Although they won’t admit it, there are probably a lot of NFL decision makers having second thoughts this week about passing on Adrian Peterson in the college draft earlier this year. Yeah, the Chicago Bears are upset about their poor performance trying to corral and tackle the 22-year-old Viking running back from Palestine, Texas. But draft decision makers with Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Arizona and Washington have reason to think about throwing a tantrum, too, even if they do it in the privacy of a closet at midnight.
Those teams drafted one through six last April, choosing quarterback JaMarcus Russell, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, defensive end Gaines Adams, offensive tackle Levi Brown and safety LaRon Landry. Russell has yet to play for the Raiders. Johnson has 11 receptions, 192 yards, a 17.5 per catch average and two touchdowns. Thomas has started all six games for the Browns at left tackle. Adams has started the same number of games and has 15 tackles and one sack. Brown has started three of six games at right tackle. Landry has started three of five games and has 26 tackles and a half sack.
Peterson, the seventh pick in the draft, leads the NFL in rushing with 607 yards after playing in five games. With five touchdowns he leads all NFL rookies in that category. Against Chicago last Sunday he rushed for a single game team record 224 yards (also the most ever given up by the Bears). He has set or tied numerous franchise records including the first Viking to have two runs of over 50 yards in a single game (against the Bears).
After five games including Sunday’s coming-of-age performance against the Bears, people are talking about running back king LaDainian Tomlinson and Peterson in the same sentence. Tomlinson, with six consecutive 1,000 yards or more seasons, had four touchdowns and 198 yards rushing on Sunday against Oakland. That sentence can be something like: “Tomlinson and Peterson are the two best running backs in the NFL.”
Assume that all seven of the first picks in last April’s draft become Pro Bowl players. Other than perhaps Russell, none can have the impact of Peterson because of the positions they play. Peterson is such a playmaker that if he remains healthy the others can’t compare unless Russell ultimately shows quarterback skills the equal of Peterson’s as a runner. That’s a lot to ask because Peterson’s ability to cut, change speeds, and overpower and outrun everybody on the field makes him a candidate for wearing a big “S” on his chest.
Before he becomes the new age’s superman, though, he will have to play a few more games at minimum. And at some point he will need to be recognized as the Vikings’ No. 1 running back. As of Monday’s news conference with head coach Brad Childress, Peterson was still No. 2 behind veteran Chester Taylor. Childress said the No. 2 status doesn’t bother him or Peterson.
While Childress wants to continue to mix playing time between the two, he recognizes how special a first year runner Peterson is. “He’s the best (rookie back) that I’ve seen or coached,” Childress said. The coach also said he likes alternating his two running backs, providing “fresh” legs and looks, maximizing opportunities for explosive plays.
Peterson did that against the Bears. He had runs of 67, 73 and 35 yards for touchdowns, plus a 53-yard kickoff return.
Peterson will see better defenses ahead than the Bears offered. In their last three games the Bears have given up 88 points. Against Peterson the Bear secondary was particularly bad, missing tackles and taking poor angles. The Bears gave up 311 total yards rushing to the Vikings, including 224 to Peterson and 83 to Taylor.
Here’s what Bears’ defensive tackle Tommie Harris told Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti on suntimes.com: “There’s no excuse to give up that many yards. I don’t even think we were in position to make tackles,” Tommie Harris said. “We played poorly on defense. People talk about how good our defense is, but we’ve been giving up way too many rushing yards. …”
Mariotti offered this praise to Peterson: “We’ve seen magnificent running backs in this town, the best to play the game. Cedric Benson certifiably is not worthy of the tradition, which makes life difficult when you’ve wasted a high draft pick and about $20 million on a bust while the Minnesota Vikings are showcasing the next power-and-speed, bash-and-dash, Nintendo-game force.”