(Editor's note: The following is an updated version of a story originally published on ESPN.com in January 2008.)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady enjoyed a 2007 regular season so dominant that he made us ponder how his performance stacked up against the greatest years in the history of the league. Five years later, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is doing the same thing, inspiring us to update our list of the 10 greatest individual seasons in NFL history.

How do we determine the best individual years ever in the NFL? Some people think it all comes down to the players who possess the best numbers. Others view context as being more critical, especially when some players -- such as O.J. Simpson and Jerry Rice -- set their records in fewer games than the players who broke them.

So here's what we think about the matter of which players enjoyed the greatest seasons since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. We're sure you'll have your own opinions:

1. Dan Marino, Miami, 1984: Marino used his second NFL season to terrorize opposing defenses on a weekly basis. Blessed with a quick release and a rocket right arm, he produced a season-long performance that required its own section in the league record books once he was done. Marino set NFL marks for yards (he became the first player to pass for 5,000 yards in a season with 5,084) and touchdown passes (he blew away the old mark of 36 with 48 of his own) and he led the Dolphins to a spot in that season's Super Bowl. Marino's Hall of Fame career included many great seasons, but nothing ever topped those feats.

In fact, there is one chief reason his performance still ranks better than those produced more recently by Peyton Manning and Brady: The application of the rules was different. Both Manning and Brady benefited from the league's decision in 2004 to place greater emphasis on enforcing the illegal contact rule, which penalizes defenders who touch receivers more than five yards beyond from the line of scrimmage. If Marino had that advantage going for him, nobody would've ever matched the season he produced 24 years ago.

2. Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams, 1984: All you have to know about Dickerson's record-breaking season -- he gained 2,105 rushing yards that year -- is that the Rams didn't have much of a passing game. Their offense hinged primarily on Dickerson's running right, Dickerson's running left and Dickerson's running just about everywhere else in between. That he generated so much yardage is a testament to the men who blocked for him and the remarkable skills he was blessed with. The man was one of the best pure runners the NFL has ever seen.

Some skeptics complain that Dickerson needed 15 games to reach the 2,000-yard mark -- while O.J. Simpson did it in just 14 games back in 1973 -- but Dickerson was both spectacular and steady. As proof, just consider that Dickerson set a record that year by eclipsing the 100-yard mark 12 times that season. You don't do that by getting extra touches. And you don't hold the record for rushing yardage as long as Dickerson has without doing something truly special.

3. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 2012: Even if Peterson doesn't surpass Dickerson's record, he's put together a season for the ages. No running back has done what he has done with so many factors working against him: the surgically repaired knee, the lack of offensive weapons around him, the inconsistency of a passing game led by a second-year quarterback. Just getting close to the 2,000-yard mark with all those challenges tells you the man has accomplished something we may never see again. Through 15 games, Peterson is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and 126.5 yards per game.

4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis, 2004: Only one quarterback in NFL history -- Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers in 2011 -- has ever been more efficient over a full season as Manning was during this campaign. Yes, Manning's season is remembered mostly because he threw a then-record 49 touchdown passes. But another league mark that Manning broke that season -- his passer rating of 121.1 easily eclipsed the former record of 112.8 set by former 49ers quarterback Steve Young in 1994 -- was just as remarkable. It basically meant that Manning didn't have a performance that was less than excellent all season. (Rodgers went on to break Manning's record with a 122.5 rating in the pass-happy 2011 season.)

Manning was so hot that he set league records by throwing at least four touchdown passes in five straight games and producing six overall games with at least four scoring tosses. However, the really scary part is what he could have done with more action. Because the Colts sat him in the fourth quarters of at least five blowout wins and for nearly all of a meaningless season finale, Manning attempted 497 passes (compared to 578 for New England's Tom Brady this season). With a few more opportunities, Manning would've set records that Rodgers and others would never be able to touch.

5. Tom Brady, New England, 2007: Most people expected Brady to be his usually reliable self when the Patriots added wide receivers Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth to their roster during the previous offseason. But few could've predicted the assault that he'd make on the NFL record books once the regular season began. It wasn't just that Brady made history with his 50 touchdown passes and his streak of 10 consecutive games with at least three scoring tosses. The man's focus never waned as the Patriots stormed to a perfect regular season.

Along with the touchdown passes, Brady set a career low for interceptions (eight), and he led the NFL in passing yards (4,806) and passer rating (117.2). Combine those numbers with the fact that New England became the first team to go 16-0 during the regular season and you get a year that will never be forgotten. Brady was easily the best big-game quarterback of his generation even before the 2007 season. Now he's given us ample reason to believe he might be the NFL's best signal-caller ever by the time he's finished.

6. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego, 2006: The NFL has seen other backs go on crazy scoring streaks in recent memory -- specifically, Dallas' Emmitt Smith and Seattle's Shaun Alexander. They never achieved like Tomlinson did six years ago, though. He set league marks for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and points (186) in one season. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes.

Overall, Tomlinson set 13 league records during his remarkable year, but that isn't even the amazing part. What is truly jaw-dropping is how dominant Tomlinson became in the second half of that year.

In retrospect, Tomlinson actually scored 23 of his touchdowns in just eight contests. He scored only eight times in his first six games of that year and he didn't produce a touchdown in his final two...