VikesCentric: Vikings have questions to answer at running back

Since 2007, when Adrian Peterson was a rookie for the Minnesota Vikings, the team's running game was pretty uncomplicated. Hand the ball off to Peterson and let him rack up yards. But in 2014, that completely changed [link]. The Vikings backfield has been in constant flux, full of questions that may not be answered soon.

The most recent head-scratcher came last Sunday when starter Matt Asiata carried the ball for 19 times (and caught three passes), while backups Joe Banyard and Ben Tate carried it for a total of four. Granted Asiata is the starter, and by rights should get the ball the majority of times, but with a rushing average of 2.8 yards per carry, it begs the question of why not try something else.

That question becomes even more relevant when you consider the Vikings are 6-7 and virtually out of the playoffs, and have precious little to play for other than next season. The pre-emptive starter and potential future of the position Jerick McKinnon had been placed on the injured reserve list and Peterson, the legend he replaced, has played just one game this season and may never play again for the Vikings. So we must ask, why not see what you got? Why are Banyard and Tate so limited?

It was good to hear that someone asked the question of head coach Mike Zimmer—specifically wondering if Banyard did something to land in the coach's doghouse.

"No and he's not," Zimmer told the Star Tribune. "He'll probably get some more carries. I think Matt probably had a few too many carries. We'd like to get Ben a few more carries this week as well, so we'll see. Sometimes you just get in the flow of games and things happen. Unless you pre-script it and say, "This series and this series," sometimes that's just the way it goes. Matt probably got a few too many and those other guys probably got a few too less."

Well, there should be no probably about it. McKinnon is out with a back injury we know little about, Peterson is still in limbo and Asiata's talents have long been on display. The running game going forward will likely not rely so heavily on Asiata, so why not see what the other players have? Why do you pick up Tate (other than for veteran depth) if you don't want to give him a chance to show what he can do during games? Banyard has flashed in limited opportunities and we are not even sure what Jerome Felton can do anymore other than block (and jump on a fumble in the endzone).

Against the Jets, Asiata was on the field for 45 offensive snaps, Felton and Tate each got 10 snaps, and Banyard just three snaps, so it is hard to make any kind of game-time determination from that. Certainly Zimmer wants more wins (that has been established), and he sees what Tate, Banyard and Asiata can do in practice everyday, but he should take a better look at them when the bullets are flying.

The Detroit defensive front is going to be coming after quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and presumably Asiata has often been on the field to help protect the quarterback of the future. So I am going to wait and see how much run someone like Banyard gets (when he has had trouble in pass protection) and Tate, who still may be learning all the protections.

"Well, Joe just needs to make sure that he stays up on the protection parts of things. Ben, when he gets the opportunity, keep showing what he can do as far as that," Zimmer said. "One of the things we've done great, or I think we've done great at least recently, is we've had great ball security and so we've got to make sure that we're securing the football and not turning the ball over like we did the last time we played these guys. We've been pretty solid in that area for quite a while now and that's been big, making sure they're doing that."

Is it possible that Asiata is just a placeholder until next season for McKinnon or perhaps even a return for Peterson? Peterson has expressed a desire to play again this season. On top of that, the Vikings football operations have never waivered in their support of Peterson, with Zimmer saying the following: "All I know of Adrian is that he's always been great with me, always done what I've asked him to do, and I kind of go by what I see." So, what happens if he is somehow reinstated this season?

McKinnon's long-term health and Peterson's status going forward are just some of the questions that cloud the clarity of the Vikings running back situation—and more than any others, the answers to those questions are out of the hands of the coaching staff. More snaps for Banyard and Tate, are not however. The sooner, the better for that.

Head over to Vikings Journal and check out Bo Mitchell's story on offensive tackle Matt Kalil and then join in the conversation on the Vikings Journal forums, where everything Purple is dissected and discussed.