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Peterson pumps up purple power

Peterson pumps up purple power

By Rob Longley

Coach Brad Childress calls it “one sixteenth of a step,” his splash of cold water warning for Minnesota Vikings fans not to get too carried away at their would-be rookie star.

But as NFL debuts go, the effort of running back Adrian Peterson in an opening-week crushing of the Atlanta Falcons was a smashing one.

Thrust into the spotlight after Chester Taylor suffered an injury early in the game, Peterson ran for 103 yards on 19 carries then caught the highlight reels with a 60-yard touchdown snag from young quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.

“That was just the way you dream it up the night before,” said Peterson, a former star in the offensively prolific offence of the Oklahoma Sooners.

His attempts to play down the early reviews aside, Childress clearly expects Peterson to be a staple of his developing young offence. Throw in the stifling defence, the lone holdover of strength from 2006 and Vikings fans have reason to hope again after a struggling 6-10 season.

“He’s been a good student since he’s come in here,” Childress said this week. “He doesn’t want for any hard work and he wants to be an accepted member of this team and help us win. “I don’t know if we were surprised, but we were happy he did.”

Once touted as a top three overall pick, Peterson’s stock slipped moderately after a collarbone injury slowed him late in the 2006 NCAA season. But with his size and his speed, Peterson had game breaker written all over him and he was available as the Vikings went on the clock at No. 7. there was no decision to be made by the drooling Minny brass.

After his breakout performance on opening weekend another thing was clear - Peterson was good enough to power through opponents at the professional level.

He has certainly caught the eye of the Vikes’ opponent this Sunday, the Detroit Lions.

“He’s a violent man, I’ll tell you that,” Lions coach Rod Marinelli said on Wednesday after seeing enough of Peterson on tape the previous three days.

“That guy can go downhill as hard as I’ve seen. We know that now and we got to take care of our gaps and we’ve got to tackle.

“The guy is tough as nails. It will be a great challenge for us.”

With Detroit up next, the inevitable comparisons to another rookie offensive star - Lions wideout Calvin Johnson who was selected at No. 2 - are an in vogue angle this week.

“They are both explosive guys but they are different guys,” Childress said. “Probably a running back, if you look at it, can impact things much quicker because you can give it to him many more times than you might be able to get it to a star receiver.”

Peterson was careful not to bite on any possible revenge angle for the Lions bypassing him, but he did nibble a little.

“In a sense, it was unfortunate that I had the collarbone issue which kind of scared some teams away,” Peterson said. “But if I can go out there, stay healthy and compete at a high level, maybe I can make some guys say ‘maybe we shouldn’t have passed on him.’”

BORDERCROSSINGS: The Buffalo Bills admit it has been a struggle to regain focus after the sickening injury to tight end Kevin Everett in the season-opening loss to Denver. But the team will hold off on putting Everett’s numbers on their jerseys hopeful that the spinal injury won’t leave him paralyzed for life. “Quite frankly, I’m of the opinion that we need to wait,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said. “Kevin’s an injured player for us and we’re hoping for the best outcome. Kevin will never be far from any of our thoughts.” ... One of the sidelights of this Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh is the fact that Bills quarterback J.P. Losman and the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger came from the same draft class. Three seasons later, one is a Super Bowl champ and a big star while the other is still a work in progress. “Not any more attention than I do all other quarterback at this point,” Losman said when asked if he compares his background to that of Roethlisberger ... Though it caused more of a stir in Cleveland where the Brady Quinn watch is now in full bloom, Seattle added to their depth at quarterback by dealing for Charlie Frye ... The ‘Hawks will look for former CFLer Nate Burleson to pick up some of the slack for D.J. Hackett, who is expected to miss a month with a high ankle sprain. “Any time I have an opportunity to make a play is great with me,” Burleson said. “This will just give me a chance to make more plays.” ... Most encouraging for Seattle in the relatively easy 20-6 win over Tampa was the performance of Shaun Alexander who ran for 105 yards on 27 carries. “Shaun was ready, as ready as I’ve ever seen him,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “He played the game fast and hard. I think he’s primed to have a good season.”