Did you set a goal for yourself this year? Maybe you want to lose five pounds, or get more exercise, or read more books than you read last year?
Yeah, Adrian Peterson sets his goals a little higher than you.
Peterson said in an interview with Sports Illustrated that his individual goal is to shatter -- not just break -- the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing record. And his team goal is to win the Super Bowl.
“I’ve got my bar set for 2,500. If I could go up to that the record is shattered,” Peterson said.
And as for what he wants the Vikings to do?
“I want a couple rings,” Peterson said. “We’ve got to start at one and we need to get that one this year. We have the potential to get to the Super Bowl and win. It’s just all about coming together.”
Realistically, Peterson isn’t going to rush for 2,500 yards, even though he’s been saying that’s his goal for months. A player would have to average 156.25 yards a game for 16 games to reach 2,500. Even in Peterson’s phenomenal 2012 season, he averaged “only” 131 yards a game and he “only” topped 156 yards five times. It’s just not reasonable to think he’s going to improve on last year’s total by more than 400 yards.
As for the Super Bowl ring, well, that’s a long shot too. But Peterson has his sights set on the right spot.