Adrian Peterson is a member of the Saints now. Needless to say, he's relentlessly optimistic about the prospect of working with Drew Brees, he's fine with splitting carries and his knee gives him no pain.
Such is life during the pre-preseason; the sunny side of the street.
"Me envisioning myself being behind Drew Brees, is just like, 'Wow, what will the opposing team do?'" Peterson told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. "So I'm just excited for Week 1 and just to start the journey and see how teams try to defend [against] us."
He added: "This is a good situation for me. Obviously, I visited Seattle and New England. And there were a couple of visits I had written down in pencil for after the draft. But ultimately, what it came down to me was the comfort level I had when I visited. And I had my visit here in New Orleans. Just the feel that I had for the city and the organization ... just feeling the love and just the energy that I felt.
"So I could have easily said I'll just wait for the draft and take these other couple visits. I actually got two calls during the week of the draft from two additional teams as well. So I could have went that route. But ultimately in my heart, in my soul, in my spirit, playing for the Saints is what felt right for me."
On paper, this is a home run. Brees' best years were always complemented by one of the league's better rushing attacks -- it's how coach Sean Payton's system is supposed to function. Peterson could also, in theory, help keep a rebuilding defense off the field and extend drives.
Peterson has never played with a quarterback this esteemed, and Brees has not had this type of running back talent in the backfield since the 2006 Deuce McAllister/Reggie Bush year. Those with an intense amount of faith see no problem believing the All-Pro running back will hold up at the age of 32 and be fine without the type of workhorse responsibilities that he's thrived with throughout his career. The deeper we dive into this Peterson/Saints situation, the more what-ifs seem to arise. But for now? It's more enjoyable to imagine two of the greatest offensive players in NFL history lining up together.
