BRAINERD, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings don’t report to training camp for another two months, but it’s clear Adrian Peterson has put plenty of thought into what he can do for an encore in his second NFL season.
That 1,341-yard rushing performance (second in the league) and 12 touchdowns by the running back in 2007? The Offensive Rookie of the Year honors? That is so passé.
Peterson’s goals for 2008 include a 2,000-yard campaign, an improvement on the 19 catches he had last season and, perhaps, an MVP trophy. “I definitely feel like I can do it,” Peterson said Thursday when asked about being voted the league’s top player. “Anything is possible. Especially with how my mindset is. I set my bar high. I expect a lot from myself. I’m surrounded by a great group of guys offensively and defensively on both sides, special teams, so it’s possible for anything to happen.”
Peterson was on pace for a 2,000-yard rushing season eight games into his rookie year, but a lateral collateral ligament tear in his right knee suffered Nov. 11 at Green Bay forced him to miss two games. Peterson said Thursday the knee feels “perfectly fine.”
It felt good enough in February that Peterson rushed for 129 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns for the NFC en route to earning MVP honors at the Pro Bowl. Peterson said that week his goal was to rush for 2,000 yards — an elite club that includes Eric Dickerson, Jamal Lewis, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and O.J. Simpson.
“It’s something I stay consistent with,” Peterson said. “I’d be cheating myself if I kind of set it lower. But 2,000 yards, that’s my goal. I’m just going to work hard to give myself an opportunity to reach that goal.”
Peterson, standing beside Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, spoke Thursday in the swimming pool area of a hotel before heading into a luncheon that was filled with people there to see the Vikings’ marquee player. Asked if he feels like the face of the franchise, Peterson said: “I do. I do. It’s big shoes to fill, but I definitely feel like I’m capable of doing that. I definitely look forward to it.”
This does not mean Peterson sees himself as a finished product. He admits, “I definitely have a lot to improve,” and said he has spent plenty of time this offseason working with running backs coach Eric Bieniemy on improving various facets of his game. This includes pass-blocking, an area that was considered one of Peterson’s few weaknesses last season.
Peterson said one of his goals is to be on the field in more passing situations in 2008 but quickly points out that veteran running back Chester Taylor “does a great job.”
Of course, there is the possibility of Peterson and Taylor being on the field at the same time — something that did not happen frequently last season. Peterson said he is “looking forward” to that possibility and feels that might present opportunities for the Vikings to devise ways to get him the ball via the air more frequently.
“That’s something I feel like is being worked on,” Peterson said. “I have faith in the coaches that they are going to do a great job game planning and coming up with different plays and different schemes. Formations to kind of spread me out a little bit; spread me and Chester out outside the backfield and kind of bring a different twist to the game.”
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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