Adrian Peterson aiming higher after resurgent first season with Washington

Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson surged to his first 1,000-yard rushing season in three years last season, but in his mind, it wasn’t nearly good enough.

In an interview last week with Kyle Stackpole of the team’s official website, Peterson said he thought he should have been closer to 1,500 yards, and aims to do much better this year.

“I feel like last year was just a decent season, like for me in my mind,” Peterson said. “People were like, ‘Wow, you did incredible, you had 1,000 yards.’ And I’m like, ‘Man, I should have had 15, 16 hundred yards.'”

Peterson has always held himself to a very high standard. Only twice in his career has he eclipsed the 1,500-yard mark, and those years came in his physical prime at a position not known for aging gracefully. Don’t expect him to use that as an excuse. He never has before.