It took only one game for speculation to run rampant that Adrian Peterson is unhappy in New Orleans, but all indications are that the so-called “rift” between the star running back and Saints coach Sean Payton has been overblown.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that Peterson and Payton did not exchange words during Monday night’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. While many believed a brief sideline exchange that was shown on television indicated Peterson was angry with Payton, that apparently was not the case.
While ESPN cameras appeared to capture a sideline blowup between new Saints running back Adrian Peterson and coach Sean Payton Monday night in Minnesota, the men did not exchange words, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, and there is no disagreement or rift between them. Both men publicly denied any argument in comments to the media this week and in fact both were surprised when the exchange made immediate waves on social media.
The camera cut to Payton while he was storming down the sidelines, trying to implore his team after giving up a touchdown and Peterson was several feet behind him. It appears as is Peterson may have called Payton an “a–hole” at the end of the sequence but in fact Peterson was yelling along with his coach in agreement and said “let’s run it down their asses.” At the time, the men never discussed the matter because neither believed it was volatile or disruptive, but sources said they did have a brief chat about it on the plane home from Minnesota as questions and texts and Tweets kept multiplying at a rapid pace.
Peterson and Payton are said to be on the same page, and the expectation is that AP will get a much bigger opportunity against the New England Patriots in Week 2. According to La Canfora, the Saints have no plans to trade or release the 32-year-old.
Peterson made it obvious this week that he was less than thrilled with his workload in Week 1, but he will get his chances. The Patriots were gashed on the ground against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, so Sunday might be a good place to start.
