Adrian Peterson On Leslie Frazier: ‘A Lot Of Guys Can’t Respond To Him’

Tom Pelissero has a nice Q&A with Adrian Peterson up this morning on USA Today. Topics covered include the current state of the Vikings (“stable” according to Peterson), how it feels being the old guy in the room (he doesn’t seem too bothered) and that whole LeSean McCoy thing (he gets why LeSean said what he said).

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And, Leslie Frazier comes up too. I found Peterson’s take on Frazier kind of interesting. I wouldn’t say Peterson throws Frazier under the bus, exactly, but…this is what he told Pelissero when asked about the higher volume level under Mike Zimmer and whether it’s better to have a coach who gets on guys than one who leads quietly like Frazier:

"Yeah, it is. When you think about little league football, high school and even on to college even more so, you’re dealing with a lot of guys that are prideful, that think they’re the best, a lot of alpha males. So, typically, you’ve got to have a guy that can control those guys and, when he talks, they know he means business. He’s a serious guy. A lot of guys are so used to that, because that’s what they grow up on. Me personally, I could play for a guy like Coach Frazier and go out and still give 110 percent. A lot of guys can’t respond to him."

Peterson says Brad Childress could get fiery at times as well, but with the new regime it’s not just the head coach raising the volume, it’s the entire staff across the board. Peterson seems to believe that the Zimmer approach is a good thing, that players aren’t bothered by having the coaches in their face and are actually enjoying it.

That’s easy to say now, but will guys still be having fun with the Zimmer approach when it’s halfway through the season and they’re not getting the results? Losing has a way of making good relationships go sour.

How long will the honeymoon last between fiery Zim and his so-far eagerly receptive players? We shall see.

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