The early reviews continue to be positive for new Saints running back Adrian Peterson. The future Hall of Fame tailback has a fan in his new future Hall of Fame quarterback teammate.
“He is a stud,” Brees told reporters on Thursday regarding Peterson. “He looks the part. It has been impressive. Obviously, you admired the guy from afar. I have played in a few Pro Bowls with him, so I do have a little bit of that experience. There is something about handing the ball off to that guy and watching him run through the hole and take on anybody who tries to tackle him. Obviously, we are not in pads right now, but you are just imagining what it is going to be like. So, I am excited for that time to come.”
The team’s defenders may not be excited for that time to come, especially when he catches a swing pass from Brees.
“Any time you can get him in space against a smaller DB, look out,” Brees said. “Good luck tackling that guy in the open field. I feel like all of our backs are doing a really good job right now. Our offense is conducive to that. We do a lot with our backs. I think he is going to be able to do some stuff in this offense that maybe he has not done over the course of his career, just because we require some versatility from that position.”
The challenge for Peterson will be accepting that he’s no longer “the guy” but one of three running backs the Saints will use -- Peterson, Mark Ingram, and rookie Alvin Kamara. But if Peterson can do with limited reps the kinds of things he did with extended opportunities in Minnesota, it’s hard not to imagine the Saints giving him more chances to get loose.
