Greatest Viking Of All Time Tournament: Adrian Peterson vs Cris Carter

As sort of a warm-up to the Championship Match of our Greatest Viking Of All Time Tournament, we've decided to bring you a consolation game between the two men that came up just a little bit short of the finals of our tournament. And you know something? It's still a pretty damn fine match-up. These two men were the top two overall seeds in our tournament, and now they battle it out for, essentially, third place.

Adrian Peterson

Alma Mater: University of Oklahoma
Acquired by Vikings: Round 1, 2007 NFL Draft
Seasons in Minnesota: 6 (2007-2012)
Position: Running back
How He Got Here: Defeated Ed Sharockman 140-6 in Round 1; Defeated Zygi Wilf 226-3 in Round 2; Defeated Chuck Foreman 204-18 in Round 3; Defeated Jared Allen 238-18 in Round 4; Lost to Bud Grant 154-171 in Round 5

Adrian Peterson holds pretty much every meaningful rushing record in the history of the Minnesota Vikings, and has done so in just six seasons of play. He is the team's leader in rushing yardage, and in 2013 will likely become the first 10,000-yard back in team history. He leads the team in rushing touchdowns, carries, yards per game, and numerous other categories as well. He was the 2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, a Pro Bowl player in five of his six seasons, a first-team All-Pro three different times. . .oh, and the 2012 National Football League Most Valuable Player. He also holds the NFL record for the most rushing yards in a game, setting the record with 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers in 2007, and came within nine yards of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing mark in a season where he was coming off of a horrific knee injury. Adrian Peterson has clearly established himself as the greatest running back in Minnesota Vikings history, and could be the best of all time at the position by the time he finishes.

Cris Carter

Alma Mater: The. . .dramatic pause. . .Ohio State University
Acquired by Minnesota: Acquired on waivers prior to the 1990 season
Seasons in Minnesota: 12 (1990-2001)
Position: Wide receiver
How He Got Here: Defeated John Sullivan 137-7 in Round 1; Defeated Matt Blair 217-17 in Round 2; Defeated Paul Krause 115-99 in Round 3; Defeated Jim Marshall 136-125 in Round 4; Lost to Alan Page 82-200 in Round 5

Cris Carter turned his life around as a member of the Minnesota Vikings after getting cut by the Philadelphia Eagles after three seasons in the National Football League. They gave him a chance, and he rewarded the team by becoming not only the greatest wide receiver in the history of the Minnesota Vikings, but one of the greatest wide receivers the National Football League has ever known. While his career stats put him into the Top Ten in the three major receiving categories in NFL history, if you took just his numbers from his time in Minnesota, his 1,024 receptions would put him eighth on the list, his 12,383 yards as a Viking would put him 17th, and he would be sixth all-time in receptions with 110. Carter finally got his due, being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame a few weeks ago, and is truly one of the greats of the game.

If you need a primer on how the voting for our contest works, we have one for you at this link here. Remember, rec the comments to register your vote. Putting "Vote - Name" in the subject line of a post does not count.

If you want to vote for Adrian Peterson, rec the comment that says "Vote - Adrian Peterson"
If you want to vote for Cris Carter, rec the comment that says "Vote - Cris Carter"

Also, please do not reply to either of the first two comments in the thread. Those comments need to remain together and not have one get pushed down the comments section.

Voting is open for 24 hours, just like always, folks. Have at it!