Unless Baltimore decides to take a chance on him, AP’s days sporting purple are over, and contrary to popular belief, it has less to do with money… or age… or ability… or the signing of Latavius Murray for that matter.



When it comes to lining up in power formations, Adrian Peterson might be the best "ball carrier" the world has ever seen. Unfortunately, the Vikings rarely line up under center these days and haven’t run a power-centric system for some time now. With incumbent OC Pat Shurmer taking over the helm full time, that likely won’t change.



Over the last 10 years, Minnesota has tried to adapt, attempting to revolve the offense around Mr. All Day. But quite frankly, the fan base has grown sick of watching their team force-feed anticipated square-pegs into defensively full-boxed round holes. Personally, I’m tired of feeling like their offensive backfield is handcuffed to the idea that we 'have to' give AP the ball when he's in the game. Peterson is a one-down back lacking dynamic capabilities and scheme specific adaptability. It’s not his ability as a runner that should be in question; it’s his skill-set as a running back. There’s a difference, and for that reason, the best Viking ever just isn’t a great fit for Minnesota’s offensive scheme anymore.



If he were more versatile, I might be excited about the idea of bringing him back on a more cost-effective contract. But there’s a problem… Peterson is dreadful carrying the ball out of shotgun, abysmal at running routes, atrocious at catching the ball and even worse at pass blocking. Not to mention his thoroughbred ways of dragging 4 defenders on his back to gain that extra yard eventually end with imminent fumbles somewhere down the line.



The 32-year-old is a one-trick-pony, albeit the Clydesdale of one-trick-ponies and a true master of his trick at that. But a running back isn't just a ball carrier anymore. The best running backs in the NFL these days are dependable on all three downs and show versatility amongst their responsibilities. The Vikings don’t need a master of one skill. It's time our Norsemen accept new-age NFL standards and employ a jack of all trades; someone who can do it all no matter the down and distance.



If you’re 35 or younger, Peterson is probably your favorite Viking of all time (calm down Cris Carter). But, he’s a one-trick pony who’s destitute when operating out of a quick twitch, west coast fundamentalist system; making him a very predictable and one-dimensional asset for a team that needs an offense with, well, less predictability and more dimension.



He's a master; our team needs jacks!!



My prediction: Enter the Somewhere Raiders. A team just a couple pieces away from a Super Bowl berth with an offense that boasts a top-5 o-line, a young franchise QB and a more traditional offensive system that operates under center. Whatever offense he goes to next, I have no doubts that he’ll excel, and I look forward to drafting him in all my fantasy leagues in the late 2nd. But when he does have a kick ass year, don’t look at me and tell me I was wrong, because whatever he does with his next team would not have been duplicated if he remained in the Twin Cities.



Peace & Skol,

Backseat Spielman