Peterson catching on to Viking offense (1 Viewer)

[Biabreakable]

Rookie Adrian Peterson is focused on learning the Vikings system.

Continuing to brush aside concerns about The Most Famous Collarbone in Minnesota, the rookie was eager and impressive.

By Kevin Seifert, Star Tribune

Last update: May 04, 2007 – 9:25 PM

The royal collarbone made it through Friday unscathed. And all was well for Adrian Peterson -- along with Tom, ****, Harry and the rest of Peterson's nameless teammates during the Vikings' first day of rookie minicamp at Winter Park.

Yes, the Vikings' much-hyped first-round draft choice made his debut in a purple uniform, participating in all portions of a 75-minute workout. He was joined by seven other draft picks, 15 rookie free agents, three former members of the practice squad and 28 players with tryout status whom the team would not identify.

(For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later.)

"It's all sinking in," Peterson said afterward. "Just being out here and having that purple helmet on, representing the Vikings, it's tangible. It's finally here."

Peterson said his right collarbone, reinjured Jan. 1 in the Fiesta Bowl, is "feeling good right now." The Vikings will re-evaluate his condition after Sunday's conclusion to minicamp, which by NFL rule is noncontact. The team has not ruled out surgery if the injury does not fully heal on its own.

Peterson said that decision will be made "eventually" but added: "Right now, I'm just focusing on me." If surgery is deemed necessary, Peterson's availability for the start of training camp would be in question.

"Right now," he said, "I'm just focused on getting these plays in. It's something you really have to study and put time in to get these plays and the different terminology, the language. That's really my main focus right now. I've been out here practicing. [The collarbone] hasn't given me any problems so I'm just going to push right ahead."

Already, Peterson's arrival has brought him local celebrity status, along with a buzz the team hasn't enjoyed in more than a year. Vikings fans recognized him Thursday on a flight from Dallas to the Twin Cities, albeit thanks to the team-issue shirt he was wearing, and Peterson is beginning to understand the popularity typically assigned to the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.

"I'm just here to try to help turn things around," Peterson said. "I'm definitely prepared for it. It's on a totally different level being in the NFL, but [playing at Oklahoma] kind of helped me work my way to being able to handle it. I feel like I've been prepared well, and I'm just looking forward to the experience."

The efforts of John Doe and Joe Blow aside, it was difficult to read too much into Friday's workout, which came after one day of studying a trimmed-down version of the Vikings playbook. Coaches are more interested in seeing speed, confidence and sure movement than technical proficiency.

Based on that criteria, coach Brad Childress said, Peterson "did about what we thought he could do."He didn't hiccup at all, I don't think," Childress said. "I think he showed some speed to the outside and pretty good vision on the quick draw up the middle."

Peterson also drew praise for his work during 1-on-1 receiving drills against linebackers, showing an ease for catching the ball that was not often on display in the run-heavy Oklahoma offense.

"It's definitely something I can handle," Peterson said. "I'll continue to work on it. There's always room for improvement, just staying focused on the little things that are going to bring your game to the next level. Catching the ball is definitely one of the things they like to do with the running back, so I will just keep improving catching the ball and just my overall game."

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com

http://www.startribune.com/510/story/1164598.htmlEarly indications seem to suggest that Peterson is natural catching the ball and this will not be a weakness in his game. Pre-draft some have speculated that he may not be a good reciever because he did not catch many passes during his college career. Now combine and Day 1 workouts have both indicated that he catches the ball pretty well and in this article Peterson says it is somthing he feels comfortable doing and a aspect of his game that he is focusing on improving.

I like.

The collarbone issue is still a concern as it is still unknown if he will need surgurey or not. I like that this is not his focus and that he is more concerned with learning the play book and getting used to the offense. But if he is going to need surgurey I think it would be better to find that out sooner than later.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Glad to see he was able to leave Joe Blow in the dust. I hear he's a real burner in his own right.

 

[Gopher State]

Teams that passed on AP will ask why did we do that after this season. The kid is the real deal.

 

[H.K.]

Wow, this is amazing. Usually all we ever hear about first rounders after their inaugural practice is pure doom and gloom.

 

[LHUCKS]

Hype thread #149

 

[joffer]

you're going to get news on him regardless. better it be positive.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Wow, this is amazing. Usually all we ever hear about first rounders after their inaugural practice is pure doom and gloom.

Ted Ginn down?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Hype thread #149

 

[Biabreakable]

2 things I found interesting about this fluff piece:

1. Peterson does not seem to be a liability catching the football. So that could lead to him not sharing as much time with Taylor. Nothing said about his blocking however and that will probobly be the more important hurdle in regards to how much of a time share we see.

2. Although team doctors have said that his collarbone should heal completly on it's own without surgurey they are still evaluating it and surgurey may be required later if it does not heal on it's own. Which is a concern.

 

[Routilla]

"For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later."

Well I think he just moved past LT, LJ, and SJAX on my draftboard.

 

[ThePittbully]

Wow, this is amazing. Usually all we ever hear about first rounders after their inaugural practice is pure doom and gloom.

Yea its a refreshing change of pace

 

[Jedimaster21]

"For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later."Well I think he just moved past LT, LJ, and SJAX on my draftboard.

He didn't pass them, but hopefully he finally passed Marshawn Lynch in your eyes...

 

[ILUVBEER99]

This guys an animal, as soon as he learns the offense he's the feature in Minnesota.

 

[Routilla]

"For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later."Well I think he just moved past LT, LJ, and SJAX on my draftboard.

He didn't pass them, but hopefully he finally passed Marshawn Lynch in your eyes...

Lets see what he does in September and October. I still think Lynch may be the best rookie in this class. Only time will tell.

 

[Chunky Soup]

"For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later."Well I think he just moved past LT, LJ, and SJAX on my draftboard.

He didn't pass them, but hopefully he finally passed Marshawn Lynch in your eyes...

Lets see what he does in September and October. I still think Lynch may be the best rookie in this class. Only time will tell.

I really thought this was shtick at first . . .

 

[Routilla]

"For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later."Well I think he just moved past LT, LJ, and SJAX on my draftboard.

He didn't pass them, but hopefully he finally passed Marshawn Lynch in your eyes...

Lets see what he does in September and October. I still think Lynch may be the best rookie in this class. Only time will tell.

I really thought this was shtick at first . . .

Why? The guy has had a few injuries in college and now he will be facing fast defenders, not sluggish college boys. If he is truly as good as some have predicted then he will be simply awesome, like noone we have ever seen. If he cannot take the big hits he is surely going to get then this is all a big joke. All I am saying is why not wait until the real contact begins before we raise the expectations too high? Am I the only one who thinks the defense will be playing the run exclusively against MIN with T. Jackson at QB? It's just not a great situation for MIN RBs.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Why? The guy has had a few injuries in college and now he will be facing fast defenders, not sluggish college boys. If he is truly as good as some have predicted then he will be simply awesome, like noone we have ever seen. If he cannot take the big hits he is surely going to get then this is all a big joke.

While I hate to stir up this endless debate, if there's anyone that "let's see what he can do against the big boys" applies to it's the guy who spent his entire college career playing against Pac-10 defenses...

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

Newsflash:

Rookie Adrian Peterson is focused on learning the Vikings system

...and here I thought he'd be focused on avoiding Minnesota's police force, or tonight's boxing match.

 

[ROCKET]

Why? The guy has had a few injuries in college and now he will be facing fast defenders, not sluggish college boys. If he is truly as good as some have predicted then he will be simply awesome, like noone we have ever seen. If he cannot take the big hits he is surely going to get then this is all a big joke.

While I hate to stir up this endless debate, if there's anyone that "let's see what he can do against the big boys" applies to it's the guy who spent his entire college career playing against Pac-10 defenses...

I believe the gist of his arguement is that if Peterson is always struggling with injuries and Lynch isn't then Lynch would have a better NFL career. I know it's inconcievable to some people that Peterson will be a bust and have his career shortened by battling constant injuries but the chance does exist as it does for any player. Peterson has shown so far to be somewhat injury prone to say the least. Also I agree his situation at QB is among the worst in the NFL, even worse than Buffalo's. Let's just let all the dust settle before we annoint Peterson the stud rb of the class. For all we know it'll end up being some late round pick like Wynn (ala TD). Also for the record I have the 1.01 rookie pick via trade and am taking Peterson solely on potential. I am worried a ton about his injury history and am not sold on him like a LT, Faulk type of prospect coming out of college. Will I be shocked if Peterson busts? Not totally but his ceiling is worth the risk. I'm just sick of people touting the guy as the next LT/Faulk when he has been injury prone and hasn't done jack yet. And I could easily see how someone could pass over him for CJ or Lycnh in a rookie draft even though I'm not .

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I believe the gist of his arguement is that if Peterson is always struggling with injuries and Lynch isn't then Lynch would have a better NFL career. I know it's inconcievable to some people that Peterson will be a bust and have his career shortened by battling constant injuries but the chance does exist as it does for any player. Peterson has shown so far to be somewhat injury prone to say the least.

Ya know, I think Marshawn Lynch gets a pass on many of his question marks because he's a guy people get to play Devil's Advocate with this year. I can't remember the last time a college RBBC guy came into the pros and people weren't jumping down his throat about whether or not "he can handle the full load". So why does Lynch get the pass? I think it's because the talent gap is so large that ADP supporters don't even feel the need to bring it up, and Lynch supporters of course choose to ignore it because he's "their guy".Of course Peterson was hurt more, he carried the ball as much in a half a season as Lynch did in a full season, essentially playing two seasons for every one of Lynch's. Peterson carried the ball less than 20 times only three times in his 29 career starts, and one of them was in his first game as a freshman. Lynch meanwhile carried the ball 20 times only five times last year, and 25+ times only twice. He never carried the ball 30 times in a game which Peterson was doing on a bi-weekly basis by the end of his career. I mean, no one could get over the "Reggie Bush barely had to carry the ball in his RBBC at USC, can he last in the NFL?" stigma and he carried the ball just as much as Lynch in college, while also racking up way more touches than Lynch.Even outside the talent gap Lynch has just as many questions as Peterson, they just don't get brought up.

 

[Routilla]

I believe the gist of his arguement is that if Peterson is always struggling with injuries and Lynch isn't then Lynch would have a better NFL career. I know it's inconcievable to some people that Peterson will be a bust and have his career shortened by battling constant injuries but the chance does exist as it does for any player. Peterson has shown so far to be somewhat injury prone to say the least.

Ya know, I think Marshawn Lynch gets a pass on many of his question marks because he's a guy people get to play Devil's Advocate with this year. I can't remember the last time a college RBBC guy came into the pros and people weren't jumping down his throat about whether or not "he can handle the full load". So why does Lynch get the pass? I think it's because the talent gap is so large that ADP supporters don't even feel the need to bring it up, and Lynch supporters of course choose to ignore it because he's "their guy".Of course Peterson was hurt more, he carried the ball as much in a half a season as Lynch did in a full season, essentially playing two seasons for every one of Lynch's. Peterson carried the ball less than 20 times only three times in his 29 career starts, and one of them was in his first game as a freshman. Lynch meanwhile carried the ball 20 times only five times last year, and 25+ times only twice. He never carried the ball 30 times in a game which Peterson was doing on a bi-weekly basis by the end of his career. I mean, no one could get over the "Reggie Bush barely had to carry the ball in his RBBC at USC, can he last in the NFL?" stigma and he carried the ball just as much as Lynch in college, while also racking up way more touches than Lynch.Even outside the talent gap Lynch has just as many questions as Peterson, they just don't get brought up.

Then perhaps we should be concerned about AP's heavy workload in college. You point out that he has basically twice the work compared to Lynch. Should we not be concerned about the wear and tear that AP has already endured? Many on this forum have severely downgraded LJ due to his heavy workload last season. Can we apply it to a rookie as well?

 

[Chunky Soup]

I believe the gist of his arguement is that if Peterson is always struggling with injuries and Lynch isn't then Lynch would have a better NFL career. I know it's inconcievable to some people that Peterson will be a bust and have his career shortened by battling constant injuries but the chance does exist as it does for any player. Peterson has shown so far to be somewhat injury prone to say the least.

Ya know, I think Marshawn Lynch gets a pass on many of his question marks because he's a guy people get to play Devil's Advocate with this year. I can't remember the last time a college RBBC guy came into the pros and people weren't jumping down his throat about whether or not "he can handle the full load". So why does Lynch get the pass? I think it's because the talent gap is so large that ADP supporters don't even feel the need to bring it up, and Lynch supporters of course choose to ignore it because he's "their guy".Of course Peterson was hurt more, he carried the ball as much in a half a season as Lynch did in a full season, essentially playing two seasons for every one of Lynch's. Peterson carried the ball less than 20 times only three times in his 29 career starts, and one of them was in his first game as a freshman. Lynch meanwhile carried the ball 20 times only five times last year, and 25+ times only twice. He never carried the ball 30 times in a game which Peterson was doing on a bi-weekly basis by the end of his career. I mean, no one could get over the "Reggie Bush barely had to carry the ball in his RBBC at USC, can he last in the NFL?" stigma and he carried the ball just as much as Lynch in college, while also racking up way more touches than Lynch.Even outside the talent gap Lynch has just as many questions as Peterson, they just don't get brought up.

Then perhaps we should be concerned about AP's heavy workload in college. You point out that he has basically twice the work compared to Lynch. Should we not be concerned about the wear and tear that AP has already endured? Many on this forum have severely downgraded LJ due to his heavy workload last season. Can we apply it to a rookie as well?

First off, workload in college <<<< workload in NFL. LJ being smashed by huge and fast linemen LB is a lot more than Peterson running over guys of which 90% would never make the NFL.Plus, his overall number of carries, due to his injuries, isn't as much as you are thinking.ETA: Its funny. In every thread I read, you're trying to find ways to say Lynch will be better or that Peterson will bust. Gets old, dude. I suggest holding off on these comments until you see him play in order to prevent embarrassment when the season is over and threads are bumped.

 

[Routilla]

I believe the gist of his arguement is that if Peterson is always struggling with injuries and Lynch isn't then Lynch would have a better NFL career. I know it's inconcievable to some people that Peterson will be a bust and have his career shortened by battling constant injuries but the chance does exist as it does for any player. Peterson has shown so far to be somewhat injury prone to say the least.

Ya know, I think Marshawn Lynch gets a pass on many of his question marks because he's a guy people get to play Devil's Advocate with this year. I can't remember the last time a college RBBC guy came into the pros and people weren't jumping down his throat about whether or not "he can handle the full load". So why does Lynch get the pass? I think it's because the talent gap is so large that ADP supporters don't even feel the need to bring it up, and Lynch supporters of course choose to ignore it because he's "their guy".Of course Peterson was hurt more, he carried the ball as much in a half a season as Lynch did in a full season, essentially playing two seasons for every one of Lynch's. Peterson carried the ball less than 20 times only three times in his 29 career starts, and one of them was in his first game as a freshman. Lynch meanwhile carried the ball 20 times only five times last year, and 25+ times only twice. He never carried the ball 30 times in a game which Peterson was doing on a bi-weekly basis by the end of his career. I mean, no one could get over the "Reggie Bush barely had to carry the ball in his RBBC at USC, can he last in the NFL?" stigma and he carried the ball just as much as Lynch in college, while also racking up way more touches than Lynch.Even outside the talent gap Lynch has just as many questions as Peterson, they just don't get brought up.

Then perhaps we should be concerned about AP's heavy workload in college. You point out that he has basically twice the work compared to Lynch. Should we not be concerned about the wear and tear that AP has already endured? Many on this forum have severely downgraded LJ due to his heavy workload last season. Can we apply it to a rookie as well?

First off, workload in college <<<< workload in NFL. LJ being smashed by huge and fast linemen LB is a lot more than Peterson running over guys of which 90% would never make the NFL.Plus, his overall number of carries, due to his injuries, isn't as much as you are thinking.ETA: Its funny. In every thread I read, you're trying to find ways to say Lynch will be better or that Peterson will bust. Gets old, dude. I suggest holding off on these comments until you see him play in order to prevent embarrassment when the season is over and threads are bumped.

True. I think it is also worth noting that the same "huge and fast linemen" will be waiting on AP as well. I also see your "old" posts projecting stardom for AP before he has played a single down as well. You too could avoid embarrassment by holding off on such predictions knowing the situation at QB in MIN. Edited to note that I am not predicting AP to bust, but I am not ready to annoint him as many have already done. I said before draft that situation was key and I'm not sure MIN is the ideal situation for a quick burst onto the scene for AP. Same goes for Lynch but he may have a better QB to start with. Again, only time will tell.

 

[bigmurd]

I believe the gist of his arguement is that if Peterson is always struggling with injuries and Lynch isn't then Lynch would have a better NFL career. I know it's inconcievable to some people that Peterson will be a bust and have his career shortened by battling constant injuries but the chance does exist as it does for any player. Peterson has shown so far to be somewhat injury prone to say the least.

Ya know, I think Marshawn Lynch gets a pass on many of his question marks because he's a guy people get to play Devil's Advocate with this year. I can't remember the last time a college RBBC guy came into the pros and people weren't jumping down his throat about whether or not "he can handle the full load". So why does Lynch get the pass? I think it's because the talent gap is so large that ADP supporters don't even feel the need to bring it up, and Lynch supporters of course choose to ignore it because he's "their guy".Of course Peterson was hurt more, he carried the ball as much in a half a season as Lynch did in a full season, essentially playing two seasons for every one of Lynch's. Peterson carried the ball less than 20 times only three times in his 29 career starts, and one of them was in his first game as a freshman. Lynch meanwhile carried the ball 20 times only five times last year, and 25+ times only twice. He never carried the ball 30 times in a game which Peterson was doing on a bi-weekly basis by the end of his career. I mean, no one could get over the "Reggie Bush barely had to carry the ball in his RBBC at USC, can he last in the NFL?" stigma and he carried the ball just as much as Lynch in college, while also racking up way more touches than Lynch.Even outside the talent gap Lynch has just as many questions as Peterson, they just don't get brought up.

Then perhaps we should be concerned about AP's heavy workload in college. You point out that he has basically twice the work compared to Lynch. Should we not be concerned about the wear and tear that AP has already endured? Many on this forum have severely downgraded LJ due to his heavy workload last season. Can we apply it to a rookie as well?

Just to be clear, is it your contention that Lynch is better that AD or that he is in a better situation & less likely to get hurt? Because when I look at the tape, I dont' see any comparison in talent.

 

[Routilla]

Just to be clear, is it your contention that Lynch is better that AD or that he is in a better situation & less likely to get hurt? Because when I look at the tape, I dont' see any comparison in talent.

Before the draft I talked about situation and while neither BUF nor MIN is an ideal situation for a rookie RB to land in, I simply stated that I could see Lynch having better success early due to lack of competition(whereas AP has Taylor 1200 yds in '06) as an RBBC situation and T. Jackson at QB. Of course AP has the superior tools, but I'm not sold on his situation enough to place him on the pedestal that some have.

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

Just to be clear, is it your contention that Lynch is better that AD or that he is in a better situation & less likely to get hurt? Because when I look at the tape, I dont' see any comparison in talent.

Before the draft I talked about situation and while neither BUF nor MIN is an ideal situation for a rookie RB to land in, I simply stated that I could see Lynch having better success early due to lack of competition(whereas AP has Taylor 1200 yds in '06) as an RBBC situation and T. Jackson at QB. Of course AP has the superior tools, but I'm not sold on his situation enough to place him on the pedestal that some have.

Good points Routilla. IMO, those are the two main reasons to worry about AP this year: 1) T. Jackson at QB, 2) RBBC with Taylor. Lynch does not have similar concerns - Losman is head and shoulders above Jackson (which says more about T Jackson than Losman), and Anthony Thomas, frankly, offers minimal competition imo. AP's injury history is vastly overplayed, and it does get annoying. As pointed out earlier in this thread, AP has carried the ball a heck of a lot more than Lynch. And Lynch has still suffered a few lagging injuries, though he's played through them. Realistically, we won't know about the NFL-level durability of AP OR Lynch until sometime during 2007. Bottom line: if you want production in 2007, Lynch is probably the better choice. If you're look at 2008 and beyond, it's hard to bet against AP.

 

[Polyethylene Bag]

Just to be clear, is it your contention that Lynch is better that AD or that he is in a better situation & less likely to get hurt? Because when I look at the tape, I dont' see any comparison in talent.

Before the draft I talked about situation and while neither BUF nor MIN is an ideal situation for a rookie RB to land in, I simply stated that I could see Lynch having better success early due to lack of competition(whereas AP has Taylor 1200 yds in '06) as an RBBC situation and T. Jackson at QB. Of course AP has the superior tools, but I'm not sold on his situation enough to place him on the pedestal that some have.

Good points Routilla. IMO, those are the two main reasons to worry about AP this year: 1) T. Jackson at QB, 2) RBBC with Taylor. Lynch does not have similar concerns - Losman is head and shoulders above Jackson (which says more about T Jackson than Losman), and Anthony Thomas, frankly, offers minimal competition imo. AP's injury history is vastly overplayed, and it does get annoying. As pointed out earlier in this thread, AP has carried the ball a heck of a lot more than Lynch. And Lynch has still suffered a few lagging injuries, though he's played through them. Realistically, we won't know about the NFL-level durability of AP OR Lynch until sometime during 2007.

Bottom line: if you want production in 2007, Lynch is probably the better choice. If you're look at 2008 and beyond, it's hard to bet against AP.

Why is everyone so sure that Tarvaris is going to suck? He looked like a rookie with promise last year. I think he will be able to run the offense capably enough that the running game will not suffer because of poor QB play. Of course, the fact that AD will be eased into the offense should be considered when setting expectations for 2007.

 

[Rev]

Why is everyone so sure that Tarvaris is going to suck? He looked like a rookie with promise last year. I think he will be able to run the offense capably enough that the running game will not suffer because of poor QB play. Of course, the fact that AD will be eased into the offense should be considered when setting expectations for 2007.

Excellent point here. The Vikings didn't go after Quinn because they do see something in this kid. Tavaris has some amazing tools but was quite rattled last season when they threw him in there. I don't know what kind of football mind he has, but that Minny has chosen to put the ball in his hand is a good sign. I do think that the Vikings will be better offensively than they were last season, or at the very least, better than most people predict at this point.

 

[FunkyPlutos]

I'm just happy to hear that the Vikings have an offense!!

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

Why is everyone so sure that Tarvaris is going to suck? He looked like a rookie with promise last year. I think he will be able to run the offense capably enough that the running game will not suffer because of poor QB play. Of course, the fact that AD will be eased into the offense should be considered when setting expectations for 2007.

Excellent point here. The Vikings didn't go after Quinn because they do see something in this kid. Tavaris has some amazing tools but was quite rattled last season when they threw him in there. I don't know what kind of football mind he has, but that Minny has chosen to put the ball in his hand is a good sign. I do think that the Vikings will be better offensively than they were last season, or at the very least, better than most people predict at this point.

For practical purposes, Jackson will still be a rookie in '07, so defenses will stack the line against AP. Losman, while not a stellar QB, was a solid starter last year. As such, he'll command more respect than Jackson. I can't imagine thinking that Jackson would be ABLE to keep defenses honest this soon.

 

[Polyethylene Bag]

Why is everyone so sure that Tarvaris is going to suck? He looked like a rookie with promise last year. I think he will be able to run the offense capably enough that the running game will not suffer because of poor QB play. Of course, the fact that AD will be eased into the offense should be considered when setting expectations for 2007.

Excellent point here. The Vikings didn't go after Quinn because they do see something in this kid. Tavaris has some amazing tools but was quite rattled last season when they threw him in there. I don't know what kind of football mind he has, but that Minny has chosen to put the ball in his hand is a good sign. I do think that the Vikings will be better offensively than they were last season, or at the very least, better than most people predict at this point.

For practical purposes, Jackson will still be a rookie in '07, so defenses will stack the line against AP. Losman, while not a stellar QB, was a solid starter last year. As such, he'll command more respect than Jackson. I can't imagine thinking that Jackson would be ABLE to keep defenses honest this soon.

I agree with you in principle that first-year starting QB's generally have some growing pains and I'm not saying Tarvaris will be any different, but no one has really seen what Tarvaris can do yet. I just think it's a little premature to say that defenses will stack 8 in the box every play. My observation is that in the games he played last year, more often than not, his play seemed to be hampered by the lack of skill at the WR position.

 

[Rev]

For practical purposes, Jackson will still be a rookie in '07, so defenses will stack the line against AP. Losman, while not a stellar QB, was a solid starter last year. As such, he'll command more respect than Jackson. I can't imagine thinking that Jackson would be ABLE to keep defenses honest this soon.

Good points here. Yet, I dont' think we can underestimate the importance of Jackson's having some NFL starts under his belt. The stats below are not stellar by any means, but he completed 47 of 81 passes, threw 2 TDs, finished the season with a 213 yard passing game, and he ran for a TD and 77 yards as well. All this, followed by a full offseason, has got to be world's different than coming in as a wide-eyed rookie to summer training camp. Opp RESULT GS Att Comp Pct Yds TD Int Rate Sac Yds Att Yds Avg Lg TD Fum Rec 12/03 @CHI L 13-23 No 4 3 75.0 35 0 0 101.0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 12/10 @DET W 30-20 No Did Not Play 12/17 NYJ L 13-26 No 23 14 60.9 177 1 1 81.3 0 0 3 20 6.7 11 0 0 0 12/21 @GB L 7-9 Yes 20 10 50.0 50 0 1 35.4 3 23 5 23 4.6 13 0 1 1 12/31 STL L 21-41 Yes 34 20 58.8 213 1 2 62.5 4 14 7 34 4.9 8 1 2 0 TOTAL 81 47 58.0 475 2 4 62.5 8 37 15 77 5.1 13 1 4 1

 

[FreeBaGeL]

For practical purposes, Jackson will still be a rookie in '07, so defenses will stack the line against AP. Losman, while not a stellar QB, was a solid starter last year. As such, he'll command more respect than Jackson.

This may be true, but putting 3 guys in the box against Buffalo's line is about equivalent to putting 8 in the box against any other team, since either way you're probably going to end up with 3 guys in the backfield

 

[Biabreakable]

As far as defenses stacking the line against AD I expect that to happen. That is what defenses did last year against Taylor. Brad Johnson was no threat to throw the ball deeper than 15 yards past the LOS last year and defenses did not respect the Vikings offense to execute any big plays so they stacked the line.

Viking fans have complained about being disapointed with the OLine play last year. It was not as dominant as they had hoped. However one has to take into consideration that defenses were stacking the line and the offense was very limited in what it would do. This offense is VERY commited to running the ball. Commited to a fault. The Vikings were still able to run for 1648 yards last year. 4.2 YPC. About 400 yards better than the year before.

Taylor is still with the team. Now the Vikings have added Peterson. A year for the Oline to get used to the offense. I think they will improve as a rushing team from last year and Peterson is the main reason why.

I fully expect defenses to stack the line against the Vikings. But this is not really anything new. The only thing new is that the Vikings have a Rb in Peterson who is better than any Rb I think the team has ever had. Jackson has a strong arm and may be able to make defenses pay with play action more than Brad Johnson could. I do not see Jackson compared to Johnson being a liability here. In fact it is probobly an improvement. Although Johnson is very smart about not turning the ball over which will probobly not be the case for Jackson right away. Turnovers kill drives just as much as ineffectiveness. That would be the main difference I see coming. More turnovers from the Qb but also more big plays.

 

[Polyethylene Bag]

As far as defenses stacking the line against AD I expect that to happen. That is what defenses did last year against Taylor. Brad Johnson was no threat to throw the ball deeper than 15 yards past the LOS last year and defenses did not respect the Vikings offense to execute any big plays so they stacked the line.

Viking fans have complained about being disapointed with the OLine play last year. It was not as dominant as they had hoped. However one has to take into consideration that defenses were stacking the line and the offense was very limited in what it would do. This offense is VERY commited to running the ball. Commited to a fault. The Vikings were still able to run for 1648 yards last year. 4.2 YPC. About 400 yards better than the year before.

Taylor is still with the team. Now the Vikings have added Peterson. A year for the Oline to get used to the offense. I think they will improve as a rushing team from last year and Peterson is the main reason why.

I fully expect defenses to stack the line against the Vikings. But this is not really anything new. The only thing new is that the Vikings have a Rb in Peterson who is better than any Rb I think the team has ever had. Jackson has a strong arm and may be able to make defenses pay with play action more than Brad Johnson could. I do not see Jackson compared to Johnson being a liability here. In fact it is probobly an improvement. Although Johnson is very smart about not turning the ball over which will probobly not be the case for Jackson right away. Turnovers kill drives just as much as ineffectiveness. That would be the main difference I see coming. More turnovers from the Qb but also more big plays.

 

[Jedimaster21]

"For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later."Well I think he just moved past LT, LJ, and SJAX on my draftboard.

He didn't pass them, but hopefully he finally passed Marshawn Lynch in your eyes...

Lets see what he does in September and October. I still think Lynch may be the best rookie in this class. Only time will tell.

I thought I would give you a hard time because I just think Peterson will be a stud. I do, however, like the fact that you are willing to stick to your guns about Lynch, and continue to feel he will be the better pro. However, IMO Peterson is in another league when it comes to talent AND situation. The Vikings have one of the best lines in the NFL, Chester Taylor (who is an average running back) put up excellent numbers, they have a coach that wants to pound the football, they added some talented, young receivers, and their young, mobile QB is a year older. I love the situation for Peterson, and don't think they are even close when it comes to natural ability. Factor in the character concerns will Lynch, and Peterson's work ethic and integrity, and I see a lot more questions surrounding the guy you like.I admire your willingness to go against the grain, but you are missing the boat in this case.

I believe the gist of his arguement is that if Peterson is always struggling with injuries and Lynch isn't then Lynch would have a better NFL career. I know it's inconcievable to some people that Peterson will be a bust and have his career shortened by battling constant injuries but the chance does exist as it does for any player. Peterson has shown so far to be somewhat injury prone to say the least.

Ya know, I think Marshawn Lynch gets a pass on many of his question marks because he's a guy people get to play Devil's Advocate with this year. I can't remember the last time a college RBBC guy came into the pros and people weren't jumping down his throat about whether or not "he can handle the full load". So why does Lynch get the pass? I think it's because the talent gap is so large that ADP supporters don't even feel the need to bring it up, and Lynch supporters of course choose to ignore it because he's "their guy".Of course Peterson was hurt more, he carried the ball as much in a half a season as Lynch did in a full season, essentially playing two seasons for every one of Lynch's. Peterson carried the ball less than 20 times only three times in his 29 career starts, and one of them was in his first game as a freshman. Lynch meanwhile carried the ball 20 times only five times last year, and 25+ times only twice. He never carried the ball 30 times in a game which Peterson was doing on a bi-weekly basis by the end of his career. I mean, no one could get over the "Reggie Bush barely had to carry the ball in his RBBC at USC, can he last in the NFL?" stigma and he carried the ball just as much as Lynch in college, while also racking up way more touches than Lynch.Even outside the talent gap Lynch has just as many questions as Peterson, they just don't get brought up.

Excellent post. If anyone has displayed that he can carry the full load it is Peterson, and all his injuries have been "freak" injuries that can happen to any back. He hasn't had any leg/knee issues, which I would be much more worried about. None of the injuries he has sustained will create more difficulties in the future (including the collarbone), or make him a more likely candidate to get hurt again. All NFL running backs have nagging injuries due to the punishment they receive, and Peterson's willingness to play through them impresses me greatly. Lynch has never displayed the ability to carry the load in college, and has also had several ankle injuries despite getting significantly less carries than Peterson. There have also been many studies done by the footballguys staff on a player's amount of touches and future performance. Although extensive work can cause problems later in a player's career, it is usually not until they are close to 30 years of age. Basically, Peterson's work load in college will have little impact on his future performance, and the fact that he has carried the ball so many times (while Lynch has not) demonstrate his ability to be the lead back on an NFL team.