Even though he missed what should have been one of his prime years, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson still thinks he has a shot to break Emmitt Smith’s all-time rushing record.
As for Eric Dickerson’s single-season record, he definitely thinks he can break that one.
Peterson didn’t lack confidence when discussing his comeback season during Adrian Peterson Day in his hometown, saying he wants to play seven or eight more years, which would give him a chance to break Smith’s all-time mark of 18,355 yards.
The 30-year-old Peterson’s at 10,190 yards now.
“I don’t think it’s impossible,’' Peterson said, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “A lot of things are still to come. ... I look at things that anything is possible. He played 15 years. I’m going into year nine but I’ve only got eight on the body. That’s a long-term goal [to break the record]. . . .
“I think I can play [past Smith’s retirement age of 35]. I’m blessed with tremendous talent and recovery and everything, so I feel like I’ll be able to play as long as I want. ... I want to play seven more [years]. Eight. I really feel that I can be 38 out there and still be the best running back in the NFL.’'
He came just short of Dickerson’s single-season record in 2012, with 2,097 yards, and said he wants to cross the 2,000-yard mark again. Peterson’s wife Ashley raised the bar even higher, saying 2,200 is a reasonable goal.
“I think he can definitely do it,” she said. “His mind-set is totally different than anybody I’ve ever met. He’s very determined; he’s very strong-minded; he’s very strong-willed. I think he has a goal in mind and he’s not going to stop until he reaches that goal. . . .
“I think he’s going to go out there and surprise a lot of doubters and the naysayers.’'
While fueling the fire with the words of the mythological “haters” is standard fare for NFL athletes, Peterson’s also working against history. Thirty is the age when many backs begin the steady decline, and even if he’s able to come back strong this year, maintaining that long enough to challenge Smith’s record will be a tall order for any player.