He Ain't Heavy, He's Our Runner
by Gonzo on Apr 8, 2009 8:45 PM CDT
in Vikings
23 comments
Earlier this off-season, the best running back in the National Football League had expressed a desire to add some more weight to his frame. Not just a little bit of weight, either, but a pretty significant amount.
Adrian Peterson played last season at around 217 pounds, according to the Star-Tribune. He has expressed his desire to get into camp this year at 230 pounds. Now, it's not terribly hard to add 13 pounds over the course of a few months. . .hell, I think I've personally lost the same 20 pounds quite a few times over the course of the last couple of years. But adding 13 "good" pounds is significantly harder. And, to be honest, Brad Childress doesn't think that AP can get to 230.
Childress made it clear he doesn't think 230 pounds would be a good idea for Peterson.
"You just want guys to be efficient I think with what they have," he said. "The 230, the 12 pounds extra, I don't know where that came from. Did it come out of Adrian's mouth? Well, I'm thinking he's probably not going to get to 230, nor does he want to be at 230. And I would have no trouble telling him that or you."
Childress said adding some bulk could have benefits -- as long as it is good weight and doesn't affect Peterson's explosiveness and speed.
"You've got to still be able to generate and be elusive at the running back position," he said. "I think naturally he'll add good weight as he goes through his career, but I think just adding weight to say, 'I'm going to get 10 pounds heavier' probably doesn't have a lot of merit to it."
The thought of Adrian Peterson at 230 pounds would have to scare the daylights out of every opposing defense on the Minnesota schedule next season, provided that Peterson could keep his outstanding speed. Peterson's philosophy is that the added mass would help him more easily withstand the pounding he takes throughout the course of the year.
#28 is already the best combination of speed and power in the NFL at the running back position, and I'd hate to see him have to sacrifice one of those things at the expense of enhancing the other. Again, if he can keep his speed and elusiveness while putting on another 10 pounds or so, then I'm all for it. But, to be honest, rather than concentrating on that. . .or possibly in concert with that. . .I'd rather see him work on his pass-blocking and pass-catching skills. Adrian Peterson is a very unique player, but in order for him to be even more of a threat, he has to be able to justify to Brad Childress that he needs to remain on the field on third downs and in passing situations. While he's a special player already, we'll never know exactly how great Peterson can be until he makes himself a more versatile threat, in my opinion.
What do you folks think? Should the best running back in football be trying to pack on the pounds? Discuss it here, and we'll be back with more tomorrow!
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Only if he adds it to his arms so he can hold onto the ball better. With AP’s hit’em hard mentality I would be afraid the extra size would make him think he is Earl Campbell. Then we have to worry about him getting hurt all the time.
by taf442001 on Apr 8, 2009 8:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
He seemed to dish out plenty of punishment before. Am I with Gonzo. Would love to see him improve on the blocking/catching/route running side of his game.
by vikingfuture8816 on Apr 8, 2009 8:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Gonzo, as you know, I am a Cowboys fan so I don’t have a bias. But I would personally be much more scared of Peterson if he developed his pass receiving skills. There’s no doubt in my mind he could do it and be a devastating receiver out of the backfield. Adding that much weight seems like it would make that more unlikely to happen and I question if he would cut nearly as well.
by YakuzaCowboys on Apr 8, 2009 9:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Other RBs have tried to add extra weight before, and it’s failed them.
But those RBs aren’t Adrian Peterson. The guy obviously knows what he’s doing. If he thinks adding 12 pounds is going to help, then I trust him enough to believe it. Childress should feel the same way.
by Frost on Apr 8, 2009 9:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I agree!
I would much rather see him work on his pass blocking and pass catching skills. Adrian catching passes and giving a nice burst could be outrageously effective.
I think he could put maybe 5 lbs on, without making any difference in speed/quickness/agility.
The Minnesota Vikings - Undefeated in the Playoffs at Lambeau Field!
by BaldViking on Apr 8, 2009 9:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
He is trying to make up for
Our lack of talented fullback.
http://vikingsmashfootball.wordpress.com/
by BeardedAxe on Apr 8, 2009 11:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Extra
Meh……I dont mind it, as long as hes developing his blocking skills to go with it. Working on fumbling less would be a plus too! I read an article on how hes been fumbling since his days in OU, funny I never heard about that (only a zillion times about his broken collarbone and injury proness) when he was being assessed.
by LAviking on Apr 9, 2009 12:26 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
nail on the head
Gonzo! I would much rather see Adrian work on his pass catching, blocking, and fumbleitis this offseason. I think his explosve quality is really what sets him apart and I do not want him to lose that.
by skiumah06 on Apr 9, 2009 12:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If it ain't broke....
AP is good, very good… will 12 extra pounds make a significant improvement? I somehow doubt it.
What IS BROKE is the fact that the opposition can load the box with 9+ guys against him, and the Vikes are weak at RT on top of that. Maybe if those things were fixed, he wouldn’t have to take such a “pounding” that he feels the need to modify his already optimized body.
Perhaps if Childress got the real message, that the Vikings need a deep threat passing game and the blocking needs to improve, before he wears out the best RB that the NFL has seen in a long time, we could keep that RB in Purple for many years to come.
by DCPurple on Apr 9, 2009 6:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Hmmmmmm
What IS BROKE is the fact that the opposition can load the box with 9+ guys against him,
I don’t have a problem with this as much as most. The more people you put in the box, the less space their is between them, and the greater the threat of a big running play if it’s blocked well. You make a good point about the lack of talent at right tackle, and that’s something that needs to be addressed this offseason either through free agency or through the draft. I just personally would rather see 8 in the box because if they can get him to the second level he’s got a chance at taking it all the way.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
by fourstick on Apr 10, 2009 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah this is why we didn’t see a ton of big runs from him last season. Teams were semi-respecting the pass. So Peterson had an extra guy to beat once he got past the first level, and often times they tackled him.
by Frost on Apr 10, 2009 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The problem
Is that Childress abandons the run when he thinks he’ll have nothing but single coverage downfield when what he should be doing is running first down 80% of the time. The non-run first downs should be play action passes looking to get big chunks of yardage.
Brian Billick would know this, and so would Mike Shanahan, but Childress is from that Andy Reid school of dink and dunk, even when he doesn’t have the personnel to do this effectively.
Shanahan has gone on the record as saying he loved 8 men in the box when he had Terrell Davis, because if he got Davis to the second level he had a chance to break one for 20+.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
by fourstick on Apr 14, 2009 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Probably more mental than anything
I really doubt 10 lbs. is going to do much either way as far as AD’s ungodly physical talents. He’s still going to be the same quick, bruising, ridiculously talented running back we’ve come to know and worship love. Remember, most NFL players will lose about 5 pounds during the course of a game. Ten to twelve pounds isn’t a gigantic change.
But if AD truly thinks this will make him more durable, maybe that’s all the help he’ll need. Maybe he thinks those extra pounds will help him be more stable when he gets hit, making him fumble less…couldn’t hurt right?
by ericj69 on Apr 9, 2009 10:27 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
But..
Water weight =\= muscle weight. Adding 12 pounds of pure muscle is not as easy as it sounds.
by Jepp The Viking on Apr 9, 2009 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right
The twelve pounds takes a while to build up when it’s all muscle, but I just don’t see it affecting how Adrian runs all that much. It’s not like he’s only lifting hard and doing nothing else in his training. I think he’d be a wrecking ball/jumping bean hybrid at any weight between 200 and 240.
by ericj69 on Apr 9, 2009 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't do it, AP!
I can’t believe that I’m about to agree with Brad Childress, but here goes…
RBs and their respective weights:
Walter Payton: 200
Tiki Barber: 200
Barry Sanders: 203
Clinton Portis: 205
Emmitt: 210
Marcus Allen: 210
Curtis Martin: 210
Marshall Faulk: 211
Priest Holmes: 213
Edgerrin James: 214
Ahman Green: 217
AP: 218 (and counting, presumably)
Thomas Jones: 220
Marion Barber: 220
LT: 221
Corey Dillon: 225
Shaun Alexander: 225
Larry Johnson: 230
Deuce McAllister: 232
Fred Taylor: 234
Eddie George: 235
Jamal Lewis: 240
Marion Butts: 248
Jerome Bettis: 252
With the exception of the Bus and “Fragile” Fred Taylor, none of the 230+ pounders were terribly explosive or effective top-tier rushing threats after their 4th seasons. LJ and McAllister were pretty much used up after they’d had 4 good seasons. Eddie George somehow kept a starting job for a few more years with less than a 4.0 yard-per-carry average, and the same can be said about Jamal Lewis (except he finally had a 5th productive year in 2007). The backs who weighed 225 or less were more effective for more years. (Marion Butts doesn’t really belong on this list, but I couldn’t think of another heavy back to add who actually started for a full season or more.)
(Admittedly, this isn’t bulletproof, scientific, or absolute, and the average career length for any NFL RB is around 3-5 years total, but among NFL RBs who become stars/starters in the past 10 years or so, there appears to be a clear advantage to not being too big.)
by KC Viking on Apr 9, 2009 12:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Let's not forget one of the greatest backs with speed and power
ever to play the game and that’s John Riggins who could run a 10.1 100 meters and still run over guys at 6’ 2" and 230lbs. and had 1300 yd rushing seasons in his 12th and 13th years in the league. What I want to see AD do is quit trying to run over people on each and every down. Most of you are probably too young to remember watching the great Jim Brown play but there was never any wasted effort with him. If AD doesn’t learn to conserve himself a bit more he’s going to get hurt — guaranteed. Of course, if the Vikings could ever find even an average passing game to take the heat off him it would improve things 100%.
by VikingBillArlingtonVA on Apr 9, 2009 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
Without something to force the secondaries to back off the line, Peterson’s going to get that pounding every time he touches the ball. They’re waiting for him, looking forward to taking the shine off that young man.
Unfortunately, the last likely real improvement for the Vikes this year might be RT, and an improved line isn’t going reduce the number of men that the other side crams into the box. In all likelihood, Peterson can look forward to another year of being beat up.
by DCPurple on Apr 10, 2009 6:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
good idea
The fact that this is a good idea is proven by the comments of disapproval from Childress. Brad is as much of an offensive guru as Christian Bale is superhero.
The crazy thing is that his mis-evaluation of Jay Cutler and his smart acquisition of Sage Rosenfels will be the reasons the Vikings and Bears duke it out for the next several years for the chance to win the division and perhaps keep the other from getting a wild card. IF Childress truly knew quarterbacks then he would’ve acquired Cutler and probably traded Rosenfels. Rosenfels’ top quality is his accuracy and is going to help open everything for Peterson but if there was one more addition left, I’d say they should get a speed back in the draft.
by 7thdeadend on Apr 10, 2009 4:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Can anyone say
Brandon Jacobs???
by RileysCannibalJct on Apr 10, 2009 8:40 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Adrian Peterson > Brandon Jacobs
Visit:
http://www.vikingvigil.com
Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!
by Manimal on Apr 13, 2009 8:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Definately Ball Control
Yes, he does need to work on his pass catching and blocking abilities as well as his ball control. Instead of jumping like Lebron James, keep it on the ground and hold onto the ball! As KC showed, the added weight may not do anything. Look at the greats, same weight or a little less. Yet, also, need to do something air attackwise to get the defenses to scatter more. They do seem to be concentrating the line with A.P.
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk"
by VikesFaninNM on Apr 12, 2009 12:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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