Big 12 Media Days
Adrian Peterson & Bob Stoops

By Pete Fiutak

Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson looks big. At 6-2 and around 225 pounds, he has a big presence. Yeah, his running style is a bit upright and yeah, he needs to be more of a receiver and blocker, but he should be one of the top five picks if and when he comes out next year. Here are two separate interviews with the Sooner star over the course of the last few months. Both media sessions were done before the Rhett Bomar incident.

CFN: Do you have fun with all this media stuff? You’re the Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart star going into the season; do you enjoy all the goofy questions you get asked?

Adrian Peterson: It’s O.K.. I don’t mind the spotlight, but for me and the laid-back type of person I am, it can sometimes get a little much. It’s something I have to go through.

CFN: Reggie Bush or Mario Williams? If you could pick one or the other, would you rather be the Heisman winner or the number one pick in the draft?

AP: I’d say the Heisman. That’s what I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid. Getting that would truly fulfill a dream.

CFN: Has the coaching staff done anything specifically with you to make sure you’re always fresh and don’t wear down?

AP: I’m prepared for whatever. If I need to run 20 plays, I’ll do that. If I need to do more, I’ll do whatever I need to do.

CFN: How do you possibly stay focused on playing college football when you have NFL millions waiting for you?

AP: You can’t sit there and think you know what you’re going to get, because nothing’s guaranteed. You have to focus on doing the things you did to get to this point and keep doing the things you’ve been doing. You have to deal with what’s coming to you each game and take things day by day and game by game.

CFN: What things do you do differently that you didn’t do when you first started out?

AP: The little things. Being patient, waiting for the hole to develop, footwork. All those things that you don’t think about when you first start out turn out to be a big deal.

The most challenging thing to deal with since his great freshman season.

AP: Knowing when to trust your offensive line. In my first two years I was always rushing going 100 miles per hour. Now it’s about technique and waiting for holes to open. Now I see the creases and holes a little better and how to hit them. I have to slow myself down.

On what he needs to get better at.

AP: Technique. Blocking, staying with blocks, and being better in pass protection. I need to be better and most consistent catching the ball and making bigger plays down the field when I get the ball in my hands. … (On what he needs to improve on for the NFL) My vision and my pad level. I have to learn how to get my pads lower more consistently.

If possible, would he have gone to the NFL after his freshman year?

AP: I think it’s best for me to be in college right now to become a better player. I probably would’ve stayed. It’s not basketball, it’s football. You’re playing against grown men out there in the NFL trying to feed their families.

On Texas winning the Rose Bowl over USC.

AP: I was hoping Texas was going to win. I’m from Texas, so I know what that means to everyone. I was rooting for Texas.