25-year old Adrian Peterson has been outstanding in his NFL career to date and there is no reason to think he’ll be slowing down any time soon.  Peterson played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Vikings last season and he carried the ball 314 times for 1,383 yards (4.4 ypc) with 18 TD runs.  He also caught 43 passes for 436 yards (10.1 avg) last season.  He has now played in 46 games (39 starts) in his first three years with the Vikings and he has carried the ball 915 times for 4,484 yards (4.9 ypc) with 40 TD carries.  Peterson has also caught 83 passes for 829 yards (10.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Peterson can take the ball to the house any time he touches the football.  He has all of the moves and he’s got power and speed making him the total package for the Vikings.

2nd round pick Toby Gerhart out of Stanford will likely be Peterson’s top backup in 2010.  Gerhart is fast and strong and he should have won the Heisman Trophy last season as he was the best college football player I saw.  Gerhart is a power back and he’s a good receiver out of the backfield.  He reminds me of a cross between John Riggins and Mike Alstott and that bodes well for the Vikings starting in 2010.

27-year old Ryan Moats will battle 25-year old Albert Young for the #3 RB job in 2010.  Moats played in 14 games (2 starts) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 101 times for 390 yards (3.9 ypc) with 4 TD carries.  He has also caught 13 passes for 106 yards (8.2 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  Moats has played in 38 games (3 starts) in his four years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 204 times for 831 yards (4.1 ypc) with 8 TD carries.  He has also caught 20 passes for 127 yards (6.4 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career.  I think Moats will beat Young out for the #3 job in 2010.  Albert Young played in 7 games (0 starts) as a rookie last season and he carried the ball 12 times for 53 yards (4.4 ypc) without any TDs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE VIKINGS RBs in 2010:  A

The Vikings have signed 27-year old RB Ryan Moats to a 1-year deal.  Moats played in 14 games (2 starts) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 101 times for 390 yards (3.9 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 13 passes for 106 yards (8.2 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  Moats has now played in 38 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 204 times for 831 yards (4.1 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He has also caught 20 passes for 127 yards (6.4 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career.  Moats will battle rookie Toby Gerhart and Albert Young for the #2 job at RB behind Adrian Peterson.  My guess is that Moats will be the #3 RB for the Vikings this year behind Peterson and Gerhart.

UPDATE:  (8/24/2010) – The Vikings have waived Ryan Moats.  Moats played in the first two pre-season games for the Vikings in which he carried the ball 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc) and  caught 1 pass for 2 yards.

40-year old Brett Favre likely doesn’t want to end his career with a game altering interception in the NFC Championship Game.  He did have ankle surgery last month which will likely allow him to blow off practice until August.  I fully expect him to come back for the 2010 season.  Favre played in all 16 games for the Vikings last season and he completed 363 of 531 passes (68.4%) for 4,202 yards with 33 TD passes and only 7 INTs (107.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 9 times for 7 yards (0.8 ypc) last season.  He has now played in 289 games in his NFL career and he has completed 6,083 of 9,811 (62%) for 69,329 yards with 497 TD passes and 317 INTs (86.6 QB Rating).  Favre has also carried the ball 585 times for 1,836 (3.1 ypc) with 14 TD runs in his NFL career.  Favre is a winner and I see no reason why he can’t excel in 2010 for the Vikings as long as he can stay healthy.  Favre has a 181-104 (63.5%) career record as a starting QB in the NFL during the regular season.

27-year old Tarvaris Jackson will be either Brett Favre’s caddy or the Vikings’ starting QB in 2010.  Jackson played in 8 games for the Vikings last season and he completed 14 of 21 passes (66.7%) for 201 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (113.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 17 times for -10 yards (-0.6 ypc) but most of those were kneel downs to kill the clock at the end of games.  Jackson has now played in 33 games in his NFL career and he has completed 320 of 545 passes (58.7%) for 3,643 yards with 21 TD passes and 18 INTs (77.9 QB Rating).  Jackson has also carried the ball 112 times for 472 yards (4.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs in his career.  Despite Jackson’s continued improvement as a passer the Vikings would likely be a much more conservative offensive team with him under center.  The Vikings are 10-9 (52.6%) in games started by Jackson in the regular season.

32-year old Sage Rosenfels is back for the Vikings this year.  He didn’t get onto the field last year but he is without a doubt one of the best #3 QBs in the NFL.  He has played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has completed 351 of 562 passes (62.5%) for 4,156 yards with 30 TD passes and 29 INTs (81.2 QB Rating).  Rosenfels also carried the ball 45 times for 98 yards (2.2 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career.  Rosenfels has a 6-6 career record as a starting QB in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE VIKINGS QBs in 2010:  With Favre:  A     Without Favre:  C