Yahoo! Sports Believes Adrian Peterson Is In Decline
By Adam Carlson
Nov 17, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Minnesota 41-20. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
If you haven’t had the chance to read the article from Yahoo! Sports about how Adrian Peterson is in decline, you need to check it out.
The author of the article, Michael Salfino, believes that Adrian Peterson is not the running back that he used to be. Here is a quote from the article that is linked to above:
"“Now let’s really annoy one-twelfth of the readers by noting that Peterson is 28 years old with nearly 2,000 carries and currently is averaging the lowest yards per carry of his career. This is evidence, far from conclusive I stipulate, that perhaps this is the beginning of the end for the great AP. “"
If he has been watching Vikings games this year or even been watching shows like SportsCenter, he’d know that there are numerous contributing factors to why Peterson’s stats aren’t as good as last year’s. Here is just a short list of those reasons:
Nov 17, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Inconsistent QB play (Ponder, Cassel, Freeman)
Dealing with injuries (Groin and Hamstring)
Loaded Box (Defense with stacked boxes)
Personal issues (Death in family)
Missed Jerome Felton with Suspension
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the myriad of issues that have had an impact on the statistics of last year’s NFL Most Valuable Player. Can a player really decline that much in the span of an offseason? Just because he turns 28 and faces some of the toughest run defenses in the NFL is no reason to throw in the towel on a player who is struggling with both physical and mental issues.
Don’t believe the doubters. Adrian Peterson is still the best running back in the NFL. He’s tied for the most touchdowns in the NFL (9) despite all these problems and is 3rd in the NFL in rushing yards per game (85.1 yards per game).
Adrian is under contract with the Vikings through the 2017 season. He won’t be the best in the game forever, but for now, fans should just sit back and enjoy watching him work his magic.