Filling the backfield void left by injured workhorse Derrick Henry, football mercenary Adrian Peterson contributed 21 yards and a touchdown (he also caught his lone target from Ryan Tannehill for a five-yard catch) in his Titans debut Sunday at Los Angeles. As you’d expect from a 36-year-old playing his first game in over 10 months, Peterson showed noticeable rust against the Rams, averaging a pedestrian 2.1 yards per carry with a long run of just six yards.
Beyond the difficulties of adjusting to a new offense on the fly, Peterson, in his time away from the gridiron, appears to have picked up some bad habits. Those flaws were not lost on Peterson’s 10-year-old son who, in a post-game FaceTime, was critical of his father’s technique.
You know you’re a dinosaur when your kids are grinding film and handing out constructive criticism after games. A certain Hall-of-Famer and arguably the greatest ball-carrier of his generation, Peterson is closing in on Barry Sanders for fourth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, trailing the Lions legend by just 428 yards.
As the veteran inevitably grows more comfortable in the Titans’ offense, he’ll continue to chip away at that number. But would another milestone be enough to impress Peterson’s son, who is clearly of the perfectionist mindset? That remains to be seen.
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