Barry Sanders was a running back for the Detroit Lions during the 1990's.He attended college at Oklahoma State University , where he played for three years before entering into the NFL Draft. Only standing at 5'8, Sanders was able to change the way running back play because of his ability to evade defenders and for literally being able to change his speed in the blink of an eye. Sanders was almost always one of the smallest guys on the field, and playing running back, he always had a target on his back. When linebackers would see Sanders running straight towards them, their eyes would light up, ready to punish the little back. Once close, Sanders would fake one way, and as the defender lunges towards him, move the other. As Barry would be headed one way , the defender would be left with nothing but thin air. Many scenarios such as this is what made Sanders great. When asked why he always tries to evade instead of run through defenders, Sanders replied:"I'm running for my life. I don't want to get hit!" Well, that sure worked for him!
It seemed as though he was always running for his life, because for most of his career he had a terrible offensive line. Year in and year out, Barry would be forced to use his elusiveness the second he received the ball because his offensive line couldn't block well. The Lions were better off hiring 5 sumo wrestlers to sit there and grab defenders than having the bad o-lines that Barry had to deal with. Nevertheless, Barry Sanders was able to have a single season in which he rushed for 2000 yards, and oh yeah, finish his career as the third leading rusher in NFL history.
Adrian Peterson, known as "AD" (All Day) is the current running back for the Minnesota Vikings. Peterson attended Oklahoma University for three years, and then declared for the NFL draft. I'm not sure why, but Peterson somehow fell to be the 7th player drafted the year that he entered it. Although he had small questions about a collarbone injury, Peterson had 1925 rushing yards in his freshman year alone. Either way, the first six teams that took a pass on Peterson missed out. Peterson is the ideal running back for anyone's team.If you're looking for an example of a balanced running back, look no further. Peterson possesses the ability to outrun defenders , and the strength to run through them. He also has the durability to carry the football 20-25 times a game, which is a lot in any football game. Part of what makes Peterson great is his determination. Every time he runs into an obstacle, he seems to humbly bounce back even stronger than he was before that obstacle occurred. In 2011, after signing a 7-year $96 million dollar contract, midway through the season Peterson tore his ACL and MCL. These are severe injuries, and many times players just do not return to their form. Well, not only did Peterson do so, but he recovered before the time he was expected to. Peterson had 2097 rushing yards, falling only 9 yards short of the record for most rushing yards in a season. Having that many rushing yards in one year is simply not human; it's really something a person only does on a video game using the rookie mode. That statistic alone serves as a testament to how good he is.
Whoever becomes the cover player will surely have the credentials to be on it. As a voter, fans cannot go wrong with either choice. With that being said, I have decided to vote for Barry Sanders because (1. he was able to perform the way he did with a horrible team (2. averaged 1500 rushing yards throughout his career and (3. Peterson has more time and opportunities to be on the cover of a Madden game since he is still in the league. In the words of the artist Wale,"My people never block, I think I'm Barry Sanders!"