Adrian Peterson sat down with the Star Tribune’s Jim Souhan for what will arguably be one of your favorite reads of the day, or week, or month. It’s really good. Here’s a summary.
The best ever?
Forget running back, Peterson wants to leave the NFL as the greatest player to ever play the game. Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders Lawrence Taylor and a long list of others will always be in the conversation of the best ever, and Peterson understands he still has a long way to go.
“I know there have been a lot of great players before me,” Peterson said. “I think what I’ve done so far is pretty good, but I still have a lot of work to do to finish where I envision being when I walk away from the game.”
Adrian added that breaking Emmitt Smith’s all-time rushing record will help him reach his goal. Peterson enters the season with 10,115 yards. Smith finished with 18,235 yards.
Rick “The Goose” Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News is one of the most respected NFL writers around. We stumbled on an old article he posted about his All-Time NFL Hall of Fame Team. Jim Brown and Sanders are in the backfield, by the way.
Knowing versus thinking
This summer has been filled with the likes of LeSean McCoy of the Eagles and Jamaal Charles of the Chiefs claiming they are the best running back in the NFL. If you missed those debates, click here to catch up. But Peterson delivered a knockout punch with this beauty.
“The catch is, you (McCoy, other challengers) think you’re the best back in the league? Well, I know I’m the best back in the league. They can put in the claim, but are they grinding like I’m grinding? I doubt it.”
Viking for life
Kevin Love didn’t want to finish his career with the Timberwolves. Kevin Garnett left. Randy Moss left. The stars always leave, it seems. But Peterson says it’s “important” that he finishes his career in Minnesota.
“On the personal side, my goal is to finish my career as a Minnesota Viking,” he said. “I would like to finish my career having played for just one team. Not many people get to do that. That would be special.”
The ultimate quote
“One thing people will be shocked to hear me say is, I’d give it all away for a Super Bowl,” Peterson said in the extra portion of the interview Souhan posted on his blog.
There isn’t much we can add to this other than championships help define greatness. Bleacher Report unveiled its list of the 20 greatest players to never win a Super Bowl. Former Vikings Moss, Cris Carter, John Randle and Randall McDaniel were honorable mentions, but it was the old-timer Vikings – Paul Krause, Carl Eller, Alan Page and Fran Tarkenton – that headlined the list.
