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There are a lot of debates that go on throughout an NFL season about what teams can contend for a title, which players are on the downside of their careers and what players are amongst the best at their position.

The one debate that has really started to get a lot of attention over the past couple of seasons has been which running back is the best in the league. A few years ago, there was an easy answer to this question as the San Diego Chargers Pro Bowler LaDainian Tomlinson was without a doubt the best player out of the backfield.

With an NFL MVP award, multiple Pro Bowl appearances and the ability to do almost anything on the offensive side of the football field (run, catch and pass), LT wasn’t only the best back in the league, but he was the best all around player hands down.

Well, a lot has changed since the days of LT’s dominance in San Diego as his numbers have really started to decline and the Chargers recently released their former best all around player. Fortunately, LT didn’t stay unemployed for long as the New York Jets decided to make him their starter out of the backfield.

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As for the which player is now the best running back in the league, the debate rages on, but there are only two legitimate candidates for the distinction of the best NFL running back. This upcoming season might determine which back comes out on top as the Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson and the Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson will battle it out.

Last season both the Tennessee Titans and the Minnesota Vikings had pretty successful years. Obviously, the Vikings had a much better season than the Titans as they were able to make it all the way to the NFC championship and come just short of playing in the Super Bowl. The Titans on the other hand struggled early on in the season, but rebounded nicely with an impressive run in the second half of the year.

Even though the Vikings were without a doubt the better team with a lot more to show for their impressive performance in 2009, the battle between the league’s two best running backs was much different as Chris Johnson was without a doubt the best rusher in the league.

With 2,006 rushing yards, 503 receiving yards, 16 total touchdowns (14 rushing, 2 receiving) and just three lost fumbles, Chris Johnson was by far the best back in the league last season. The Tennessee Titans may have just missed the playoffs in the AFC Conference, but they definitely have a promising future with Johnson coming out of the backfield.

The Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson on the other hand dominated last season in terms of touchdowns with a total of 18, all rushing, but his Achilles heel has turned out to be his tendency to commit multiple costly turnovers. Even though AP finished with 1,819 total yards (1,383 rushing, 436 receiving), 18 touchdowns and the possibility of playing in a Super Bowl, Chris Johnson may have taken over as the league’s best back with the ability to torch opposing defenses with his ability to destroy secondarys in the ground game.

It will be interesting to say the least how these two extremely talented running backs do next season, but in my opinion, the Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson has officially become the best running back in the NFL.