Sid Hartman: If Peterson rests, there is a reason

There have been a few games in which Adrian Peterson has seen limited service in the fourth quarter and at least one in which he sat out the entire fourth quarter, as in the Tampa Bay game last week.

This has stirred up a lot of controversy. Eric Bieniemy, the Vikings running backs coach who works with the great running back more than any other coach, can't understand all the second-guessing on the subject.

"You try to keep guys fresh throughout the course of the game," he said. "You have to understand that I think we have two pretty good backs. What you try and do is utilize both of them to their best capabilities. The thing is that Chester [Taylor] does some things pretty good and Adrian does some things pretty good. What you try to do is get a mixture of both out there on the field.

"Sometimes it's me, sometimes it's a mixture of design by play. It's also designed by which situation presents itself, but obviously we try -- we want teams to get a mixture of both guys."

"Yeah, if it's third down obviously Chester has done a great job ... making plays and converting on third downs. What you try to do is get your playmakers in the right situations. Now, is that saying Adrian can't do it? No, that's not saying that at all. These guys have got a great working relationship and they love to get out there and cheer for one another. I get on all of them. I don't discriminate."

Today, when the Vikings face the Bears, Peterson might play more because he had a 224-yard day against them last season.

"Well, I think it's a combination of all of us, yes," said Bieniemy, who was a great running back at Colorado. "I don't know what the issue is, OK. And understand this, too: There's a rhyme and reason on why we do things. Obviously if it's working we don't break it.

"A tough-minded, very well-grounded, hard-nosed football player.

"I would just say that he might not have the stats that show up astronomically, but he makes a lot of plays for us in critical situations. You know that I don't read or listen to what other people do. I have a job to do, and my job is to coach the running backs."

There is no doubt that as a rookie Peterson wasn't doing a good job protecting the quarterback and catching the ball, and that kept him off the field on third-down plays. But Bieniemy said he has made great improvement in both phases of the game.

"Oh yeah, he's doing a great job, an excellent job," he said. "We talk about pass protection, we talk about defenses, just seeing the grand scheme and becoming more of a complete player; and he's done a great job there.

"Yes, he is."

"We are not by ourselves," Smith said. "Adrian Peterson has had success against everybody he has played. Hopefully we can slow him down a little bit, but it will be a challenge for our defense."

Jottings In 1980-81, Vikings special teams coach Paul Ferarro was a teammate of Bears special teams coach Dave Toub at Springfield College, also the school that produced Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. ... Kevin Rogers, Vikings quarterback coach, is the father of a family involved in the NFL. Son Kevin Jr. has been a pro scout for seven years for the Colts, and daughter Megan Rogers is the coordinator of labor relations in the NFL office.

A lot of people were surprised when former Gopher Spencer Tollackson turned up as the color man on the Gophers-North Dakota State men's basketball telecast Saturday. ... Dan Shulman, who teams up with Dick Vitale on some ESPN college basketball broadcasts, joined Bob Knight the other night in singing the praises of former Bloomington Jefferson and current Kansas center Cole Aldrich, calling the 6-11 sophomore one of the best if not the best center in the country. Cole has lost a lot of weight and has played very well this year for the defending national champion, averaging 15.8 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.

Bryce Webster, the former St. Thomas Academy basketball standout who left the Gophers after one season, signed a letter of intent to play for Cal State-Fullerton on Monday. The 6-10 Webster played basketball as a sophomore last season at Irvine (Calif.) Valley College, and last December he signed to play for Utah State, but he wound up not going there. Webster is not playing basketball this season and will have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives at Fullerton.

Cornell junior Ryan Witt-man, the son of Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman, enters today's game against Indiana -- his father's alma mater -- averaging team highs of 18.9 points and 3.3 assists per game. Ryan Wittman, a former Eden Prairie High School athlete, and the defending Ivy League champion Big Red visit Williams Arena to face the Gophers on Saturday.

ESPN NFL reporter John Clayton said the Chargers might have plans for former Vikings Pro Bowl running back Michael Bennett beyond this season. Bennett was claimed by San Diego, his fourth NFL team, after Tampa Bay waived him Nov. 13, and Clayton said Bennett fits into the Chargers' personnel plans and that if he impresses them, he could remain with the team as the backup to star LaDainian Tomlinson.

Gophers divers Cole Young and Drew Brown have been invited to the USA Diving World Championship team selection camp in February at a site to be determined. Only 45 divers were invited.