Sid Hartman: Vikings keep calm after rookie's debut

First-round draft choice Adrian Peterson was very impressive in the Vikings' 24-3 victory over Atlanta on Sunday, as he rushed 19 times for 103 yards, a 5.4-yard average, and also took a short pass from Tarvaris Jackson 60 yards for a key touchdown.

But count Rick Spielman and Eric Bieniemy among those with the Vikings who believe the former Oklahoma star can show a lot more.

Yes, it's not fair to judge a player on one performance, especially when the opposition isn't great. But there is no doubt why Peterson was taken No. 7 overall in April. This guy is a good-looking running back.

"Everybody knows what type of player he was in college, but we've got 16 games in a season and hopefully playoffs, and hopefully he can continue to do what he did," said Spielman, Vikings vice president of player personnel. "I think he showed that he can play in the league and be an effective player in this league.

"We'll look at the tape and see if there's any mistakes and stuff like that, but he gives us some explosive playmaking ability on offense."

Bieniemy, Vikings running backs coach, also wasn't ready to declare that Peterson is an NFL superstar on the basis of one performance.

"He played hard, he played fast. He stepped up when we needed a play," Bieniemy said. "But you know what, it's just the first game. Got to go back to work on Monday. We've just got to keep fine-tuning little detail things.

"... I do know this, if he keeps working, the sky could be the limit for him. As long as he's focused, humble and stays professional, he's going to be all right. You know what, I'm not going to crown him, but understand this: There's a part of the process that needs to take place. He did a heck of a job for us today."

Likes Peterson

Ex-Vikings coach Jerry Burns was asked to compare the athletic ability of Peterson with that of former Vikings great Chuck Foreman. The question was specifically about athletic ability, because Foreman proved over his long career what he could do.

"Well, they're both great backs, there's no question about it," Burns said. "I think maybe Foreman had a little quicker inside [cut] on some of his moves, and I think Peterson is faster. But they're both very good football players."

In college, Peterson was not much of a receiver. In fact, the 60-yard touchdown pass he caught Sunday came on the same short pattern he caught his only TD pass in 31 games over three years at Oklahoma -- a 69-yarder in a 24-17 victory over Alabama-Birmingham that also happened to be the Sooners' season opener last year.

"He made a nice catch on the one he ran for a touchdown; he bobbled it a little bit, but he picked it up in the air and caught it, and that fumble he recovered there just before the half was a big play. He's a complete player, there's no question about it," Burns said. "He's as good of a running back as I've seen come in the league in the last four or five years."

Burns also liked what he saw of Jackson.

"I like it when he moves around," Burns said. "He's got a nice balance to him, he throws the ball good. I think a couple of his long passes he didn't keep inbounds, but I like everything about him."

However, Burns wanted to see more of Jackson before making any judgments. "[He needs] a little more experience and maybe a little tougher team to go against," Burns said. "It's hard to say just how good he is, but I like everything about the young kid."

What they said

Vikings center Matt Birk on Peterson: "He did a great job. I mean, it's tough being a rookie, but ... that's why you prepare and that's why the preseason is so important. He stepped in there and carried the load, and he was in there on a lot of passing plays, too, and had to protect the passer."

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf: "A great opening game, and it shows you how hard work translates to results like we had. We worked real hard in the offseason and we added some new players here, and I think the combination of hard work -- by the organization and by the team -- makes us that much a better team, and we look forward to much better things to come."

Linebacker Ben Leber on the play of the defense, which held Atlanta to 265 yards of offense: "We had, what, six sacks and two picks for sixes, that's the way we wanted to come out and establish the 2007 season. So, we're just excited as a defense that we can go out there and set a standard. I think we've gotten a lot better. It's another year in basically the same system, so you're always looking to get better."

Fourth-round draft choice Brian Robison, who had two sacks: "Just being able to get out there [and] put pressure on the quarterback, that was a big question mark for us. I think that we showed that we're going to be able to do that this year. ... I never would have thought that I'd get two sacks in my rookie opener, but definitely, [I've] got to make sure I keep it going throughout the season. I did have three sacks once against Texas Tech." Robison had 5½ sacks all of last year but led the Vikings with three sacks this preseason. "I was injured most of [last] year but I feel like I'm a much better player now, so I've just got to keep showing that," he said.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier about Robison: "We've only played one regular-season game, but he showed some things in the preseason as well and we'll see how it plays out over the next 15 [games]. ... He has the potential to be an outstanding pass rusher in our league just because of the way he motors. He was the same way in college, he played with a fast motor, high motor, and he's carried that over to the National Football League."

Frazier on the defense as a whole: "Well, I thought E.J. Henderson did a great job for us just directing our defense and getting us in spots that we needed to be in, along with Pat and Kevin [Williams] defending our run game. ... One of the things we wanted to be able to do was stop the run and make them have to throw the football, and I thought our D-line did a great job of doing that."

Jottings

When asked if he called the plays Sunday, Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said, "Yes, with a few suggestions."

Jackson's statistics Sunday were comparable to Brad Johnson's from last year's season opener, a 19-16 Vikings victory at Washington. In that game, Johnson completed 16 of 30 passes for 223 yards with one touchdown and an 88.6 passer rating. Sunday against Atlanta, Jackson completed 13 of 23 passes for 163 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a QB rating of 75.1.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on Podcast twice a week at www.startribune.com/sidcast. shartman@startribune.com