Peterson
Oh yeah, I was livid. I heard it
just like you ... I'll play if they are in the hunt (for the playoffs).
Maybe it wasn't a direct quote but the sentiment was there oozing out of the
pages. After our loss to the Packers, I wanted Adrian Peterson shipped out
on a rail ... but now ... not so much. Why? Because I'm not so
anxious to destroy a true legend of the game ... that is ... until a question is
answered. What is clear is that if and when it fell apart (The Colts),
risking further injury to collect stiffs would not be the smart
move.
You've heard it. The Vikings cannot afford to pay AD's final year on his
contract. There is no doubt of that however the amount on Adrian
Peterson's contract, to play for the Vikings, is actually meaningless. The
reasons may not be apparent but there is one thing for certain. If Adrian
Peterson leaves this franchise, he will be shredded into oblivion ... and he
knows it. As soon as walks out that door ... if he walks out that door ...
his status will be as a hired gun where he'll either be paid ... or he will not
be paid hoping for a result. In the later case ... he joins the Patriots
as fodder hoping that they can string together another championship for
him. The problem with this mindset is that unless he has a crystal ball
... knowing the outcome with any franchise is impossible as there is way to much
withheld from view. If AD is paid ... you know ... to go along with his
75+ millions in earnings ... he's be seen as a hired gun. In this case,
he's taking money out of another franchises pocket that could be paid to a bunch
of hard asses that actually deserve that money. Once they get a whiff of
Adrian Peterson's high jinx, do in part to things falling apart beyond his
control, things will get real ugly ... real fast. Enter the garbage
grinder.
Just walking away ...
from something he's chased for so many years now ... has it's own impact.
Very few can dispell the taste that comes along with doing so as it is always
better to fall upon ones sword than it is to live with an unbearable
thought.
This begs the
question. Is there a number ... Can there be a number? Only the
strongest of spirit & will can answer this ... and to be direct ... I'll
never be in Adrian Peterson's class, so I'll never know.
To be direct, if this Vikings franchise allows any of this to happen without
answering the #1 key question in regard to Adrian Peterson ... well ... they'd
be better off cutting his heart out. In other words, dumping AD without an
earnest approach to this historic entity ... it would be equivalent to ripping
the carpet from beneath his feet and throwing him naked to the dogs of
war. In short, the actions of this franchise would be despicable. In
regard to the franchise, the issues of money does not stack-up against an entity
that doesn't care or an entity without compassion.
The word is apathy. As for this franchise, the gods do not look upon
apathy with anything other than disdain & vengeance, and as we are all
aware, vengeance can go on & on & on. This is the only true threat
this Viking franchise will face & it is Adrian Peterson's only
leverage. To be direct, this organization has had it's belly full of vengeance
against it where some could refer to it as a 55 year long curse.
So what is the question? What might be the due diligence that must be done
by this franchise? To be direct, it has taken a great deal of time to
reflect upon this but the answer is actually quite apparent.
On the one side of the equation are 75 million reasons, and more, of accumulated
answers to the question. If this is Adrian Peterson's response to the
question, then you've done everything that you can for this man ... and you move
on. In this case, Adrian Peterson has taken the short view where the grass
is always greener on the other side of the fence ... and there is not a thing in
the world that you can do to sway that vision ... and to be direct, you
shouldn't even try to do that.
The only answer that has any meaning to the Vikings actually can only come from
Doug Glatt. Is Adrian Peterson going to take that slap shot in the
face. Of course, this isn't a literal translation but it can be the only
answer. It comes from the statement, "I'm sick of losing".
I'm sick of everything being taken from me ... in peril from the gods.
I've faced all the adversity. When will it be my time? Sure, I might get
beat in a heated regular season contest but I'm ready to take that puck where
ever my teams needs me to take that puck. I've bled, and I'll bleed again.
It's what I do. I'm literally at the end of my rope & I have patience
for no more of it.
Here's a better understanding of what lies at the heart of this issue.
When asked by Ray Lewis in Adrian Peterson's first pro bowl, "You're not
going to run (hard) like you did during the season?" Adrian had only
one response ... he knew no other way to run. Since that time, something
trained him differently & like Favre, it had its basis in the earning of
millions of dollars.
When Adrian is cornered by reporters, his response is telling. Is he angry
or is he cute? "Adrian, why are you so angry?" I have two
fumbles (in the 2009 & 2015 playoffs) that I'm going to get back.
Until then I'm going to spit brimestone & bile and there's nothing that's
going to change that. But! But! Then growl in response.
In it's essence ... this is it. Sure, you might see a smile and I
might have some fun with me mates ... but make no mistake.
Everything that is dear
to me ... has been taken. Do you remember that rookie record? How
about that 2009 season? How about playing in temperatures well below zero
only to have it all ripped away from me? How about being 9 yards away from
immortality? These things ... they represent only the very tip of the ice
berg. Am I clear ... Am I ... Growl. Screw the numbers & the
figures. I've been torn & tattered & every aspect of its
foundation has been rocked to its core but I've got to find a way to overcome it
all. Maybe, just maybe, it might be for something that I'll only
understand when I break-on-through. Adversity has become my middle
name. Maybe the only thing left that I'll ever have is the fight within my
soul. Growl!
This is what surrounds
me. This is the color of my world. It may not be much but its all
I'll ever have. Are you seriously asking me to just walk away from it all
... like it never even existed? Like I never
existed?
Sure, Adrian Peterson may not have an ounce left in his tank ... and then again
... maybe he does. That's not the issue. Cute doesn't win
championships. Legacy does.
The reason that Doug Glatt takes the puck in his face either literally or
figuratively is because he knows no other way because winning can be the only
answer.
Now before you do something stupid ... like insult another legend ... due your
due diligence.
It is now apparent to me. Alan Page knew no other way. L. C
Greenwood, or Larry Csonka, or Bill Walsh, or Joe Kapp, or Joe Montana knew no
other way.
When you felt the bite of Frank Gore pulling away from you, now at number 8 on
that all time list ... someone that you fully expected to pass this year ... it
wasn't simply because of injury. It was because of a question embedded in
everyone's mind.
You legacy is at hand. Even Ziggy can be inspired by something that he'll
never truly understand. Can you find your destiny or will it be only in
another universe ... where you can't taste any of it?
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: January 9, 2017