After Adrian Peterson‘s decadent 296-yard rushing performance against the San Diego Chargers during his rookie season of 2007, I extravagantly declared that I wouldn’t be surprised to see Peterson run for 400 yards in a game before his career is over.
I usually don’t remind people of that claim but think about it.
Peterson was four yards shy of a 300 yard performance and the bulk of his yardage during that game was the result of breakaway runs. He had that dangerous combination of quick burst and breakaway speed that allowed him to get to the second level of defenders and then just run away from them when he got there.
In 2007, Adrian was taking handoffs from Tarvaris Jackson, who was throwing to the illustrious lineup of Robert Ferguson, Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson and Visanth(e) Shiancoe during his forgettable first year as a Viking.
This year he’s got Brett Favre under center, the now-rockstar tight end Shiancoe down the seam, and a receiving corps of Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, Greg Camarrilo, Hank Baskett and now Randy Moss…and perhaps even Sidney Rice later in the season.
That’s about as good a recipe you could draw up for a 400 yard day.
It ain’t gonna happen this week but who knows? It could happen.
5TH ROUND?
The Vikings are expected to receive a 5th round compensatory pick if Randy Moss is allowed to leave via free agency after this season. Why a fifth and not a third or fourth?
No one is really sure what the formula for compensatory pick is but, as Adam Warwas of Vikings Gab points out, there is a “fifth round cap” rule that stipulates that teams who lose a player who is more than 30 years old or is at least a 10-year veteran are compensated with no higher than a fifth-round pick.
NOON
NFC North rivals play today at noon. Fox is carrying the Green Bay/Washington match up in the Twin Cities. You’ll need to flip between Fox and the NFL Network’s RedZone to catch the other games: Chicago at Carolina and Saint Louis at Detroit.
RYAN COOK TO START?
It is looking like John Sullivan‘s troublesome calf is troubling enough to keep him from playing Monday. That likely means Ryan Cook, who did a great job replacing Sullivan against the Lions, will start at center Monday.
MENISCUS
Cornerback Chris Cook did indeed have surgery to repair the meniscus tear he suffered in his left knee during the Detroit Lions game. This tear is not as bad as the one he suffered in his right knee during the preseason. He’s expected to miss a few week.
NEW YORK SLEAZE
I guess that’s a little redundant. Evidence of New York sleaze come via MinnPost’s David Bauer, who published an email he got from New York Post reporter Sarah Ryley, looking for freelancers to literally camp out at Brett Favre‘s doorstep in Eden Prairie. [READ.]
TRAITOR
Former Gopher and former Vikings practice squad receiver Logan Payne has signed with the Jets, just in time to tell them everything he knows about the Vikings.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy Birthday to quarterback Brett Favre, who turns 41 years old today.