MINNEAPOLIS -- This Sunday, Adrian Peterson will line up in the Minnesota Vikings' backfield for his 10th season opener at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Standing in the backfield with him will be Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford, the 12th starting quarterback the Vikings have used during Peterson's career in Minnesota.
If Barry Sanders -- an Oklahoma State product and Detroit Lions Hall of Famer -- was one of Peterson's childhood heroes, there's an element of Sanders' Big 12-to-NFC North path that Peterson doesn't want to emulate. Some in Peterson's camp have long viewed Sanders, who walked away at age 30 with four rushing titles and one career playoff win, as a cautionary tale.