In the
Preview Thread I wrote this week, I noted the following ...
The matchup that I'm going to be really paying attention to (that really no one is talking about) is one that I wrote about -- namely how Seattle handles the right side of that Minnesota Offensive Line. As I talked about in the main piece, here is how often the Vikings have run Adrian Peterson to the right ...
(Right Side) … 74 Attempts … 423 Yards … 5.72 yards/carry … 4 TD
Season Total … 173 Attempts … 786 Yards … 4.5 Yards/Carry … 9 TD
74 of Adrian Peterson's 174 Total Rushing Attempts (42.5% of all AP's carries) ... 53.8% of all his rushing yards ... and 4 of his 9 TD's that he's scored have come OVER THE RIGHT SIDE of that Minnesota Offensive Line.
That means, that Red Bryant and Jordan Hill in particular are going to have to be ready. Notice I didn't say Tony McDaniel. Though he was a full participant in practice on Friday and was listed as Questionable, I'm highly doubting that he plays, as we've seen PC be extremely cautious when it comes to injuries (especially hamstring pulls). So, I'm thinking McDaniel's not playing and that Hill will be getting the bulk of the work there. So, Jordan Hill and Red Bryant are going to be key players in this game.
Now I was wrong about McDaniel, as he certainly DID play ... but I don't believe I was wrong whatsoever in saying how Seattle handled (or didn't handle) the Right Side of that Minnesota Defensive Line would be absolutely huge. I don't think that Pete Carroll really does this ... but Chuck Knox used to hand out game balls for guys whom the coaching staff felt were really key to the victory. Well, I would most definitely hand out game balls to both Tony McDaniel and Red Bryant because they manhandled LG Brian Fusco and RT Phil Loadholt, which was a major reason why Adrian Peterson couldn't get going tonight. Definitely unsung hero of this game would be Tony McDaniel in my book.
On a side note, just looking at the other side of the field for a second, did any of you happen to notice the same thing I did in regards to Adrian Peterson? Do you guys remember how unbelievably fast and dangerous he looked nearly every time he touched the ball in that game against us last year? I believe it was on that 72 yard romp last season if you'll recall, he made this side step juke at full speed that was absolutely E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E. Seriously, I hadn't seen those kinds of moves -- the ability to change direction at full speed -- really since Barry Sanders was in the league. Tonight, I saw none of that. In all honesty, he looked kind of slow to me -- downright mortal actually. John Clayton said something this week about AP that I thought was interesting. I'm paraphrasing here, but in essence he felt in his estimation that last season and the sheer amount of yards he amassed really took a toll on him. Honestly tonight, I saw what he meant and I agree with him from what I saw. Was this simply an off game and was there actually something to that Groin Issue that was listed on the Injury Report? Could be. I don't know, but there's one thing I do know -- that wasn't the same AP I saw last year.
