The Adrian Peterson Experiment Is Working Out Perfectly, Let's Hope It Lasts
Filthy run there from Adrian Peterson. The jump cut, hitting the hole with explosion, darting down the sideline, and then dragging defenders was a vintage ADAP.
Again here:
Another absolutely impressive run.
Yesterday, Peterson once again proved that he still has it. He wasn’t even brought into any camps, and wasn’t signed by the Skins until August 20th. Everyone wrote him off. Websites that hate us said it was the wrong move, that he wouldn’t be able to to help the Skins running game, all of that. And so far, he has proved the doubters nothing but wrong.
In week 1 he proved he could still carry a full work-load, running 26 times for 96 yards. That average is actually a little skewed too, as they were trying to get him to 100 yards at the end of the game and the Cardinals were basically in goal line formation to stop him. But he also had 2 catches for another 70 yards, including a 52 yard scamper to seal the game. 166 total yards in his first game back, I’ll take that.
Week 2 was an all around offensive disaster. I don’t want to give him a pass, because 11 caries for 20 yards is bad and not good, but it was an all around lack of effort by the team as a whole. He made up for his lack of run production by chipping in with 3 catches for 30 yards.
So everyone was wondering, would ADAP bounce back or were the cynics correct? Was he done? Was he finished? And the answer was absolutely not. Peterson absolutely pummeled the Packers yesterday. His explosiveness was on full display. His jump cuts and vision out of the backfield was reminiscent of 2012. It was beautiful to see. Get stopped for a short gain, stopped for a short gain, explode for a monster run. There aren’t a ton of RBs that can pick up 120 yards on only 19 carries. Peterson is one. And the thing is, you can kinda tell he has actually lost a step. That’s the scary part of it all. It reminds me of that old “Playmakers” on ESPN scene when they show how Leon has lost a step from his 40 time and the hole closes before he can get through it. Peterson may not be the running back he was 6 years ago, but he’s still better than most.
So now that we know he still has gas in the tank, the question is- how big is the tank? Is the tank big enough to last an entire season? Will the Skins have to monitor and limit his workload as the season progresses, or is he full steam ahead, no holds barred? That’s the new prevailing storyline about him. Most RBs at his age have already broken down and moved on. He’s trying to prove that 33 year old backs can still get it done in the league.
Your guess is as good as mine if he holds up over a full 16 game schedule. Obviously I hope and pray he does, because watching him run is fun and exciting and we haven’t seen a featured back as productive as him in quite some time. So for now let’s just enjoy the ride, and be thankful this guy is on our side.
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PS: Having the early bye week is sort of working against the Skins, as we aren’t a very banged up team, and I’d prefer the older guys (Smith, Vernon Davis, Trent Williams, Peterson, etc) get rested later in the year before making a playoff push. But that’s just an aside, no point of harping on that. Big string of games on the horizon vs Brees and Cam, and two divisional games vs the Giants and Cowboys.