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Peterson with a rare cameo by a good quarterback.

After a ten-year career with the Vikings, Adrian Peterson is now headed to New Orleans where he will get to play with Drew Brees.  It will be the second time Peterson has played with a Hall of Fame quarterback, after Brett Favre’s stint with the team beginning in 2009.

In ’09, the Vikings had a Relative ANY/A of +2.05, easily the best passing game the franchise has produced in the last decade.  In fact, the only other time in the last ten years that Minnesota had an above-average ANY/A was last year, when Peterson rushed for just 72 yards in three games.

Most of his time in Minnesota, though, the team’s passing attack has been below-average — or outright bad.  For example, in 2012, Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards.  That represented 17.9% of his career total, and it came when the Vikings had a Relative ANY/A of -0.94.  Overall Peterson has a weighted average RANY/A — i.e., the Vikings RANY/A in each season of Peterson’s career, weighted by the number of rushing yards Peterson had — for his career of -0.52.  Take a look.

YearTeamRush Yd% of Car Rush YdTm RANY/A
2007MIN134111.4%-0.50
2008MIN176015%-0.39
2009MIN138311.8%2.05
2010MIN129811%-1.65
2011MIN9708.3%-1.26
2012MIN209717.9%-0.94
2013MIN126610.8%-0.90
2014MIN750.6%-1.25
2015MIN148512.6%-0.65
2016MIN720.6%0.19
Total100%-0.52

Two years ago, I looked at which running backs played with the best passing games. I used the same formula described above, where I calculated, for each running back, his team’s average weighted RANY/A. I have re-run the numbers through the 2016 season for the top 150 leaders in rushing yards.

Rush Yds RkPlayerRush YdsTmRANY/ARANY/A Rk
1Emmitt Smith183551990-20040.3262
2Walter Payton167261975-1987-0.56132
3Barry Sanders152691989-1998-0.0690
4Curtis Martin141011995-20050.2866
5LaDainian Tomlinson136842001-20110.6238
6Jerome Bettis136621993-2005-0.18100
7Eric Dickerson132591983-1993-0.47123
8Frank Gore130652005-2016-0.39114
9Tony Dorsett127391977-19880.8523
10Jim Brown123121957-19651.1513
11Marshall Faulk122791994-20050.8026
12Edgerrin James122461999-20091.732
13Marcus Allen122431982-19970.0978
14Franco Harris121201972-19840.4950
15Thurman Thomas120741988-20000.5940
16Adrian Peterson117472007-2016-0.52129
17Fred Taylor116951998-20100.4753
18Steven Jackson114382004-2015-0.70138
19John Riggins113521971-19850.3460
20Corey Dillon112411997-2006-0.22104
21O.J. Simpson112361969-1979-0.81142
22Warrick Dunn109671997-2008-0.47124
23Ricky Watters106431992-20010.5148
24Jamal Lewis106072000-2009-0.90146
25Thomas Jones105912000-2011-1.05149
26Tiki Barber104491997-2006-0.1096
27Eddie George104411996-20040.6636
28Ottis Anderson102731979-1992-0.23106
29Ricky Williams100091999-2011-0.25107
30Clinton Portis99232002-2010-0.0389
31Joe Perry97231948-19630.1476
32Chris Johnson95372008-2016-0.0994
33Shaun Alexander94532000-20080.5049
34Matt Forte94152008-2016-0.53130
35Earl Campbell94071978-1985-0.56131
36Ahman Green92051998-20090.6934
37Marshawn Lynch91122007-20150.1177
38LeSean McCoy89542009-20160.4257
39Terry Allen86141991-20010.0184
40Jim Taylor85971958-19671.0017
41Willis McGahee84742004-2013-0.41116
42Earnest Byner82611984-19970.7828
43Herschel Walker82251986-1997-0.32109
44Roger Craig81891983-19931.534
45Gerald Riggs81881982-1991-0.50127
46Priest Holmes81721997-20070.7032
47Maurice Jones-Drew81672006-2014-0.68137
48DeAngelo Williams80962006-2016-0.0792
49Larry Csonka80811968-19790.4754
50Freeman McNeil80741981-19920.3064
51Stephen Davis80521996-20060.2671
52Garrison Hearst79661993-20040.7829
53James Brooks79621981-19921.308
54Chris Warren76961990-2000-0.93148
55Terrell Davis76071995-20011.0216
56Mike Pruitt73781976-19860.1675
57Michael Turner73382004-20120.8125
58Leroy Kelly72741964-19730.6735
59Jamaal Charles72602008-2016-0.59133
60George Rogers71761981-1987-0.89145
61Charlie Garner70971994-20040.2769
62Rodney Hampton68971990-1997-0.22103
63Antowain Smith68811997-20050.0481
64Curt Warner68441983-19900.2373
65Robert Smith68181993-20001.1912
66John Henry Johnson68031954-1966-0.41115
67Wilbert Montgomery67891977-19850.3958
68Chuck Muncie67021976-19840.9418
69Mark van Eeghen66511974-19830.5842
70Jonathan Stewart66382008-2016-0.33110
71Lawrence McCutcheon65781972-19811.376
72Lydell Mitchell65341972-19801.0215
73Arian Foster65272009-20160.5346
74DeMarco Murray65152011-20160.9021
75Wendell Tyler63781977-19860.5445
76Brian Westbrook63352002-20100.6933
77Floyd Little63231967-1975-0.44120
78Larry Johnson62232003-20110.3859
79Don Perkins62171961-19680.4456
80Ray Rice61802008-20130.0382
81Neal Anderson61661986-1993-0.44121
82Michael Vick61092001-2015-0.23105
83Ken Willard61051965-19740.9319
84Deuce McAllister60962001-20080.8027
85Travis Henry60862001-2007-0.46122
86Calvin Hill60831969-19811.0714
87Cedric Benson60172005-2012-0.60134
88James Wilder60081981-1990-0.47125
89William Andrews59861979-19860.5247
90Rudi Johnson59792001-20080.5743
91Chuck Foreman59501973-19801.2510
92Larry Brown58751969-19761.475
93Steve Van Buren58601944-19511.279
94James Stewart58411995-2002-0.37112
95Bill Brown58381961-1974-0.0288
96Rick Casares57971955-1966-0.1397
97Duce Staley57851997-2006-0.64135
98Fred Jackson57462007-2015-0.87143
99Greg Pruitt56721973-1984-0.38113
100Michael Pittman56271998-2008-0.0995
101Pete Johnson56261977-19840.4851
102Delvin Williams55981974-1981-0.20102
103Joe Morris55851982-19910.2374
104Reggie Bush54902006-20160.4852
105Mike Garrett54811966-19730.7430
106Sam Cunningham54531973-19820.2865
107Sammy Winder54271982-1990-0.0185
108Darren McFadden54232008-2016-0.77140
109Dick Bass54171960-1969-0.42118
110Jim Nance54011965-1973-0.81141
111Ronnie Brown53912005-2014-0.32108
112Willie Parker53782004-20090.6139
113Joe Cribbs53561980-1988-0.0791
114Jamal Anderson53361994-20010.2670
115Hugh McElhenny52811952-1964-0.0286
116Ryan Mathews52612010-20160.6337
117Natrone Means52151993-2000-0.1799
118Adrian Murrell51991993-2003-0.92147
119Marion Butts51851989-1995-0.50128
119John Brockington51851971-1977-0.88144
121Lenny Moore51741956-19671.337
122Ollie Matson51731952-1966-0.66136
123Clem Daniels51381960-19680.3461
124Emerson Boozer51351966-19750.5841
125Kevin Mack51231985-19930.5644
126LeGarrette Blount51222010-20160.9022
127Billy Sims51061980-1984-0.20101
128Dexter Bussey51051974-1984-0.1798
129Brandon Jacobs50942005-20130.2867
130Mike Alstott50881996-2006-0.42117
131Julius Jones50682004-20100.0383
132John Williams50061986-1995-0.49126
133Paul Lowe49951960-19691.2411
134John David Crow49631958-1968-0.33111
135Tyrone Wheatley49621995-20040.2572
136Greg Bell49591984-19900.0580
137Alfred Morris49562012-20160.4555
137Gale Sayers49561965-1971-1.35150
139Dorsey Levens49551994-20040.9120
140Ahmad Bradshaw49282007-20150.7131
140Randall Cunningham49281985-2001-0.0893
142Christian Okoye48971987-19920.3263
143Lamar Smith48531994-2003-0.44119
144Joe Washington48391977-19850.0779
145Napoleon Kaufman47921995-20000.2768
146Robert Newhouse47841972-19831.563
147Marion Barber47802005-20110.8324
148Chester Taylor47402002-2011-0.77139
149Marion Motley47201946-19553.121
150Donny Anderson46961966-1974-0.0287

With an average RANY/A of -0.52, Peterson has the third-worst RANY/A of any running back in the top 20 in career rushing yards, behind only Walter Payton and Steven Jackson.

What do you think?

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