Saints running back Adrian Peterson downplayed any sideline tension with head coach Sean Payton immediately after Monday’s loss to the Vikings and did so again on Thursday while saying that he enjoyed seeing the memes that people have created around the intense stare he gave Payton during the game.
Peterson particularly liked one that had him as Denzel Washington’s character from Training Day, but called the whole thing “definitely overdramatized” when it came to the way he felt during the game. That’s not to say that Peterson was thrilled with playing nine snaps and carrying the ball six times in his first game with New Orleans.
“I didn’t sign up for nine snaps, though, but unfortunately that’s the way the game played out,” Peterson said, via the New Orleans Advocate. “In my mind, personally, I knew it was gonna take some adjusting. You know, me and Mark played in the last preseason game, AK didn’t even play that game. So with all three of us being out there, I knew it would take a game or so to kind of get adjusted.”
There will surely be changes from week to week, but it seemed clear on Monday that the Saints aren’t going to have much use for Peterson if they are trailing of if they are relying on the passing game to move the ball. They can do something about the former in the weeks to come, but the latter is going to continue to be an obstacle for Peterson on a team with Drew Brees at quarterback.