After another lackluster season opener, Adrian Peterson needs a critical combination of patience and room to run.
The Vikings running back's average of 1.6 yards per carry at Tennessee on Sunday was his worst mark since he was 24 years old and taking handoffs from Brett Favre in 2009. Issues varied, coaches and players said, though offensive linemen shouldered the blame Thursday, four days after five of Peterson's 19 runs ended in negative yardage.
"Adrian's a great running back, but he can't run the ball if somebody's hitting you in the backfield," Vikings right tackle Andre Smith said. "No matter who you are."
A 31-yard outing against the Titans continued a stretch of underwhelming season openers for Peterson, which Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner noted when saying he expects Peterson to find his stride with time in the offense.
Turner stood by the coaching staff's decision to not play Peterson in the preseason. After reviewing Sunday's game, Peterson said he noticed a few runs in which he made the wrong decision.
"There were still four, five plays that I missed," Peterson said, "that [could've been] 50-, 60-yard plays, 20-yard plays. And vice versa, things that, offensively, guys came to the sideline and said, 'Hey, we're going to do better, we have to do better as a group.' "
Bradford leads huddle
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer reiterated Thursday that he will not name a starting quarterback before Sunday night.
Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill rotated throws during various quarterback drills, though it was Bradford who joined the starters just as team sessions began while media were ushered away from the practice field.