Adrian Peterson has his eyes on Emmitt Smith’s all-time rushing record
As the long-time fullback for the Dallas Cowboys, Fox analyst Darryl Johnston saw first-hand what it took for Emmitt Smith to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. With that in mind, Johnston said in February that Adrian Peterson missing the majority of the 2014 season would have a hugely negative impact on his chances to break Smith’s record.
Now that he 30-year-old Peterson is back with the team, he told the St. Paul Pioneer Press the feat is still in his sights.
“I don’t think it’s impossible,” Peterson said Saturday. “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).”
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Smith rushed for 18,355 yards during his career with the Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals and retired at age 35. Peterson, who currently has 10,190 yards, thinks he can play past 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,” Peterson said.
He also thinks he can break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.
From the Pioneer Press:
Despite missing nearly all of last season, Peterson believes he remains hands down the best back in the league. He’s now ready to prove it.
Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards in 2012, the second-most in NFL history and just eight shy of Eric Dickerson’s 1984 record. Peterson says he can top 2,000 yards again this season.
“Yeah,” Peterson said. “I want to pass that 2,000 mark every year.”
But what about getting past 2,105, the magical number Dickerson put up with the Los Angeles Rams?
“I think he already knows,” Peterson said of coming after Dickerson. “He’s always going to be a competitor, like anybody. You don’t want your record broke. But if it gets broke, then you’re going to have respect for that person because you know what it takes to be able to accomplish that.”
Upon Peterson’s return to the team earlier this month, Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner said Peterson looked like “he hasn’t missed a day.”
“I’ve been around a lot of these guys a lot of years and he’s one of the top guys I’ve been around,” Turner said per 1500 ESPN. “He’s just comes out and looks like he hasn’t missed a day.”
Peterson certainly sounds confident, and you know he’s motivated to put up big numbers after so long away from the field.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
