Did anybody watch the history that was set on
Sunday by the Minnesota Vikings' rookie phenomenon Adrian Peterson? Not only is Peterson a personable guy off the field, he is a beast on the field. And if he keeps it up, he stands to make a lot of money in a short amount of time.

He kind of reminded me of Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon." Bruce Lee told a young monk to attack with "emotional content." At first I thought to myself, "What does he mean by emotional content?" Then, after a short demonstration, he basically says attack with "feeling." "Don't see a fight as a fight, but see it as a play being acted out with one's fists." Adrian attacked with "emotional content" and "feeling" that I
haven't seen in a long time.

Peterson break-out game and already the comparisons to the "Great Ones" are already flying. Barry Sanders and Gale Sayers have been thrown into the mix. As well as O.J. Simpson, Marcus Allen, and Jim Brown. However, many would question if these comparisons are warranted. Granted it was only one game, but in that one game he ran for 296 yards against a pretty solid San Diego defense. Not only that, he did it with a sort of patience and poise and explosiveness that brought on the comparisons to
the "Great Ones." He waited for the blocks like Allen, made the cut-backs like Sanders, and rushed with the explosiveness of Simpson and Sayers, while exhibiting the sheer power of Brown. Add that to the fact that he is only a rookie, and that's a formula for success. Most of the
yards that he rushed for started with a run up the middle and his creativity and power took over from there.

But that's nothing compared to how much he is potentially

going to make in his short, 5-year contract with the Vikings. After doing some heavy research, I found that the Vikings are rewarding Peterson on a very
generous scale.

Breaking it down per attribute and per year, it really is a good deal. Also, whoever his agent is needs a firm handshake for exemplary negotiating tactics.

It's like this: Peterson is guaranteed $17 million in his contract life already. He just earned a one-time $2.45 million bonus for breaking the one-game rushing record on Sunday. In 2010, he will start the season with a salary of $2.695 million if he rushes for more than 1,000 yards in two of his first three seasons. He has already ran for 1,036 and the
season is only half-over, so that is one down. If he rushes for 1,300 in one year, he will add another million to his contract salary for 2011. By the way, that year he is set to begin with $3.94 million. If he does it twice he will add another $3 million to that. Also, should he rush for 20 touchdowns or 2,000 yards, he will add another $1 million
to the 2011 season's salary. He has already rushed for nine
touchdowns. And, he could also earn another $250,000 if he is named rookie of the year, MVP of the league, or MVP of the Super Bowl.

Altogether, Adrian Peterson has the potential (and certainly the talent) to earn $40.5 million in five years. I don't want to jinx it, but if he stays healthy and has true runaway games against the weaker defenses on their schedule (i.e. the Raiders, 49ers, Broncos, and maybe even the Bears) (but especially the Broncos), that will be money in the bank. I
don't know what the exact definition of "ballin" is, but I think we will have to define it in the dictionary if that happens. Then put his picture up next to it.

That's my word. Thanks for reading.

Kylan Holt