson and the Vikings entered the 2008 season with high expectations and as he did during his rookie season, Peterson set high goals for himself including a 2,000-yard campaign and the NFL MVP award.^[69] Questions remained as to Peterson's durability and the ability of the Vikings offense to take the focus of opposing defenses off Peterson.

Peterson and the Vikings began the season with a 24–19 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He finished with 103 yards on 19 carries along with a touchdown. In the following loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Peterson rushed for a then season-high 160 yards on 29 carries, and also recorded 4 receptions for 20 yards. However, Peterson was held to 77 yards on 17 carries and no score in their 20–10 win against the Carolina Panthers, partly because of a hamstring injury suffered the previous week. In the next game, a loss to Tennessee, Peterson rushed 18 times for 80 yards and scored 2 touchdowns along with 4 receptions for 21 yards. In the 30–27 win over the New Orleans Saints, Peterson was held to 32 yards on 21 carries, a 1.5 average. Against the Detroit Lions in the following week, Peterson rushed 25 times for 111 yards, but lost 2 fumbles. However, Peterson bounced back from the fumbles the following week against the Bears, totaling 22 carries for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Following a bye week, Peterson rushed 25 times for 139 yards and a touchdown in a victory over Houston. The contest marked the third straight 100-yard rushing game for Peterson and the Vikings. As of week 8, Peterson was second in the NFL in rushing yards with 823 yards, 172 yards behind Clinton Portis. In week 10, on Sunday, November 9, Peterson played in a victory against the Green Bay Packers 28–27. He had 30 carries for 192 yards. His longest run was 29 yards; the run was the game-winning touchdown. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and also had 3 receptions. Peterson's stellar performance put him in the top spot for rushing yards this season, with 1015 yards.

Week 11 saw the Minnesota Vikings (5–4) at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6–3). Tampa Bay was coming off a bye week and was a notoriously difficult team to run against. Peterson was limited to 85 yards on just 19 carries, as the Vikings struggled to produce offense. In Week 12 Peterson was benched the first two offensive series vs. the Jaguars for being late to a team meeting, although he did amass 80 rushing yards and a TD. At the end of Week 12, Peterson became the NFL league leader for rushing yards again with 1,311 yards. Following Week 16, Peterson had 1,657 yards which led the league, and it was announced on December 18, Peterson would be the starting running back for the NFC Pro Bowl team. In his final regular season game in 2008, Peterson ran for 103 yards 21 carries, including a 67 yard touchdown run.

Peterson finished the season leading the league in rushing with 1,760 yards, which marks the third-most yards in a sophomore season behind Eric Dickerson's 2,105 yard season, and Chris Johnson's 2,006-yard season one year later. In Peterson's first 30 games he had 3,101 yards, which marks the 3rd best start to a career for running backs behind Eric Dickerson with 3,600 yards and Jim Brown with 3,144 yards. He became the fourth running back to lead the league in yards per game in his first two seasons along with Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, and Eric Dickerson. On January 14, 2009, Peterson was named to his second AP All-Pro team in two years.

2009 season[link]

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, analysts of both the NFL Network and ESPN unanimously named Peterson the best running back in the NFL today. However, the arrival of Brett Favre, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, coming out of retirement brought both expectation and speculation about Peterson's new role in the offense. Head Coach Brad Childress, however, stated that he wanted to continue leaning on Peterson, giving him a large number of carries. Favre worked well into the offense through the first half of the season, re-establishing Peterson's ability with a passing attack. Peterson had 917 rushing yards through week 10, while the Vikings had a record of 8–1.

Peterson opened the season by rushing for 180 yards on 25 carries and 3 touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns, setting a new Vikings franchise record for opening day rushing. He again broke the hundred-yard barrier in week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, with 143 yards and 22 carries. His next 100-yard effort came against the Lions, with 133 yards on 18 carries, and he was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

In the playoffs, Minnesota won against the Dallas Cowboys 34–3 but then lost to the Saints in an overtime thriller 31–28. Peterson rushed for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns. Peterson finished the year fifth in rushing and lost Fed-Ex Ground player of the year to Chris Johnson who had over 2,000 yards rushing on the 2009 season. Peterson was voted to the Pro Bowl December 29 as the starting RB for the NFC team.

2010 season[link]

Peterson opened strongly in 2010, with 392 yards and 3 touchdowns through the first 3 weeks. In week 6, he went over the 5,000 yard career rushing mark against the Dallas Cowboys. At week 7, Peterson was second in the league with 684 yards, averaging 114 yards per game, but the Vikings had dropped to a disappointing mark of 2–4. By Week 16, Peterson had rushed for 1,267 yards with 12 touchdowns, as the Vikings improved to a 6–9 record. Peterson, who was infamous for fumbling the ball in previous seasons, had a dramatic change in the 2010 season with only one fumble during the regular season, a remarkable turnaround from his previous performances. While the Vikings missed the playoffs, Peterson represented his team in the Pro Bowl. Peterson thus far has been selected to the Pro Bowl every year he has played in the NFL. During the game, Peterson contributed 80 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 55-41 NFC win. After the season, Adrian Peterson was voted the # 1 running back and # 3 player overall on NFL Network's list of the Top 100 Players of 2011 as selected exclusively by NFL players. Peterson forced 53 missed tackles and 877 yards after contact only carrying the football 283 times, proving why he is the best back in the league today.

2011 season[link]

According to NFL.com, Peterson is ranked as the third best player in the NFL for the 2011 season, behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. On September 10, 2011 the Vikings signed Peterson for $96 million dollars over the course of seven seasons, making him the highest paid running back in NFL history.^[70] Peterson reached the 6,000 yard milestone on September 18, 2011 in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On October 9, Peterson scored three touchdowns in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals, setting a new franchise record. He would later earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance during the game.^[71] In a week 10 contest against the Oakland Raiders, Adrian suffered a high ankle sprain late in the first quarter, he was then later ruled out for their week 11 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

On December 24, 2011, Peterson was injured and helped off the field in a 33-26 victory over the Washington Redskins. He was placed onto injured reserve due to a torn ACL and MCL on December 26, 2011.

For the first time in his career, Peterson failed to record a 1,000-yard season after playing only 12 games during the year.

NFL awards[link]

• 2007 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
• 2007 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year
• 2007 Second-Team All-Pro
• 2007 Pro Bowl MVP
• 2007 Pro Bowl
• 2008 Pro Bowl
• 2008 Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award
• 2008 Rushing Title (1760 yards)
• 2008 First-Team All-Pro
• 2008 FedEx Ground Player of the Year.
• 2009 Pro Bowl
• 2009 First-Team All-Pro
• 2010 Pro Bowl
• 2010 Second-Team All-Pro

NFL records[link]

• Most 200-yard rushing games for a rookie (2)
• Most yards rushing in the first eight games (1,036)
• Most yards rushing in a single game (296)
• Second rookie ever to win Pro Bowl MVP (Marshall Faulk in 1994)
• Pro Bowl record in career rushing touchdowns (4)

Career statistics[link]

Source: NFL.com

Personal[link]

Peterson has a half-brother named Jaylen Brown who currently plays football at Klein Oak High School in Texas as its running back. His dad nicknamed him "All Day", which was later shortened to A.D.—his nickname today. Peterson's brother Brian, older by one year, was killed by a drunk driver when Peterson was seven; another half-brother was murdered the night before Peterson participated in the NFL Combine.^[72]

In an episode of E:60, ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols states that Peterson has two children,^[73] including a daughter named Adeja.^[74] He currently resides in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his brothers Derrick and Eldon Peterson.^[75]

Recently, as the NFL network series Top 100 - NFL players of 2011 concluded, Peterson was voted as the number 3 player in the league, behind only quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.^[76]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adrian Peterson

• Official website
• Minnesota Vikings bio