Adrian Peterson Compared to Walker/Dorsett

Adrian Peterson is now being compared to NCAA and NFL legends Herschel Walker and Tony Dorsett and I couldn't agree more. I found this article today and it offers a great review of last season as well as a preview for this season for the Sooners, and much like myself, they see the offense really revolving around Adrian Peterson. Here's a blurb.

With White having finally graduated, the focus of this offense is now moved to the running attack and Peterson. The comparisons to Herschel Walker and Tony Dorsett are justified for one of the best all-around runners in college football. A clear cut favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2005, Peterson has uncanny size and speed, which allows him to not only out run opponents but also run them over.

The Sports Network.com

#1 Back!

Rivals.com has rated our own Adrian Peterson the number one back in the country for the upcoming 2005 season. Quick, strong and smart, who's to say otherwise? Sure, there may be some skeptics out there concerned about our offensive line, but Rivals.com doesn't seem to think so. I mean, the man had close to 2,000 yards last year, and this year the question isn't whether or not he can repeat those stats, but how many more he'll pile up. Here's a blurb:

1. Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma)
NCAA records aside, Peterson will be one of the most hyped players on the national scene in 2005. He finished second in the Heisman balloting in 2004 and seemed to be voted all-everything by everyone, everywhere.

Peterson has plenty of speed and amazing strength. Sooners coach Bob Stoops will be trying to use the latter a little less, because Peterson took some big hits while pounding out yards between the tackles in 2004. His offensive line will be less experienced in 2005, but that shouldn't slow down Peterson too much. He's just that good.

2004 stats: 339 carries, 1,925 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns
Rivals.com

Injury Proned?

Is Adrian Peterson injury proned? Man I hope not. I found an article today about Adrian and a tight hamstring. Apparently, he sat on the latest two day practice, preparing for the regular season. This is not good news at all, and it could mean trouble for our very talented young running back this fall. Will we have a repeat of last year's injury? Let's hope not, because Adrian Peterson has the potential to be a mjor contributor to the OU offense this year. Here's hoping, and here's the article i found:

"Running back Adrian Peterson was held out of most drills during Saturday and Sunday’s practices as well as Monday’s scrimmage.

He was in full pads for the first time Tuesday morning. Peterson has been battling a tight hamstring and has been held back to prevent the injury from getting any worse."
The Norman Transcript

Adrian Peterson Press Conference

This a great article that I found about Adrian Peterson posted by Scout.com. I'm very excited by the way he sounded in it. I have a feeling that we're going to see a very confident and intelligent Adrian Peterson run out onto the field on gameday. He sounds like he'll be looking for holes, and understanding his physical limits. We don't want to have happen this year what happened last year.

Here's a snippet of the article:

TALK ABOUT YOUR SUMMER, REHABBING YOUR SHOULDER AND HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AS YOU GET READY TO GO THIS SEASON.

ADRIAN PETERSON: Summer went pretty good, came in with a different attitude, after the shoulder injury and everything. Been working hard to get my shoulder back together for the season. Summer went pretty good and just looking forward to the season.

IS THE SHOULDER AS GOOD AS YOU’VE HAD IT IN A WHILE?

ADRIAN PETERSON: Yeah, it is.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE?

ADRIAN PETERSON: Just with the shoulder injury, it made me realize a lot that anything can happen, so, with a more positive attitude about the situation with my shoulder and everything, I went in working harder to get stronger and prevent injuries like this from happening again.

YOUR COACH MENTIONED THAT SCHMITTY HAS SAID THAT YOU’VE TAKEN ON MORE OF A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE WEIGHT ROOM. DO YOU FEEL LIKE EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE A YOUNG PLAYER THAT YOU ARE MORE OF A LEADER, THAT THAT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY?

ADRIAN PETERSON: Yeah, I do. I realize that a lot of guys look up to me, older guys. And the younger guys look up to me, always asking me different questions and asking me about things, how to handle a situation. I’m young and everything, but a leadership role is put on me, so I have to take a stand.

YOU COME IN WITH A LOT OF NEW OFFENSIVE LINEMEN AND A NEW QUARTERBACK. DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO REPEAT LAST YEAR’S PERFORMANCE OR WHAT IS YOUR FEELING ABOUT THAT?

ADRIAN PETERSON: I’m just going to go out there and play hard, run the ball like I always do. We’ve got some great size with the young guys coming up, they’re going to fill the spots. I feel like they’re gonna get their job done, I’m just going to go out there and take care of business.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE ON THIS SEASON?

ADRIAN PETERSON: Catching the ball, running with the ball, work on my shoulders getting lower, basically the all-around game.

THE COACHES HAVE MENTIONED ONE OF THE THINGS LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE IS TO BE MORE PATIENT, WAITING FOR HOLES

ADRIAN PETERSON: Basically, it’s hard, but you’ve got to get in the mindset of doing it. It’s hard to work on, but I know I have to do it, control myself, be patient, let things develop.
Scout.com

adrian peterson

this is the first entry in the adrian peterson blog