Peterson comes back
Adrian Peterson is back on the Vikings after a long, weird standoff. I guess he realized the Vikings had all of the leverage after all.
I’m torn on him personally. What he did was absolutely awful and he doesn’t seem to realize quite how terrible it was. But as bad as it was, he grew up in a household and culture that favors this kind of action and what he believes is part of a systemic problem. He did a bad thing and doesn’t think it was bad because it was always the way of things. It’s depressing and I feel sorry for him as much as I despise what he did. I also don’t blame him entirely for demanding money. I’m usually on the side of the players when it comes to contract demands because the NFL treats players terribly, but he did seem like he was holding the team hostage with no gun instead of sucking it up and realizing he wasn’t the golden child anymore.
I hope he’s learned from his errors, because watching Peterson play was always a pleasure and if anyone can break the traditional trend of 30 year old RBs falling off a cliff he can. Dude runs with purpose.
On Peterson’s off-field actions: Education, education, education. Adrian Peterson isn’t a bad person, he was just raised in an environment that condoned awful behavior. That doesn’t erase or forgive his perpetuating this environment, but I truly do believe that nobody is beyond saving, and with the right education put in the right fashion, he could realize that what he did was wrong and understand how to improve things going forward. Scorn creates a victimization complex, which makes someone more entrenched. Openness, reasonability, and level-headed education helps raise people up.
On Peterson’s holdout: I have never been fond of athletes holding out. You’re making more this year than most people will in our lifetimes, show up and do your job with exuberance dammit.
On Peterson’s onfield performance: I too am thrilled. One of my favorite players before all this because he’s so much damn fun to watch.
That was very well said.
That’s all I got…just felt the need to say that!
If San Diego plays Minny this year, we’ll see the transision of best running back from All Day to Melvin Gordon, just like the 2007 game was between AP and LaDainian Tomlinson.
Calling it now, tthe Broncos-Raiders (Manning vs. Carr) match ups will be a change of the guard for best nfl sharpshooter like Dolphins-Colts was in 1999 (Marino vs. Manning)
DMSBR, do you live in a state with legalized weed? That’s the only explanation for the idea that Carr is poised to be the next best NFL QB! There’s reason to be excited for him, but you do know that Andrew Luck exists, right?
I live in Florida, so weed isn’t legal (but stand your ground and Polk County are). No one was saying Peyton was the best young qb after his rookie year (people were talking about Jake Plummer in ‘Zona; not that Hordor isnt 100x better than Jake the Snake). I brought up Carr because he will play 2 games vs. Manning, just like Peyton did vs. Marino in 1999. Oakland is my sleeper pick for that AFC 6th seed, and Del Rio will get coach of the year. Yes I know what I just typed.
As a Broncos fan…have you ever seen him coach? Watched his gameplans? Maybe you should go watch the Broncos play the Colts from last year’s playoffs…I just pray he doesn’t ruin Khalil Macks development. Kid is straight baller. He only has one of the 6 legit weapons he had on defense and boy I hope Amari Cooper lives up to the hype but besides him and Carr where’s the offensive production coming from? I honestly have no idea.
You clearly do not remember 1999. EVERYONE was already all over Manning as a brilliant QB. His stat-lines were off-the-charts for a rookie (even with the INTs).
Also: John Fox may be the worst head coach in the NFL today, and of the past decade. Of the River isn’t a whole lot better (though he’s generally a good DC). Both of them out of Denver is a good thing for Denver, and Kubiak has Elway’s philosophy to the game; they’ll be working in tandem, instead of Fox’s idiocy and ego clouding the waters. I just hope Seattle balks at the contract Wilson needs, because he would be a PERFECT fit for Kube’s system.
Quit dreaming. Wilson is not going anywhere unless his career gets railroaded by injury or something.
All the Broncos fans that love to absolutely lambaste John Fox make me very excited for when Peyton retires and Kubiak’s only able to be so-so because Osweiler’s average at best.
I was only 2 in 1999, but Derek Carr is at least better than older brother David. I haven’t seen much of Del Rio’s coaching, but he did transform one of the worst defenses in the league into one of the best in only his first year as a head coach (the jags were 30th in 2002, 7th in 2003), so I imagine that he could do something similar in Oakland. Also, Oakland has Khalil Mack, who (provided he stays healthy and keeps on improving) is the next Lawrence Taylor.
I too am torn – watching AP when he was locked in was always a treat. In a league full of absolute freaks, he stood out.
But what he did was just so repugnant, and, almost as bad, he was so defiant about it. I haven’t followed the story very closely to be honest, but I know that at least when the whole fiasco started, and for at least a little while, he acted like he didn’t do anything wrong. Rather than acknowledge his wrongdoing, and try to use it as a springboard to positive action (like what Mike Vick, deplorable as his acts were, did), he basically maintained he did no wrong.
Adrian Peterson did a dumb and bad thing and missed 15 games of the season (and like a third of his game checks) because of it. As far as I’m concerned he was punished for it and now we move on and see if he learned from it. If he did, cool. If not, his career is probably over (because another suspension would probably end him considering his age). That’s the whole point of punishment.
I think one of two things are going on, or maybe both of them at once. One, he just missed football too much and wanted to get back to the grind. Or two, the Vikings reached out to his agent in a “we’ll talk about it if you show up” kind of deal. I guess we’ll see in the coming weeks which one it was.
What a pun. I hate/love it so much.
What a pun. I hate/love it so much.
I Fart, the toot we’re not suppossed to squeeze isn’t smelly…
After seeing that pun I hate the Vikings more now
Props for re-drawing Bridgewater in the same exact position for two separate panels. I would have probably just been lazy and copied it.