Coming out of college, 100-yard rushing games were forgettable for Adrian Peterson. He racked up 22 of them in 31 games at Oklahoma. (Including six 200-yard games, which merits mention because it's insane.) But he still remembers his first in the NFL, which naturally came in his first NFL game.
"It’s a confidence boost," Peterson said Thursday, 13 years removed from his debut. "It makes you realize that, 'Hey, I can do this. I can do this on this level that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a youngster.'"
So when D'Andre Swift joined the club last Sunday in Jacksonville, Peterson wanted to make sure the rookie appreciated the moment.
"He took his jersey off and threw it down on the ground and the equipment guys came and picked it up. I was like, 'Hey, man, you need to make sure they save that jersey for you. That’s your first 100-yard jersey right there. You gotta make sure you collect that one,'" Peterson said.
From the moment he arrived in September, the future Hall of Famer has been mentoring the Lions' young running back. He saw the kid's talent and knew the team would need him. If he could help Swift along, if he could show him the ropes in the NFL, Peterson knew the Lions would reap the rewards.
"He’s going to win games for us this season," Peterson said.
So there he was on Sunday, watching proudly as Swift turned 14 carries into 116 yards and two touchdowns in Detroit's much-needed win over the Jags.
"I can see that mentally he’s becoming stronger. He’s more in shape now as well, and that comes with playing," Peterson said. "Getting a really good full game last week and seeing how he was able to power through and grind it out, that’s a lot for a young guy to really try to carry the role."
Swift didn't have the same fairytale NFL debut as Peterson. His was more of a nightmare, the kind that made headlines across the league. Peterson was there for him, a reassuring voice the rookie needed to hear. From then until now, Peterson said Swift has taken "tremendous steps."
"Watching him practice when I first got here compared to seeing him practice now, in the last couple of weeks there are things that I’ve noticed that he’s doing different as far being more patient, getting vertical, taking on the safeties, conditioning-wise finishing down the field," Peterson said. "You see him developing mentally, and it’s showing physically as well."
Peterson went on to put up five more 100-yard games as a rookie, including a 296-yard performance that remains an NFL record. He's got 56 to his name now. Swift is looking for No. 2 this week against the Falcons, and Peterson knows it won't be long before his protege gets Nos. 3, 4 and 5.
"Oh yeah. Like I said, he’s very talented, he’s a hard worker, a smart player. He picks up things extremely fast. He has the ability to accomplish anything he puts his mind toward," Peterson said. "If he continues to work and take the steps that I’ve seen him take since I’ve been here, he’ll be able to accomplish a lot of things."