Posts tagged: adrian peterson

Trade Jared Allen? We Should Talk About That

April 14, 2012, by 16 comments

A number of weeks ago, Brett and I had a little side discussion about the possibility of the Vikings trading Jared Allen this offseason.  We were even thinking about doing a little back-and-forth feature at the time, as we knew it was inevitable that some other media outlet would bring up this possibility, but we never quite managed to get around to it.

Now that I am back from a long work week, however, I took some time to review all the comments from the last few days and one jumped out to me.

In the comment, a reader says that he heard on a local radio station that a rumor is making the rounds that the Vikings are possibly (could be, maybe, potentially, maybe) considering entertaining offers for their stud right end.

Earlier this offseason, Rick Spielman went out of his way to say that Adrian Peterson was the only player that was off the table in terms of an early departure, which makes sense considering the blockbuster deal they just signed him to.  He easily could have included Jared Allen in that statement, but didn’t.

So, it makes sense that the Vikings won’t trade Peterson, but would an Allen trade make sense?

First, let’s take a look at some possible reasons to consider it an option:

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Gerhart Still On Track

April 12, 2012, by 7 comments

Is this Adam posting?!?  Really?  Sorry for my absence as of late, everyone.  Those of you that have been reading my rambling jottings for a while now will likely remember a couple of years back when I had to miss the NFL Draft because the company I work for held their annual shareholder meetings (attendance not optional for employees) during Draft Week.

Luckily, since we have big plans for a weekend-long live chat, this year I will be around for the entire draft which is good news.  The bad news, however, is those meetings are this week so I have been swamped.  Brett has done a fantastic job, however, of keeping the site updated with his Draft analysis and I really, really appreciate it.

As always, I couldn’t go too long without posting, though, so I wanted to pass along a little bit of good news that is a couple of days old.

Running back Toby Gerhart injured his MCL at the end of last season and decided to forego surgery and proceed with rehabilitation.  Gerhart thinks he will be ready by the time OTA’s get started.

“I should be able to do everything once we get back,” Gerhart said.  “I’m still strengthening the quad, and the MCL has healed on its own. The key is just doing more running. I still get a little soreness when I run, but that goes away the next day. I’m on track.”

This is an important piece of news as Gerhart stands to carry a heavier-than-normal share of the work at the beginning of this season, as Adrian Peterson is still on the mend from his ever-serious knee injury of his own.

Ranking The Vikings Draft Needs

April 9, 2012, by 4 comments

I am a big fan of drafting best player available, regardless of need, and building your team around solid, young players instead of reaching to fill a void.  After all, there is nothing wrong with having good depth at a position and/or getting better at something you are already good at.

Still, teams have needs and the Minnesota Vikings are quite obviously no exception. 

With that, I present you with my rankings of how the Vikings needs stack up going into this year’s Draft:

1.      Safety

There is perhaps no positional group on any team in the NFL that needs upgrading more than the Vikings need to upgrade their safeties.  Heck, at this point I would say the Vikings have a greater need at safety than the Dolphins do at quarterback.  The thought of Jamarca Sanford and Mistral Raymond being starters instead of depth players, especially in our division, should worry even the most enthusiastic optimists.

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Peterson Makes Blockbuster Donation

April 5, 2012, by No comments yet

Adrian Peterson may have looked like a man disconnected from the real world when he compared NFL player to slaves in a Yahoo! Interview during the NFL Lockout, but it is hard to deny that he also comes off as one of the most genuinely nice and generous dudes in the league.

No former Oklahoma Sooner has ever donated as much back to their college as Peterson pledged on Thursday.

He is donating a whopping $1 million to the University of Oklahoma’s Athletics Department.

“This was something that I had been thinking about doing for a long time,” Peterson said in a statement. “I always hoped to be in a position to be able to donate back to the University of Oklahoma and make it an even better place; do whatever I could to help the university that did so much for me. It was something that I always wanted to do and there just came a time when I got established and comfortable enough to make it happen. It was a no-brainer to do it and I am thankful that I’m in a position to give back to OU and to show my appreciation.”

The donation will help pay for construction of a housing hall, will fund a scholarship foundation in Peterson’s name, and will see the football team’s meeting room named after him.

Many of us are still making involuntary payments to our college’s via student loans, so it refreshing to see someone like Peterson being so generous with his good fortune in an effort to help out his school and their future students.

Well done, Adrian.  Well done.

Peterson Back To Doing What He Does Best… Running

April 3, 2012, by 4 comments

Vikings fans were all up in arms when star running back Adrian Peterson suffered a scary knee injury in what was essentially a meaningless game last season.

Now, however, the fan base seems to be somewhat excited about his rehabilitation progress and the idea of him making back for what very easily could end up being a meaningless season.

Last week, Peterson reached a major milestone when he was able to run on dry land for the first time since suffering the injury.  This keeps him on track with a timeline that would put him in the lineup during week one of the 2012 season.

“Did a great job and everybody was impressed,” Leslie Frazier said on Tuesday. “Our trainer, (Eric) Sugarman, was impressed with his movement and the things he was able to do. He’s on schedule. He’s doing well.”

Fraizer continued to stress, as he has all offseason, the importance of Peterson’s ability to restrain himself and not push the issue and create a situation in which he could do further damage.

“We had that conversation, too,” Frazier said. “He said, ‘How fast should I go?’ We’re just trying to judge movement, and he wants to run a 4.3 40. But he has to let that graft continue to heal. He understands there’s a time frame he’s working within, and so far, so good.”

While the Vikings are sure to be tickled pink if Peterson can set a new standard for rehab and return for the start of the season, it would be completely shocking if they let him run wild right out of the gate.  Even if he makes it back on time, expect to see Peterson on a strict pitch count with Toby Gerhart getting plenty of action.

Adrian Peterson On Track, Will Start Running

March 30, 2012, by 6 comments

In an update given by head coach Leslie Frazier yesterday, it was announced that Adrian Peterson’s recovery is slightly ahead of schedule and he will begin running on land this week. As we all know unfortunately, Peterson tore both his ACL and MCL on Christmas Eve last season in a game against the Washington Redskins. While the injury was quite serious and “career-ending” for some, Peterson set an incredibly optimistic goal for himself to play the first game of the 2012 season. Well, it looks like that just may happen.

When prompted about the possibility of Peterson returning for game #1, Frazier said, “That’s what we’re aiming for. That’s what he wants to see happen. That’s what we’d all love to see happen. At the same time, we’ll have to be smart and see where he is. This is the beginning stages of his running. So we’ll have a better gauge in another one or two weeks as to what kind of progress he’s going to make.”

It’s great to see that Peterson may be able to return and immediately contribute at the start of the 2012 season. It is even better to see that Frazier seems determined not to rush the franchise running back into action to quickly. Forcing the issue would be very dangerous for Peterson and the overall future of the team.

I said it shortly after Peterson sustained the injury: “If anyone can come back from this injury stronger than before, Adrian can.” And not only do I still stand by that statement, but it seems that proving he can be better than before the injury is one of Peterson’s bigger motivations. In an interview Thursday, GM Rick Spielman said, “He’s not like most running backs that I’ve been around through my career… He is just a freak athletically and you can see that in his rehab and how quickly he’s coming back from this ACL and I know he wants to go out there and prove to everybody he’s a better Adrian Peterson than he was before the injury.”

While the odds are definitely stacked against #28, it will be a storyline we watch closely here at Vikings Territory throughout the offseason and up to kickoff of the first game of the 2012 season.

What do you all think? Will Adrian Peterson be back for the 2012 opener?

Vikings Continue To Bolster Backfield Depth

March 18, 2012, by No comments yet

In the post below this one, I opined that a bowling ball back like Mike Tolbert would be a solid addition to this roster, particularly given Adrian Peterson’s current rehab situation.

The Vikings didn’t sign Tolbert, but they did make a similar signing on Sunday by getting former Dolphin Lex Hilliard to agree to a one year deal.

Hilliard was a restricted free agent that Miami decided not to tender.  Hilliard has played in every game for the Dolphins over the last three seasons, but seldom produced big numbers.  At age 27, Hilliard only has 39 carries for 130 yards under his belt, which includes two touchdowns.  In 2009, he showed some solid hands with 20 catches and 158 yards, but the Dolphins went away from using him as a pass catcher the last two seasons.

Listed at 5’ 11” and 240 pounds, Hilliard possesses the versatility that would allow him to play both half back and full back in Bill Musgrave’s offense.

He joins a backfield that already has Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart, Jordan Todman, Caleb King, Matt Asiata, and Ryan D’Imperio.  He can also be a special teams contributor, but probably not as a return man.

The competition for who makes the roster behind Peterson and Gerhart this year should be a fun one to watch.