When you mention Adrian Peterson’s name, you automatically think of all the success he’s had throughout his career. He has basically built his Hall of Fame career with the Minnesota and was the engine behind their offensive success. In order for the Vikings to win games, he had to be at the top of his game and he always was. When I think of A.P, his 296-yard rushing game against the San Diego Chargers in 2007 comes to mind and the minute I saw that game, I knew we were looking at a guy that could easily become the best back in the game of football. I also think of 2011 when he blew out his entire knee and the following season in 2012, he comes back, leads the Vikings to the playoffs and was awarded league MVP. This season, he’ll still be playing, but with another team. The New Orleans Saints have signed him to a two year/$7 million deal.
When the free agency period started and I saw his name was on the market, you’d think teams would be lined up to sign him. But, it was the complete opposite and I can understand why. He’s a 32-year-old running back who enters this season after tearing his meniscus last season while still playing for Minnesota. I originally said his potential destinations would be Oakland, Tampa Bay, Green Bay, the New York Giants or Seattle Seahawks and I thought Seattle would’ve been perfect for him because they have a running back by committee taking place out there and he’d fill the void that Marshawn Lynch left open after he decided to retire but they ended up signing Eddie Lacy. He stated he wanted to play for a contender, the Saints are nowhere near one. How this will all work is what I’m looking to see because the Saints offense hasn’t been balanced as a unit since 2009, the year they went on to win the Super Bowl. Drew Brees is a volume passer which means he throws the football on average between 35-40 times a game. A.P. is a volume rusher meaning he needs at least 25-30 carries a game. He isn’t the type of back that can make an impact off five carries and 50 yards. The more you feed him the football, the more he’ll carry your offense and wear down a defense and that’s why he was so successful in Minnesota. At best, he’s a third-down back right now or a red zone back so seeing how this will work especially with Mark Ingram in the mix will be interesting.
The Saints will open the 2017 season on a Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings and it’s in Minnesota. Can you say ironic?
