Jim Souhan: Peterson a logical choice amid many illogical moves

The Vikings' Square of Solidarity, which succeeded the Triangle of Authority, made the right choice on Saturday, taking fierce, fast Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson in the first round.

By Jim Souhan, Star Tribune

Last update: April 29, 2007 - 7:46 AM

The Vikings' Square of Solidarity, which succeeded the Triangle of Authority, made the right choice on Saturday, taking fierce, fast Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson in the first round.

Peterson -- think Eric Dick- erson without the bad "Monday Night Football" cameos -- should help an offense that, last year, couldn't make it across the street without a crossing guard, a GPS and a bread crumb trail.

When you can draft an All-Pro talent with the seventh pick, even if he's had a few injuries, you do so. Peterson, though, won't necessarily transform a bad team, not a bad team in which its best skill position player -- research tells us -- is a running back.

The Vikings coaxed 1,500 yards from scrimmage out of running back Chester Taylor last year. Considering their many needs, the Vikings drafting another back is a bit like "American Idol" hiring another smart-aleck Brit.

What the choice of Peterson really does is emphasize the importance of the riskiest picks the Vikings made in their two previous drafts.

In 2005, they took Troy Williamson with the seventh pick, and they will enter a third consecutive season in which they need him to develop as a reliable deep threat, even though his hands have been scientifically proven to repel leather.

In 2006, the Vikes traded up to draft Tarvaris Jackson, a questionable move that will be cited as a sign of Vikings ineptitude unless he can show promise this season.

Peterson was the right choice when you have the seventh pick in the draft and are desperate for offensive talent, and Vikings coach Brad Childress said he could envision playing Taylor and Peterson together, in a "pony backfield." (Although I think he's just making stuff up now.)

The Vikings will enter the 2007 season with, best case, a rookie quarterback, no No. 1 receiver, and their two most impressive skill players manning the same position.

The Vikings might want to scrap the West Coast offense and go to the single wing.

Their choice of Peterson hints at their new organizational philosophy. No, not "Losing Games and Inviting Ridicule." That was last year.

The Vikes are claiming that what they thought was a juggernaut this time last year is now a rebuilding project. They are saying this in an attempt to elicit patience from the public. That, and a stadium.

In the NFL, calling yourself a rebuilding team is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It also might be the right way for the Vikings to go.

This is a team without a pass rush or a passing game, perhaps the two most important elements of modern football. The best thing about "rebuilding" is not feeling the need to do what the Vikes did in 2005 -- reaching to fill a need.

The Vikings thought their trade of Randy Moss meant they needed to find a speed receiver in the draft. They took Williamson, a nice guy for whom Stickum was invented.

Having learned their lessons about young, raw receivers from South Carolina, the Vikings in the second round on Saturday chose ... a young, raw receiver from South Carolina.

Their second-round pick was not USC star Dwayne Jarrett but a redshirt sophomore from the other USC named Sidney Rice.

Maybe Rice will bring Williamson's hands with him.

Draft day is always interesting, and by interesting, I mean almost as exciting as C-SPAN during congressional recess.

My personal highlights of the day: Vikings fullback Tony Richardson, on KFAN, predicting moments before the Vikings took Peterson that "sources" in the Vikings organization had told him they were going to take Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.

Also: The obsessive, overwhelming coverage by ESPN, which, for some reason, kept interviewing Sanjaya. Or was that Quinn?

Also: This bit of draft insight from the KFAN broadcast -- Peterson is a great running back because of his "hip snap."

Which is illegal in most states, but might be the key to the pony backfield.

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

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