Gridiron Breakdown: Cam Newton vs. Adrian Peterson

  • Updated: Dec. 11, 2012 at 09:26 p.m.



The new trailer for "Man of Steel" came out on Tuesday, and if you haven't seen it yet, I insist that you watch it right now. It's all right, I will wait.

Pretty cool, right? I too hope this will be a comeback vehicle for the K-Dawg, Kevin Costner. And don't go watch it again, we have some serious business to talk about.

The reason I bring this up is because there are a lot of professional athletes who claim to be Superman (looking at you Dwight Howard and Shaq). And even here in the NFL, Cam Newton likes to peel back his T-shirt to reveal his No. 1 jersey. But come on, has anybody shown more superhuman ability than Adrian Peterson and his return from injury?

Well, let's not leave this to my judgment. The only way to really determine who most resembles Superman would be to take it to the grid!

And without further ado ...


Player Cam Newton Adrian Peterson Give it to ...
AKA: Ace Boogie (seriously) A.D. Peterson. A.D. sort of sounds like a superhero. Ace Boogie sounds like a "South Park" parody.
Origin: Earth Earth Push. Although Peterson might need to produce a video of his birth at some point to prove this is real.
Faster than a speeding bullet (faster 40 time)? 4.59 4.40 Peterson. Cam's 40-time is pretty good for a quarterback, but Peterson takes it here.
More powerful than a locomotive? Yes Yes Push
Able to leap small buildings (or at least defenders) in a single bound (vertical leap)? 35 inches 38.5 inches Peterson
Special powers: Ability to not open his eyes in a press conference after his team loses Able to recover from a devastating injury in record time. In other words, he's practically bulletproof. Peterson. Superman's alter ego Clark Kent was a reporter. Do you think he would address the media in such a manner?
Nemesis: Matty Ice A-Rod Newton. At least his nemesis has a name which sounds like a super villain. A-Rod sounds like a dude at a kegger on fraternity row.
His kryptonite: New York Giants Brett Favre Peterson. Like Superman with Lex Luthor, Favre and Peterson were friends (or so you would like to believe), but he becomes his worst enemy as he throws away his chance for the Super Bowl.
Moment you knew he was special: Threw for more than 400 yards in his first two NFL games. Rushed for 103 yards in his first game as a pro. Then galloped for 224 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears in Week 5 of his rookie season. Then he followed that up with 296 yards and three touchdowns against the Chargers three weeks later. Peterson. The NFL was coming off a lockout when Newton first showed up, so the slight edge goes to Peterson.
Bizzaro version: Vince Young Darren McFadden Push