If Peterson’s career is over, what will his legacy be?
When the Vikings made it official that they were moving on from Peterson in March 2017, general manager Rick Spielman put the team’s 2007 first-round pick in the category of the best players in the franchise’s existence.
There’s a fascinating dichotomy about Peterson’s time in Minnesota. On one hand, the Vikings’ future Hall of Fame running back ran away with the title of the team’s best running back. The next best runner Robert Smith has nearly 5,000 less yards on the ground. Two players — Chuck Foreman and Bill Brown — are tied for second place behind AP in rushing touchdowns with 52, Peterson has 97 TDs. He’s pretty far ahead of Foreman in Football Reference’s Approximate Value with 104, compared to Foreman’s 90. And he’s No. 1 in yards per carry despite some down years in that category recently.
Aside from two years with Brett Favre, the Vikings’ running back was the face of its franchise. What luck for the club to have another superhuman megastar to follow Randy Moss’s incredible career. But the other side of the coin is that the Vikings simply didn’t win with Peterson as their centerpiece.
Without Favre, they won zero playoff games. He fumbled twice in the Vikings’ famous loss to New Orleans in ’09 and once in the near-win against Seattle in 2015. Overall in the postseason, Peterson averaged 10 yards less per game in the playoffs than regular season and 1.3 yards less per carry. His lone playoff game over 100 yards was the Saints loss.
Not to mention that in five playoff games, he managed just six catches on 10 targets for 54 yards.
It’s hard to form one player’s legacy based on team wins. It’s not Peterson’s fault that his career opened in a year in which Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger all played quarterback. It isn’t his fault the team drafted Christian Ponder. It isn’t his fault Favre threw across his body or that Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard kick. He also didn’t play any role on the 2013 defense, which finished 32nd in the NFL.
But it’s also hard to ignore that the greatest times of Peterson’s career were often forgettable for his organization.
And it’s also hard not to wonder if his totals were pumped up by a lack of a passing game and whether his team’s passing game would have been better if the quarterbacks had a running back who was willing to block or was dangerous in the passing game.
Through the eyes of Vikings fans, there always seems to be a prevailing “yeah, but…” to Peterson’s legacy that’s hard to shake.
The national lens sees Peterson more favorably. It focuses more on his individual accomplishments, like breaking the single-game record for rushing, averaging 6.0 yards per carry or likely being the last ever to run for 2,000-plus yards.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/07/petersons-career-will-legacy/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
@"suncoastvike" said:I am from the north and defended the butt whooping, the kid was being a little shit and needed some punishment, but conceded that he went to far. However... I dont agree with him spreading his seed so recklessly. IMO perhaps the young boy that was overly aggressive with his smaller half sibling wouldnt have been that way if he had been raised with a father around from day 1 to help mold his behavior.@"MaroonBells" said:Yeah I agree it got turned into a nation debate. You don't go tell'en us how to raise our kids. Old culture vs new. South vs north...ect. It was an embarrassment I hated hearing in the end. This was the face of our franchise. Lots of people were rubbing egg in our face.@"suncoastvike" said:Yeah, turns out there are a hundred different viewpoints on that. I sorta come from the starting point of trying to respect other cultures, religions, belief systems even if I don't share them. I suspect a lot of folks put malice into Peterson's actions, and I doubt that's the case. He was likely just parenting the way he was parented. Doesn't really excuse what he did, but if you want to know why it doesn't make me crazy like it does some, well there ya go. And I couldn't give a damn how many kids or wives he had.@"MaroonBells" said:The bigger difference is it sounds like your father was your father year round. Married to your mother and a presence in the home. This kid was a 4 year old sent off to bond with his father a couple times a year. Harsh discipline is easier to except and learn from when dished out from someone who's a big part of your life. What could this 4 year old have learned from this visit? I don't want to reopen any old wounds rehashed here. I wasn't here hashing then. I just couldn't look at him the same after that. That my take on him. He is the greatest RB we ever had. He was also seriously flawed morally in my eyes. More then how and when he decided to be a father.@"IDVikingfan" said: Maroon, for fairness and balance, make sure you tell your grandchildren about Peterson whipping his son with a switch. Just cultural differences doncha know... What happens on the field is all that matters... He was a great football player but a terrible Dad. Yeah, not to restart a topic this board has, well, beaten to death...that didn't enrage me the way it did others. Peterson went too far and I think he probably realized that the minute he stopped. But I came from a family of Kansas farmers. It's how I was brought up. I got the switch many times. So did my father before me. And his father before him. Of course there were no photos to show the cuts and bruises. But time and culture changes. I wouldn't dream of hitting my kids.where AD actually lost me were his comments all along about not being supported by the team and then him going to jerruh trying to arrange a way out of minny.... at that point... and somewhat still.. fuck adrian peterson.
@"JimmyinSD" said:@"suncoastvike" said:I am from the north and defended the butt whooping, the kid was being a little shit and needed some punishment, but conceded that he went to far. However... I dont agree with him spreading his seed so recklessly. IMO perhaps the young boy that was overly aggressive with his smaller half sibling wouldnt have been that way if he had been raised with a father around from day 1 to help mold his behavior.@"MaroonBells" said:Yeah I agree it got turned into a nation debate. You don't go tell'en us how to raise our kids. Old culture vs new. South vs north...ect. It was an embarrassment I hated hearing in the end. This was the face of our franchise. Lots of people were rubbing egg in our face.@"suncoastvike" said:Yeah, turns out there are a hundred different viewpoints on that. I sorta come from the starting point of trying to respect other cultures, religions, belief systems even if I don't share them. I suspect a lot of folks put malice into Peterson's actions, and I doubt that's the case. He was likely just parenting the way he was parented. Doesn't really excuse what he did, but if you want to know why it doesn't make me crazy like it does some, well there ya go. And I couldn't give a damn how many kids or wives he had.@"MaroonBells" said:The bigger difference is it sounds like your father was your father year round. Married to your mother and a presence in the home. This kid was a 4 year old sent off to bond with his father a couple times a year. Harsh discipline is easier to except and learn from when dished out from someone who's a big part of your life. What could this 4 year old have learned from this visit? I don't want to reopen any old wounds rehashed here. I wasn't here hashing then. I just couldn't look at him the same after that. That my take on him. He is the greatest RB we ever had. He was also seriously flawed morally in my eyes. More then how and when he decided to be a father.@"IDVikingfan" said: Maroon, for fairness and balance, make sure you tell your grandchildren about Peterson whipping his son with a switch. Just cultural differences doncha know... What happens on the field is all that matters... He was a great football player but a terrible Dad. Yeah, not to restart a topic this board has, well, beaten to death...that didn't enrage me the way it did others. Peterson went too far and I think he probably realized that the minute he stopped. But I came from a family of Kansas farmers. It's how I was brought up. I got the switch many times. So did my father before me. And his father before him. Of course there were no photos to show the cuts and bruises. But time and culture changes. I wouldn't dream of hitting my kids.where AD actually lost me were his comments all along about not being supported by the team and then him going to jerruh trying to arrange a way out of minny.... at that point... and somewhat still.. fuck adrian peterson.
I don't know what happened at that house. Or why he felt the need for such punishment. I was raised in Minnesota. I do believe a slap on tha butt is ok for a 4 year old. With your hand.
I think the north that was most vocal was the northeast. Midwest is north but different culture the northeast.
Either:
Orange Peanut
or
Caring father of a small village
@"MaroonBells" said: Time heals all ills. I've never completely understood why people turned on him in the first place, so I don't need the time. I'll remember him as the best running back we've ever had. The best combination of speed and power the NFL has ever seen. I'll tell my grandchildren that I watched his every carry in purple. I'll tell them about 296. I'll ask them if they want to see a BAD, BAD man and show them the one clip William Gay doesn't allow in his house.
This never gets old...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmrAyU3HcU0
@"Ralphie" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Time heals all ills. I've never completely understood why people turned on him in the first place, so I don't need the time. I'll remember him as the best running back we've ever had. The best combination of speed and power the NFL has ever seen. I'll tell my grandchildren that I watched his every carry in purple. I'll tell them about 296. I'll ask them if they want to see a BAD, BAD man and show them the one clip William Gay doesn't allow in his house.This never gets old...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmrAyU3HcU0
Man, that just makes me giggle every time I see that.
@"MaroonBells" said:We got the belt growing up. And if that big, fat belt buckle buckle hit you, omg that hurt like hell. I never hit my son. Another appalling thing about the whole situation is someone with access posted the photos online. That little boy will carry that forever. And of course the little boy who lost his life to some despicable POS. That's heartbreaking and disgusting at the same time.@"IDVikingfan" said: Maroon, for fairness and balance, make sure you tell your grandchildren about Peterson whipping his son with a switch. Just cultural differences doncha know... What happens on the field is all that matters... He was a great football player but a terrible Dad. Yeah, not to restart a topic this board has, well, beaten to death...that didn't enrage me the way it did others. Peterson went too far and I think he probably realized that the minute he stopped. But I came from a family of Kansas farmers. It's how I was brought up. I got the switch many times. So did my father before me. And his father before him. Of course there were no photos to show the cuts and bruises. But time and culture changes. I wouldn't dream of hitting my kids.
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