I am quite aware of the rules of rooting when it comes to pro teams.

You're supposed to root only for teams whose locales have something intertwined with your life. For example: Did you live there? Do you live there? Is it the closest pro market to your area?.

It makes me crazy to hear Bob Barry Jr. talk on The Sports Animal about "his BoSox," when he's as Oklahoman as you get. Did he go to Harvard? Did Big Bob Sr. have a second home in Cambridge I didn't know about?

Well, I've violated this rule many times when I was younger. Even a couple years ago, I rooted for the Los Angeles Clippers as part of an assignment I gave myself to follow an out-of-market NBA team with the NBA League Pass on Cox Digital Cable.

My team is still the Dallas Mavericks.

The Clippers are just a mistress, a little action on the side.

In the NFL, I had never really had any such thing. Dallas' Cowboys are not only America's Team; they are clearly my team, too. However, I am becoming a Minnesota Vikings fan mighty quick, and I'll tell you why.

Adrian Peterson.

When I was asked two months ago about how A.D. would do in the pros, I said he would be the hands-down rookie of the year. There was some mild scoffing, particularly in light of the fact that the former Oklahoma stud is injury prone.

And that he shares the workload with Chester Taylor. Er, make that "shared."

Adrian Peterson is so good, so early, that one ESPN column said he is already the second-best running back in the entire league -- and I disagree. Pound for pound, given his breakaway speed, his strength and his pass-catching ability, he is THE best back in the league.

Already.

Not only is he a sure thing, barring injury, for rookie of the year, Adrian Peterson will be in the running for NFL MVP. Of course, there's no way he beats Tom Brady for that honor, and -- frankly -- an injury could fall No. 28.

However, against my Dallas Cowboys this weekend, Adrian Peterson comes home to Texas. I'm not sure what success he'll have against Wade Phillips' defense, but even if I'm pulling for Dallas, I'm pulling for this guy to break off some gangsta runs.

Sorry. Not that he's a "gangsta" or of bad character. Not at all. In fact, Bob Stoops told Minnesota's head coach that A.D.'s primary goal at Oklahoma was to be a good teammate.

However, I don't know how else to describe Adrian Peterson other than "bad ass." He is a bad ass.

Oddly enough, in my personal and never humble opinion, I still think Quentin Griffin was the better Oklahoma running back. He did more for us at times when we needed it most to help us win huge games, and I have always thought little No. 22 was vastly underrated in Norman.

However, mark it down. Except for tragedy or injury or some fatal turn of character, Adrian Peterson will be the greatest NFL player in OU history.

Highlights from Adrian's big day against Chicago last weekend: