Age 30 is usually the death knell for NFL running backs, but then again, Adrian Peterson isn't your average back.Â
The Minnesota Vikings star turns 30 next March, but he isn't worried about slowing down any time soon. Peterson scoffed Thursday when a reporter asked him if he's entering the twilight.Â
"They said 'Oh, ACL, you'll never come back from it,' " Peterson said. "So, it is what it is. It doesn't apply to me. I have a totally different mindset, mind frame."
Peterson said with a laugh: "I was talking to (Brett) Favre. 40 sounds good, you know?"
A.P. has shown no signs of decline yet. The generational talent famously rushed for an incredible 2,097 yards just months removed from ACL surgery. Peterson will have to carry the Vikings' offense once again in 2014, and he'll do so while learning Norv Turner's playbook.Â
"It fits me in all areas as far as running the ball, being diverse, being able to run the ball from the shotgun, being able to touch the ball in perimeter, spread out and run routes as well," Peterson told NFL Media's Albert Breer. "The all-purpose back, you know, what I've always envisioned myself as, the Marshall Faulk. So this offense is perfect for that, so that's how it really helps the running back position."
Peterson has never caught 50-plus balls. If Turner splits A.P. out wide to exploit defenses in the passing game, the Vikings' offense will possess a much-needed extra dimension.
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys make the case that multiple teams have closed the gap on the Seahawks and 49ers in the NFC.
