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“I was telling him, ‘Just be patient, it’ll come. Some good stuff will happen,'” Taylor said.
A few days later, the Washington Redskins called. And a lot of good stuff is happening. In August, there were questions about whether Peterson could still play; now he's the lead back for a division leader, on pace to rush for more than 1,300 yards. He has 587 rushing yards and four touchdowns in seven games.
If he rushes for 1,000 yards, he’d be the fifth player in history to reach that figure at age 33. A lot of backs are hoping that he does, including the last one to do so -- Frank Gore, who topped that total two years ago with Indianapolis.
Taylor rushed for more than 1,000 yards at ages 30 and 31. Tiki Barber rushed for 1,662 yards at age 31 -- and then retired. Eric Dickerson didn’t crack 1,000 yards in his 30s, but he’s the one in the Hall of Fame.
All four backs weighed in on Peterson’s renaissance season.
Why do you think Peterson has been able to revive his career in Washington?
Chris Thompson, a guy that can come out of the backfield. It’s the perfect fit.
“You have to be in the right situation, you really do. I don’t care how old you are or how young you are. If you don’t have the guys up front, it won’t work. The kid with the Giants, [Saquon] Barkley, he’s a great talent. ... But he has no help. With Adrian, if he didn’t have guys on the outside or a quarterback or the line, it would be no different. He’d struggle, whether he was 23 or 33. When you’re in your 30s, you make a big deal of it.”
Tiki Barber: “I think part of it is the chip on his shoulder. There’s a determination inside of him that wants to prove everybody wrong. When I watch him, he looks old. I remember Adrian when we played in the Pro Bowl together. He was young and powerful and could run away from anybody. Yet he’s still very effective despite how he looks. That has to come from the inside.”
Marshawn [Lynch] are true football players. I can tell A.P. is motivated. He’s here to prove [people] wrong, and he’s doing it. They're winning, and he’s one of the biggest reasons they’re winning, and that’s big.”
Barber: “Durability. The hardest thing, and I remember at the end of my career, is staying healthy week to week as you get older, not recovering as quickly, so being available every week, save for the one game where he gained only 4 yards. He’s been available, and that’s the biggest asset he’s provided to the Redskins. Your body just doesn’t recover as quickly; the damage is cumulative. I always said being a running back is a function of carries, and once you get a certain number, you don’t recover like you used to.”
Do you think Peterson will gain 1,000 yards, and what would it mean?
T
Taylor: “It’s hard for a guy whose mindset is mid-tier, but AD has played above the stratosphere his entire career. The ACL slowed him down, and then the year off slowed him down. Otherwise, look at what he’s be doing to the record books. It happens. It’s part of the game, but if he had stayed healthy like Walter [Payton], Emmitt [Smith] and Barry [Sanders], he would be pushing the No. 1 spot where Emmitt is. It’s hard because it requires discipline, it requires focus and you’ve got to stay hungry. That part is hard. But he had a routine his whole career where he worked his ass off, so he makes it look easy. Those young guys don’t understand it when you’re an older guy, you don’t just get excited to play the game. You get excited about things like preparation and game-planning and coming up with schemes and protections. That’s what excites older players. That experience takes over when you lose some of that athletic ability. But he’s a natural. He’s superhuman. That’s what he’s been. I love AD and the fact that he’s proving a lot of people wrong and doing what he’s capable of.”
