Fullback John Kuhn saw a lot of Adrian Peterson while Kuhn was with the Packers watching Peterson run against the Green Bay defense as a member of the Vikings.
The two players are now part of the same backfield in New Orleans, something Kuhn said on Thursday that he dreamed about while standing on the opposite sideline. Kuhn also said that Peterson looks like that player despite the passage of time and accumulation of injuries over the years.
“He looks the same way he looked when I was watching him from the other sideline for all those years,” Kuhn said, via ESPN.com. “He looks like the same old AP, and I’m just excited to see him in the same team colors.”
One difference from the “same old AP” in Thursday’s practice was the way he factored into the offense as a receiver, something he didn’t do much in Minnesota. Coach Sean Payton said he looked comfortable and was “on top of the protections,” which are important traits for Peterson to have if he’s going to play a lot in an offense with Drew Brees at quarterback.
Peterson’s presence at the workouts also represented a different approach from the one he usually took with the Vikings as Peterson would often work out on his own during the voluntary stages of the offseason program. That’s likely part of the reason why Payton says the veteran has “picked things up well” and the Saints will hope that all continues to run smoothly once they’re doing more than running plays against air.