Peterson Hesitant To Run The Football
By Adam Carlson
Sep 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears won 31-30. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
One word that Vikings fans wouldn’t use to describe running back Adrian Peterson is “hesitant”. But after reviewing game film of himself, he talked with the Star Tribune about his performance and used that word.
"Sep 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) runs against Chicago Bears strong safety Major Wright (21) during the third quarter at Soldier Field. The Bears won 31-30. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports“I was worried about the things that I left out there on the field and how much better I could’ve performed. I was just able to confirm that I was hesitant on some [runs]. Even though I didn’t realize it when I was out there, I could see on film that I was trying to do too much instead of taking what the defense gave me.” -Adrian Peterson"
Sadly, things aren’t going to get any easier for Adrian this week. On Peterson’s last 43 carries, he is only averaging 2.7 yards per carry and has only gained 7 first downs. Now, he faces a stout Cleveland Browns defense which currently ranks first in the NFL in yards per carry (2.0) and fourth in total rushing yards allowed per game (59.5).
Last year’s NFL Most Valuable Player has an idea of what he can do to improve.
"Sep 8, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) rushes into the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports“You can kind of get out of whack at times, and you’ve got to be able to evaluate yourself and see how you can improve and get back on track. So it’ll be a pretty easy adjustment for me. We pride ourselves on being able to establish the run game, so it will be a good challenge for us. I’m excited for it.” -Adrian Peterson"
We will get to see if Adrian will be able to get 100 yards rushing on Sunday. It could be very difficult for him to achieve that against this tough defense and his recent struggles carrying the ball.
"“Everytime I don’t get 100 , I think ‘wow!’ Because it’s so easy to get 100.” -Adrian Peterson"
Let’s hope he doesn’t let himself down again on Sunday.