Jim Souhan: Coy coach says Peterson is not 'the man' yet

Most of us watch Adrian Peterson leave tacklers flailing like drowning men and see the best pure running back the Vikings have ever had, the best athlete in the Twin Cities, and the newly crowned NFC offensive player of the week.

That is why we are not equipped to coach an NFL team.

We see the best runner in the NFL. Brad Childress, being an experienced football man, sees the backup running back the Vikings have been missing ever since Rick Fenney last pulled a hamstring.

"Yeah, he's a number two," Childress said Monday. "That's how he is. It doesn't bother him, it doesn't bother me. I don't know -- if it bothers you guys, it will give you an article to write."

It's the best kind of article -- the kind celebrating the flexibility of a coaching mind that can look at the top rusher in the NFL -- and it's not close -- and see the next Allen Rice.

This is a historic week for Peterson. He set a team record for rushing yards with 224 on 20 carries on Sunday in the victory over the Bears. He's the first Vikings rookie to win the NFC offensive player of the week award since Randy Moss thrashed the Cowboys in Dallas in 1998, and this week Peterson, an East Texan, returns to his home state to play for the first time in iconic and drafty Texas Stadium.

We see the No. 1 rusher in the NFL; Childress sees the No. 2 guy on his depth chart. We see the guy who can salvage a season, save a coach and build a stadium. Brad sees Alfred Anderson.

Give him credit -- Childress' strategy confounded the once-proud Bears defense on Sunday. After seeing Chester Taylor carry the ball, the Bears couldn't quite grasp the speed at which Peterson moved. While the Bears were waiting for dial-up, Peterson went all ethernet on them.

Most of us would think asking Peterson to be a backup is a bit like asking Jimi Hendrix to play rhythm guitar, or Luciano Pavarotti to hum in the background, but it worked. Peterson went through the Bears like seed through a goose.

Monday afternoon, in the Vikings' locker room, Peterson's teammates sounded relieved, knowing they have finally found the backup running back they were looking for.

"He's the best backup I've ever seen," said cornerback Antoine Winfield.

"Yes," said quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, "we have the best backup running back in the NFL."

Winfield and Jackson were smiling as they spoke. Maybe they were thinking of Frank Caliendo's John Madden impersonation, because this is serious stuff.

You can't win in the NFL without a great backup running back. Remember those great Cowboys teams, led by Troy Hambrick? Remember the Steel Curtain dynasty, led by Reggie Harrison?

"Adrian," Jackson said, "looks like a grown man playing in a Pee Wee game."

It takes a true football insider to look at Peterson and see Ted Brown.

But it's important for Peterson to play his role. You can't have him make the first carry of the game -- he might break the play for an 80-yard touchdown, and Pat Williams might have to take the field before he's done with his baby back ribs.

Plus, Erasmus James apparently has a problem with starting running backs, and you don't want him taking a swing at Peterson's collarbone.

Having shown the nation that he's a Moss with manners, Peterson will try to establish himself further as a quality backup running back on Sunday in his home state.

Peterson is entering what Dennis Green used to call "rarified air." Sure, fans all over the country are comparing him to Eric Dickerson or Walter Payton.

Blessed with Brad's vision, we in Minnesota know better. We know Peterson has a chance to make us forget all about D.J. Dozier.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com