I have been surprised at the number of times questions about Adrian Peterson's consistency and durability have come up in casual conversation. Of course, being a lifelong Vikings fan, I defended the star running back against any and all criticism, citing that his yard's per carry were among the best in the league (2nd) and the fact that he did break the NFL single game rushing record, which was no small feat.
But what's the reality? Any team would love to have an explosive back who is a major playmaker, but without consistent production it becomes awfully hard to to create a winning game plan. Even though he produced more big runs than every other RB in the nation last season, these highlight plays are still rare even for Peterson.
So here's the Catch-22 , a coach can't expect to win games on big plays alone and needs a consistent performer to get a winning record. However, if an inconsistent playmaking back does not get any touches, then the coach does not get the benefit of those long runs which can change the momentum of a tight game or lead to easy victories. Ideally, the back needs to be a consistent performer and a playmaker, but they need to be first and foremost a reliable performer.
With that in mind, let's look at some stats*:
2 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Andres Sanchez about 1 year ago
Without a doubt Adrian Petereson is an extremely talented back. But talent alone isnt enough playing at this level of professionalism. He has the potential to be a great player, but will he? I highly doubt this. If a back gets injured as a rookie, then look out the Vikings are in for a bunch of headaches and heartaches having to deal with an injury prone Superstar. Just ask the eagle about Mcnabb, and hes a qb.
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bruce reisdorph about 1 year ago
Robert Smith was constantly injured, but seemed to get more effective each year until he went out, seemingly at the top of his form. He had other skill players on his side of the ball that created substantial problems for defenses. Having lots of talent to keep track of is the single biggest threat for any NFL defense, no matter how good it is.
Peterson will have problems if defenses don't respect the other skill positions in the Vikings offense. And they don't right now, because TJack causes no problems for any NFL defense. It is hard to imagine how this could change. I can't think of any receiver to pair with TJack that would worry an NFL defense. With that, looking forward to another mediocre season wherein the 'parity' of the NFL will keep the Vikings in the playoff hunt until the last 3 games, where they will fold up like a cheap beach chair.
None of this addresses the other problem the Vikes have, which is that Childress is a pretty bad coach.
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