Peterson polishing skills with patience, hard work

Peterson polishing skills with patience, hard work

Adrian Peterson rushed for 1,341 yards in his first NFL season, established the league's single-game rushing record, earned offensive Rookie of the Year honors and was named MVP of the Pro Bowl.

As far as the Vikings and Peterson were concerned, that was only a start. This season, the expectation is that he becomes a complete player.

"He's stepping up his game professionally," Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy said. "He's taking his playbook home. Things are starting to make a little bit more sense to him. . . . He's learning how to be a professional."

Among the areas Peterson focused on with Bieniemy this offseason were pass protection, catching the ball and being a more patient runner.

Peterson's goal is to be more patient before he gets the ball. By slowing down a little and allowing blocking to develop, he should have better opportunities to explode through holes opened by the offensive line.

[www.tulsaworld.com]