The Minnesota Vikings all-pro running back is clearly not the rusher he used to be and a role change could be just what he needs to stay productive in the NFL.
Ending his day with 72 yards on the ground used to be an average game for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. But in 2016, 72 yards is the amount of combined rushing yards Peterson has in three games.
The Vikings running back has yet to score a touchdown this season and his 1.9 yards per carry is a whole three yards below his career average. Not exactly the numbers expected from a guy who was supposed to defy the odds of being a running back over the age of 30.
Peterson has talked in the past about playing in the NFL for a few more years, but another season like this one and he is going to have a lot more free time to ride all the camels that he wants.
But a bad offensive line is not the only thing standing in the way of Minnesota’s running back from having a few more years in the league. His ego may actually be the toughest obstacle Peterson has to overcome in order to stay a productive NFL running back.
So what is the solution?
Well since Peterson has the reputation of being a bruising running back who does not shy away from contact, why not use him specifically in the situations that involve the most contact? In other words, turn him into a short yard specialist.
Imagine, the great Adrian Peterson as a third-down back (even writing this, it is hard not to giggle at that suggestion). An opposing defense thinks they are about to stop the Vikings from getting a first down on 3rd-and-1, but then here comes a fresh Peterson into the game.
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Instead of being bruised and battered from an entire day full of carries, the Minnesota running back could go at full speed every time he enters the game. Defenses would hate their lives when they would see Peterson jogging onto the field in a short-yardage situation.
A handful of running backs in the NFL’s history have sucked it up and realized that less could actually mean more. Jerome Bettis in 2005, Stephen Davis in 2005, and Willis McGahee in 2009 are just a few examples of players that ended up being very productive after seeing a dramatic decrease in their amount of touches per game.
It is not hard to argue that Peterson’s skill level is much higher than any one of those three running backs. So the possibilities of the him developing into a third-down back could be sky high.
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Would it ever happen? Well, that is up to Mr. Peterson to look into a mirror and force himself to realize that ‘All Day’ may have to become ‘Half Day’ to continue playing a game for a living.