The good folks at Pro Football Weekly have put together their initial "Rookie of the Year" Meter. Surprisingly, there are not one, but TWO Vikings on the list.
Obviously, we know who one of them is. . .
Season stats (one game): 19 carries for 103 yards, one reception for 60 yards, one touchdown
Stock: STEADY
When fellow RB Chester Taylor went down with a hip contusion, Peterson took off. His 60-yard TD reception was a thing of beauty, as he bobbled the ball initially in the flat, then side-stepped a defender, before turning on the jets and torching the Falcons' secondary on his way to paydirt.
But once you get past that. . .check out who's just a couple spots down on the list.
Season stats (one game): two tackles, two sacks
Stock: RISING
The Vikings' fourth-round selection out of Texas certainly didn't play like a second-day pick on Sunday. More of a situational pass rusher at this early stage of his career, Robison's speed off the edge earned him a pair of sacks, making a statement that Adrian Peterson might have some competition for team rookie of the year honors.
I was totally blown away by Robison's level of play on Sunday, just as I'm sure that most of you were. Sure, he looked outstanding in the pre-season, but most of the run that he got during that time was with the #2 and #3 units. . .I'm not sure if he got ANY time with the #1 defense this pre-season. But there he was with the big boys on Sunday afternoon, stomping Joey Harrington's head in right beside Kevin Williams and E.J. Henderson and the rest of one of the NFL's best defenses.
WR Sidney Rice and CB Marcus McCauley also got into the "Honorable Mention" section.
I wonder. . .and I know it's a bit early for this. . .but has an NFL team ever had both the Offensive AND Defensive Rookies of the Year in the same season? If not, it sure would be nice to see the Vikings be the first.