Adrian Peterson was not on the active roster for the Washington Redskins on Sunday after Jay Gruden made him a healthy scratch, and the decision did not sit well with Peterson or some of his veteran teammates. One of them, offensive tackle Morgan Moses, pulled no punches when discussing the situation on Monday morning.
In an interview with “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan, Moses said it was a “slap in the face” that Peterson was inactive.
“Any time you’ve got a Hall of Fame guy that doesn’t dress, man, it’s a slap in the face. And obviously, we’ve gotta figure out what the reason is,” Moses said. “And it’s my job as one of the older guys on the offensive line to speak up and say, ‘Hey, we need him.’ Obviously, you don’t put a Hall of Fame guy like that on the sideline — when he’s healthy, as well.”
Moses said he had not yet spoken with Gruden about the decision but would discuss it with the coaching staff before Week 2. He obviously feels strongly about it, and he added that he would be “very surprised” if Peterson did not play in the second game.
“I think (Peterson) brings a lot to the game. I think he brings a lot to our team. But to have that guy just standing on the sideline is just, it doesn’t sit well to guys on the team or the NFL,” Moses said. “So I think this is something we need to correct, man, because he is a helluva football player.”
The situation has the potential to turn ugly, as Gruden made it clear after Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that he does not have much use for Peterson. He once again praised 2018 second-round pick Derrius Guice and said Peterson will probably only have a role if the Redskins think they can run the ball 55 or more times going into a game.
It seems obvious that the report about Gruden wanting to cut Peterson in the preseason but being overruled was accurate. However, the coach needs to be careful about creating a divide in the locker room. It seems he has already done that.
