Anthony Barr afraid he’ll get cut if he hurts Adrian Peterson

Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith face an interesting dilemma when they line up against teammate Adrian Peterson in Sunday’s Pro Bowl.

Five Vikings went to the Pro Bowl this year and when the teams were picked, defenders Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater ended up on Team Irvin while running back Adrian Peterson and defensive end Everson Griffen ended up on Team Rice.

Thanks to the split, defenders Barr and Smith now face the challenge of lining up opposite teammate Adrian Peterson, a man they’ve never had to tackle in a competitive environment.

So what happens if say Anthony Barr finds himself in the open field trying to tackle Adrian Peterson one-on-one? Does Barr go all-out trying to take Peterson down or does he hold up for fear of injuring his teammate and enraging his bosses?

Don’t think Anthony Barr hasn’t pondered this dilemma. Newly-minted media member Teddy Bridgewater interviewed Barr and Harrison Smith for a segment posted on Vikings.com and Barr addressed his concerns about what might happen if he or Smith accidentally takes out AD.

"I just think we could possibly get cut if we touch Adrian. Get fired on my day off."

Obviously he’s joking…or is he?

Bridgewater then asked Harrison Smith if he was afraid to tackle Peterson and Smith said though he doesn’t want to admit he’s scared, “We’ve all seen how Adrian runs.” Again, joking not joking.

Next: Mike Wallace, cut or keep?

So the answer is yes, Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr are both afraid to tackle Adrian Peterson. They’re afraid Peterson will truck them. And they’re afraid if they do get in a shot on Peterson, they will injure him and get in trouble.

Teddy Bridgewater in the same segment addressed teammate Everson Griffen lining up across from him and asked for Griffen to go easy on him.

The Pro Bowl: it’s all fun and games until someone blows up their teammate’s knee and ends his career. Can we just do away with this nonsense now?