Jim Thomas: Gurley vs. Peterson will be must-see TV

Were William Hayes in another line of work, you can bet he’d be in the man cave Sunday in front of the big screen to watch the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson and the St. Louis Rams’ Todd Gurley.

“Get the chips out, some guacamole, some cheese dip,” said Hayes, the Rams’ defensive end. “Maybe a nice little brew, and sit back and enjoy some good football.”

It’s that kind of matchup. First off, there are only two contests this weekend in the NFL in which both teams have winning records, and one of them pits the 4-3 Rams and the 5-2 Vikings.

And nowhere else will you find a contest pitting the NFL’s top running back (Peterson) against the NFL’s top young running back (Gurley). AP vs. TGII.

“He is the godfather,” Gurley said, smiling. “I guess I’m the godson.”

Something like that. Peterson arguably is top dog among current NFL running backs. Since he entered the league in 2007 he has averaged 97.5 rushing yards per game, easily a league high. He has scored 89 rushing touchdowns in that span, easily a league high.

And now here comes the new kid on the block, the 21-year-old Gurley. After just five NFL games and four starts, Gurley already has been the Pepsi rookie of the week, FedEx Ground player of the week, and the NFL’s offensive rookie of the month (for October).

Gurley’s game-worn cleats and jersey from last Sunday’s historic outing against San Francisco are now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Against the 49ers, Gurley became the first rookie in NFL history to rush for 125 yards-plus in four consecutive games. He has more yards rushing in his first four NFL starts (566) than any rookie in the Super Bowl era.

That’s what you call a fast start. Told you so, says Herschel Walker.

“A year ago, I told everyone and people thought I was crazy,” Walker said. “I said I thought Todd would be a better professional player than he was in college. If you watch the way he runs, you watch his work habits, you can tell that’s a good kid. He knows what he’s doing.”

Walker, a former Georgia running back great like Gurley, was in town this week promoting Friday’s Bellator MMA fight card at Scottrade Center.

“About two weeks ago I saw him hurdle a guy,” Walker said. “I remember watching Gale Sayers do that once, and I was like man, he looks a little bit like Gale Sayers.”

Sayers, the former Chicago Bear, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But the person most observers compare Gurley to is the one he’s facing Sunday – Peterson.

“We kind of have the same physique,” Gurley said. “He’s probably a lot more muscular. We both kind of run hard and don’t like to go down.”

Peterson is listed as 6 feet 1, 220 pounds; Gurley is 6-1, 227. Both have an intriguing blend of speed and power. Both know how to use a stiff-arm to their advantage.

Interestingly, Peterson endorses the comparison. He sees a little of himself in Gurley when he watches Gurley run.

“Yeah, he’s fast. He’s aggressive. He plays physical,” Peterson said. “He has nice feet, nice vision. So those are the qualities that I feel like I have as well.”

The godfather enters Sunday’s game ranked third in the NFL with 633 yards rushing on 140 carries.

The godson comes in ranked fifth with 575 yards on just 94 carries.

While Gurley’s body language radiates confidence, his words often reflect humility. So it wasn’t surprising this week when he shied away from making too much of the AP-TGII matchup.

“I’m not matching up against him, because he’s on offense,” Gurley said. “But it’s cool to be out there and just have fun and play our game.”

That’s probably the best approach to take given Peterson’s risume. After all, Gurley’s had a hot month; Peterson’s had a hot decade.

“Adrian, he’s the grandfather right now in the league,” Walker said. “Gurley, he’s the pee wee right now. This is his first time in the league.”

And that’s why Hayes says, “It’s hard to compare the two. You look at Peterson, his body of work is unheard of. He’s been dominating this thing since he came in the league. Gurley’s starting off on a good path, but you can’t really compare ‘em right now. It wouldn’t even be fair to him.”

True, but there’s nothing that says the rookie can’t outshine the godfather on one Sunday afternoon.

Gurley has quickly earned the respect of his teammates. How so?

“You ain’t been looking at the football games on Sunday?,” Hayes said, laughing. “He’s been the best football player on the field.”

For his part, coach Jeff Fisher thinks Gurley still has more to show.

“You haven’t seen a 200-yard rushing day out of him,” Fisher said. “It’ll happen.”

Even getting to 100 for the fifth game in a row won’t be easy against a fast-flowing Minnesota defense that ranks 15th in the league in run defense but is seventh in total defense.

“They’re definitely an extremely physical defense,” Gurley said. “Their linebackers are good. They swarm to the ball fast. It’s not just one person that stands out. They have a lot of good players. Their safeties are hard-hitters. Definitely gotta do a great job this week.”

And rest assured, Peterson wants to make sure that nothing resembling a changing of the guard takes place Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium.

“In this game, the older you get, you gotta realize there’s a young guy that’s gonna come take a spot,” Hayes said.

Just not this week as far as Peterson and the Vikings are concerned. Pass the guacamole.