Sometimes you just know about a player. Sometimes the popcorn guy in the 25th row can glance at the field and recognize a special talent. Sometimes the scribes in the press box — yes, even us — can peer over their lap tops and pick out the best player on the field.

On Aug. 17, a rainy night in the New Jersey Meadowlands, it was easy. Early in the second quarter of a mundane pre-season game between the Jets and Vikings, Adrian Peterson took a handoff and bolted around right end. Making like the Road Runner, he blew past linebacker Bryan Thomas and cornerback Andre Dyson, who suddenly resembled a couple of Wile E. Coyotes.

Peterson turned the corner and went for 43 yards, his first long run as a pro, punctuating the run with a lowered shoulder into the chest of cornerback David Barrett — a collision that nearly sent Barrett into the nearby Hackensack River. After the game, the Jets’ locker room was buzzing about the rookie from Oklahoma.

“That guy,” safety Kerry Rhodes said, “is going to be something.”

Peterson is something, all right. Something special. Something that we haven’t seen in nearly a quarter-century.

He set the NFL’s single-game record Sunday with a 296-yard rushing performance in the Vikings’ 35-17 victory over the Chargers, but it wasn’t a breakout game — and that’s the scary part. No, this was a coronation.

With apologies to LaDainian Tomlinson, Peterson is now the most dangerous running back in the NFL.

You want to argue? Sorry, this is a no-brainer.

It was Peterson’s second 200-yard game, a first for a rookie. Think about that for a second: Some of the most prolific backs in history go their entire careers without a 200-yard game — Curtis Martin, the fourth all-time leading rusher, did it only once in 11 years — and Peterson has hit the 200 mark twice in eight games.

With 1,036 yards, Peterson is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing record (1,808), set in 1983. Heck, if Peterson cranks out another double-century game, he could challenge Dickerson’s all-time record (2,105).

“I set my bar high because I know anything is possible when you continue to work hard,” said Peterson, displaying a maturity that belies his youth.

He’s not doing too badly for a running back with a bum collar bone and an upright running style that’s going to get him killed in the NFL.

We laugh now, but those were the concerns prior to the draft, when Peterson slipped on some draft boards. Wisely, the Vikings grabbed him with the seventh pick, realizing it would’ve been foolhardy to pass on Peterson even though they already had a capable back in Chester Taylor.

Just think: If the Vikings had ignored their “best-available-athlete” game plan, and picked for need, they would’ve let Peterson slip to the Falcons (eighth) or the Dolphins (ninth) or the Texans (10th). Could you imagine Peterson playing for the Texans in his home state? The angry Houston fans, still sulking over the Mario Williams/Reggie Bush choice, would’ve been in a forgive-and-forget mood with Peterson, don’t you think?

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Look, Tomlinson is a terrific back, a future Hall of Famer, but let’s be honest: If you’re a defensive player, who would you rather not have to tackle, Tomlinson or Peterson?

Right now, the answer is Peterson, who made a very good San Diego defense look like … well, the New York Jets. The Chargers began the day with the league’s seventh-ranked run defense. They’re not the ’85 Bears, but they also have a formidable front seven. But the most important part of the equation is what the Vikings don’t have.

Like, a quarterback. Or any other offensive threat to take pressure off Peterson, the Vikings' best home-run threat since Randy Moss.

When you face the Vikings, it’s no secret where the ball is going. Peterson did most of his damage Sunday with Brooks Bollinger at quarterback. The career third-stringer replaced the injured Tarvaris Jackson and proceeded to play a supporting role in one of the great performances in history.

Yep, that Bollinger sure did a great job of handing off.

“I felt like I was back at Wisconsin,” said Bollinger, who did a lot of handing off to Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne in 1999.

It has taken only eight games for Peterson to disprove the scouts that wondered about his durability and his upright running style. That style was a recipe for disaster, some scouts felt. He’d take too much punishment. He’d eventually break down. The collarbone, fractured in college, won’t stand a chance against NFL defenders.

Yada, yada, yada.

Peterson is running away with all the records, and he could run his way into MVP consideration. Right now, he’s the most feared back in the NFL. Even a sports writer could see this coming, way back on a rainy night in August, when he left his first dent in an NFL defense.

NFL game stories Quick look at Week 4 games STEELERS 23, RAVENS 20, OT: Baltimore loses first game of season REDSKINS 26, COWBOYS 24: Dallas can't contain Portis in 1st loss BEARS 24, EAGLES 20: Goal-line stand boosts Chicago JETS 56, CARDINALS 35: Favre throws career-high 6 TDs BUCS 30, PACKERS 21: Ryan's 3 FGs lift Tampa CHARGERS 28, RAIDERS 18: San Diego tops rival 10th straight time BILLS 31, RAMS 14: Buffalo 4-0 for first time since 1992 CHIEFS 33, BRONCOS 19: Johnson rushes for 198 yards for K.C. BROWNS 20, BENGALS 12: Anderson throws TD TITANS 30, VIKINGS 17: Tennessee 4-0 for first time ever PANTHERS 24, FALCONS 9: Smith honors Lucas after TD JAGUARS 30, TEXANS 27, OT: Scobey kicks game winner SAINTS 31, 49ERS 17: McAlister scores first TD of year

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