LaDainian Tomlinson is Not Wrong About Adrian Peterson

I’m not sure if LaDainian Tomlinson‘s remarks about Adrian Peterson actually qualify as controversial, but they do certainly qualify as interesting.  Case you missed it, here’s what LT had to say about AD:

"Jim Brown was telling Peterson he’s the best runner he’d seen in a long time. I was sitting there reading it thinking, “Wow.” The difference with me is you can put me out on that field and there will be nothing I can’t do. I won’t have to come off the field. Adrian has to come off sometimes on third down. Running routes, he’s still not there yet. Great downhill runner, powerful, fast, all that stuff. … But anything on that field you want me to do — throw it, block — I can do it. That’s what I pride myself on is not having any weaknesses. And that’s what makes me the best back."

Horn-tooting aside – I guess LT figures he has to do it himself, since no one wants to do it for him – tell me what’s wrong with what Tomlinson said?

I say there’s nothing wrong with it.  I say he’s right about AD being lacking in certain departments, especially the blocking department.  And I think at least one guy – Brett Favre – agrees with Tomlinson and other people’s negative assessments of Peterson’s pass-protecting skills, especially after AD missed a block Monday night and caused Brett to have to hit the deck.

If Peterson doesn’t get better in that department, Brett is going to get even more negative about it, perhaps to Peterson’s face.  And we are going to see even more of Chester Taylor, who may not be as sick a straight-up runner as Adrian, but is definitely a more well-rounded player.

It’s Adrian’s third season in the league.  It’s time for him to fill in the missing pieces of his game and become not just the #1 fantasy football player, but the #1 player in the real world, where people care about wins and not fantasy points.

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