The Vikings Are Wasting The Talent of Adrian Peterson

The Vikings selected Peterson 7th overall at the 2007 NFL Draft as he has re-written the franchise’s history book in rushing. Peterson has led the NFL in rushing twice which was highlighted last season where he became only the 7th player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark for rushing in a single season. At 28-years of age and with 9,420 career rushing yards, Peterson’s running back clock is ticking and with every misstep that the Vikings front office makes, his championship window continues to close.

In Peterson’s seven seasons in the NFL, the Vikings offense has only finished in the top 10 in total offense once.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman attempted to put a better team offensively around Peterson this year with the signing of wide receiver Greg Jennings and the drafting of wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, but this organization has missed on their starting quarterback Christian Ponder. Spielman and Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier used the 12th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft on Ponder. To this point Ponder’s career record is 12-18 as he has thrown 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. The next two quarterbacks that were selected in the 2011 NFL Draft were Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers. Dalton has been selected to the Pro Bowl once as he has helped the Bengals reach the playoffs twice and this season they are currently leading the AFC North. Kaepernick has not started a full season in the NFL yet but his record as a starting quarterback is 11-4 as he helped the Niners qualify for the Super Bowl last season.

This season Ponder has seen himself beat out of the Vikings starting quarterback job by both Matt Cassell and Josh Freeman. Freeman was not even with the team at the start of the season. 

Peterson has been the victim of a Vikings passing attack that has the third worst passer rating in the NFL this season at 69.6. So far Peterson has only had two games this season in which he has reached the century mark in rushing which is a stark contrast from last season in which he eclipsed the 100-yard mark for rushing in a game 10 times.

Peterson has become the modern day version of Barry Sanders and O.J. Simpson. In 1973, Simpson became the first player in NFL history to record 2,000 yards rushing in a single season, but during his 11-year NFL career, Simpson only appeared in one playoff game. In the 1990’s Sanders was arguably the best running back of his era as he dazzled fans with his running ability as a member of the Detroit Lions. Sanders gained at least 1,000 yards rushing in each of his 10 seasons in the NFL. Sanders led the NFL in rushing four times and like Simpson and Peterson, he eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark for rushing in a season once. Sanders suffered playoff futility as well as he was a part of the winning ledger in a playoff game only once; just like Simpson and Peterson.

With 2013 quickly becoming a wash for the Vikings, Spielman must prepare for 2014 and he must make several key personnel decisions.Going forward Spielman must decide if Frazier is the head coach to lead this team. Are either Ponder or Freeman the quarterback of the future for the Vikings or will the team need to look at drafting another quarterback or will they attempt to pick one up in free agency? If the Vikings plan to draft another would it symbolize the team starting over? If Spielman feels that team is not near competing then it might be time to trade Peterson.

The NFL’s trade deadline for the 2013 season has come and gone which means that Peterson will be with the Vikings for the rest of the season. Peterson is under contract with the Vikings through 2017, but in the current NFL with the salary cap that really doesn’t mean that much.

Aside for the Vikings record this season, 2013 has been tough for Peterson as his two-year old son died earlier this month.

When Peterson retires he will be remembered as one of the best running backs in NFL history. On a personal level, Peterson has accomplished everything in the NFL. Peterson is the reigning NFL MVP, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, the 2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year, and an inspiration for future running backs in the NFL as he is a sure fire lock for Canton, Ohio and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only thing missing from the resume for Peterson is the opportunity to play on the NFL’s biggest stage which is the Super Bowl. At this rate that opportunity won’t come for Peterson as a member of the Vikings.