Adrian Peterson, 10 carries, 17 yards

Wow. Stanton is a pretty good backup but Cardinals' season might be over and that might end up as the last play of Palmer's career. Think Cardinals are still happy about that Peterson trade?

Ironically, they might run more now, better for Peterson's stats. But they can't ever trust him to pass block, or they could have Blaine Gabbert behind center.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Bolstad79" said:

@"Wetlander" said: Yeah, Palmer breaking his arm early in that game made a big difference.  But like I said in the other AD thread...  his rushing totals are going to ebb and flow based upon the opponent.

And the points the team is behind.  It's tough to run the ball when your down 20.

Should be much easier to run as the opposing defense will be dropping more in coverage to avoid the big passing plays that would allow a team to get back in a game without using a lot of clock.

@"Bolstad79" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Bolstad79" said:

@"Wetlander" said: Yeah, Palmer breaking his arm early in that game made a big difference.  But like I said in the other AD thread...  his rushing totals are going to ebb and flow based upon the opponent.

And the points the team is behind.  It's tough to run the ball when your down 20.

Should be much easier to run as the opposing defense will be dropping more in coverage to avoid the big passing plays that would allow a team to get back in a game without using a lot of clock.

Yes because most teams love to keep running the ball when they're chasing points.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Bolstad79" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Bolstad79" said:

@"Wetlander" said: Yeah, Palmer breaking his arm early in that game made a big difference.  But like I said in the other AD thread...  his rushing totals are going to ebb and flow based upon the opponent.

And the points the team is behind.  It's tough to run the ball when your down 20.

Should be much easier to run as the opposing defense will be dropping more in coverage to avoid the big passing plays that would allow a team to get back in a game without using a lot of clock.

Yes because most teams love to keep running the ball when they're chasing points.

That's not what you said. You said it's tough to do...I say it's easier,  maybe not the best use of time,  but in absence of a passing game it's better than 3 and out.

Yikes... I don't want to say it was Peterson's fault, but he did look pretty foolish in pass pro. I always overlooked that aspect of his gane when he was a Vike.

@"Max" said: Yikes... I don't want to say it was Peterson's fault, but he did look pretty foolish in pass pro. I always overlooked that aspect of his gane when he was a Vike.

That was the problem....so did he.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Max" said: Yikes... I don't want to say it was Peterson's fault, but he did look pretty foolish in pass pro. I always overlooked that aspect of his gane when he was a Vike.

That was the problem....so did he.

@"Max" said: Yikes... I don't want to say it was Peterson's fault, but he did look pretty foolish in pass pro. I always overlooked that aspect of his gane when he was a Vike.

@"Max" said: Yikes... I don't want to say it was Peterson's fault, but he did look pretty foolish in pass pro. I always overlooked that aspect of his gane when he was a Vike.

You can say "it was Peterson's fault" because it was Peterson's fault.  Not that hard to clearly see that he didn't block who he was supposed too, ya know the blitzer coming into the hole which every RB is supposed to block.  

@"Purplewhizz" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Max" said: Yikes... I don't want to say it was Peterson's fault, but he did look pretty foolish in pass pro. I always overlooked that aspect of his gane when he was a Vike.

That was the problem....so did he.

I don't think he overlooked it.  I just dont think he was smart enough to understand who to block.

I still don't understand how all these coaches get let off the hook for not holding him accountable or insisting that he learn how to block properly. 

At some point the coaches need to do their jobs and the GM's need to suck it up and let them despite where a guy was drafted or how much money the team is paying the player. 

@"Mike Olson" said: I still don't understand how all these coaches get let off the hook for not holding him accountable or insisting that he learn how to block properly. 

At some point the coaches need to do their jobs and the GM's need to suck it up and let them despite where a guy was drafted or how much money the team is paying the player. 

how do you know they werent?  honestly,  you have one of the best runners in the game,  what do you do to make him improve on his weaknesses?  take him off the field?  there is really nothing that could be done, especially early on when the guy basically walked on water with 99% of the fan base.

Our young rookie DC33 walked onto the field and was instantly a better blocker than Adrian. It's not about learning to do it, it's about wanting to do it. Adrian doesn't want to do it.

@"prairieghost" said: Our young rookie DC33 walked onto the field and was instantly a better blocker than Adrian. It's not about learning to do it, it's about wanting to do it. Adrian doesn't want to do it.

it is about want to,  but its not a involuntary action,  it requires study and technique to do.  DC has worked on it his whole life... nobody ever made AD do anything he didnt want to do and the results show it.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Mike Olson" said: I still don't understand how all these coaches get let off the hook for not holding him accountable or insisting that he learn how to block properly. 

At some point the coaches need to do their jobs and the GM's need to suck it up and let them despite where a guy was drafted or how much money the team is paying the player. 

how do you know they werent?  honestly,  you have one of the best runners in the game,  what do you do to make him improve on his weaknesses?  take him off the field?  there is really nothing that could be done, especially early on when the guy basically walked on water with 99% of the fan base.

@"Mike Olson" said: I still don't understand how all these coaches get let off the hook for not holding him accountable or insisting that he learn how to block properly. 

At some point the coaches need to do their jobs and the GM's need to suck it up and let them despite where a guy was drafted or how much money the team is paying the player. 

IMO this is the core reason Peterson was so divisive here: the impression that he had more power than anyone else in the organization and dictated not only what he did or did not do, but even playcalling and personnel decisions. Maybe that was not the reality, but enough happened that kept reinforcing the impression. It rankled a lot of people, but maybe added to how others found him so amazing.

@"Mike Olson" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Mike Olson" said: I still don't understand how all these coaches get let off the hook for not holding him accountable or insisting that he learn how to block properly. 

At some point the coaches need to do their jobs and the GM's need to suck it up and let them despite where a guy was drafted or how much money the team is paying the player. 

how do you know they werent?  honestly,  you have one of the best runners in the game,  what do you do to make him improve on his weaknesses?  take him off the field?  there is really nothing that could be done, especially early on when the guy basically walked on water with 99% of the fan base.

How many games did he sit because he refused or couldn't to learn how to block? 

I get that he was a great runner. But if he couldn't protect his QB at all like people are saying. Or he refused to block like some people are saying, then I have to believe the coaches were just fine putting a guy out there that was a liability for his QB... THe most important position on the team. Clearly had they done this at some point then he would have been a much better player right? 

Also I might be playing a bit of devil's advocate here. 

Toby just wasn't a good running back at all. He might have been able to block but he was terrible. I never cared for him. 

And yeah early on he definitely should have been held accountable in the blocking dept. It isn't like he was on the field a ton his first year until later on in the year. Of course we had Taylor at the time too. So yes he should have been made into a complete back early on. 

And if he wasn't because he was so good at running the ball that still is on the coaching staff and the GM possibly for not demanding him to do more. 

If they asked him to do more and he didn't and refused to well.... You can see our trophy case over his career here. Now is it all his fault? Of course not but it's a team game..... And that's my point. It's a team game. 

Oh, I know it's not involuntary. I realize there's study involved. I don't think it takes a boy genius to learn though. My point simply is that we had a young man join our team this spring who was eager and willing to do whatever the team asked and became quite brilliant at it from the get-go. And, BTW, he's a hell of a runner in his own right, too.
It's not so much that Adrian would have been a better player. He was a great player. I definitely appreciate his years with the team and the offensive weapon he was. The problem was that he wasn't an all-around kind of back, which in the current NFL mold is a more complete player who can block, catch and run. For our team these past few years we needed a guy like that because we needed someone who could help in pass pro and also have the ability to catch a pass so that we weren't having to send Adrian straight into the teeth of the defense on every down.

@"minny65" said: Yep, AD's guy broke Palmer's arm.  He never learned pass protection or how to run screens and catch in stride.  

Alex Boone isn't doing anything particularly effective in that clip either. Anyone ever hear if Boone and Peterson had a discussion after reuniting about Nelson Peterson calling out the Vikings' OL last year?

@"prairieghost" said: Oh, I know it's not involuntary. I realize there's study involved. I don't think it takes a boy genius to learn though. My point simply is that we had a young man join our team this spring who was eager and willing to do whatever the team asked and became quite brilliant at it from the get-go. And, BTW, he's a hell of a runner in his own right, too. It's not so much that Adrian would have been a better player. He was a great player. I definitely appreciate his years with the team and the offensive weapon he was. The problem was that he wasn't an all-around kind of back, which in the current NFL mold is a more complete player who can block, catch and run. For our team these past few years we needed a guy like that because we needed someone who could help in pass pro and also have the ability to catch a pass so that we weren't having to send Adrian straight into the teeth of the defense on every down.

Well I think he did more of it in college than Adrian did in college though as well.