Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was asked a barrage of Adrian Peterson-related questions Tuesday in anticipation of Monday's opener between the Vikings (Peterson's old team, in case you were asleep the last decade) and Saints (his new team, in case you've been busy this summer) at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Zimmer, predictably, did his best to shut it down.
"This game isn't about Adrian Peterson," Zimmer said in response to one question. "It's about the Vikings and the Saints. They've got a lot of great offensive weapons and he's a great player, but this game isn't about Adrian Peterson."
That's what coaches (correctly) do. They try to strip away story lines and return the focus to the big picture of an entire game.
But guess what? There are still four days until the game, and I don't have to try to win or lose it. So here's a question: Who will have more rushing yards in Monday's game — Peterson or Dalvin Cook?
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.