That unforgettable 2009 season sure seems like an eternity ago, doesn't it? If Brett Favre's arrival in Minnesota was all about making the impossible seem effortless, then his sad swan song started with the embarrassing and moved steadily toward the unbearable. By the end of it all, few had been spared: Brad Childress lost control of his team and was fired; Randy Moss returned, insulted the food, and was gone again in four weeks; even the poor Metrodome didn't last the season. But all was not lost for the Purple and Gold. Adrian Peterson came through in the biggest way, finishing the year as the league's second-highest rusher. In a season where everything else seemed to go wrong, A.P. was a joy to watch—one player who, so long as he was in the backfield, still ignited the hope for that crucial first down or breakout play, the sort of game-changer that can help turn a season around.