Power running, anyone?
Adrian Peterson and Deuce McAllister both have a knack for inflicting pain on tacklers, turning nothing into something and wearing down defenses.
Whether their teams rely on them to the same extent when the Minnesota Vikings visit the New Orleans Saints tonight is another matter.
"It's not like the spotlight is on me,"
said McAllister, who rushed 20 times for 73 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' 31-17 victory last week against the San Francisco 49ers. "I'm just adding more to this team, more weapons than what we have."
Under coach Sean Payton's version of the West Coast offense, which often uses running backs as receivers, the Saints are unquestionably a passing team. Drew Brees has thrown for more than 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons in Payton's system and is on pace to do it again.
Yet there are times when there is no substitute for the type of punishing runs on which McAllister, who has had reconstructive surgeries on both knees, has made his living -- be it bad weather, third-and-short or while trying to run out the clock with a slim lead.
"It's encouraging because it's a big boy running the ball, and the way he runs it ... he's going to punish somebody for getting off a block or trying to reach out with an arm,"
Saints offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb said. "It's exciting for an offensive line."
Though McAllister takes a back seat to Brees -- and even Reggie Bush -- in the Saints' offense, Peterson is unquestionably the Vikings' main man. Through four weeks, he ranked second in the league with 420 yards rushing.
When Saints defenders talked about Peterson leading up to the game, it was reminiscent of what people used to say about McAllister in 2002 and 2003, when he made consecutive Pro Bowls.
"He possesses all the tools: speed, strength, size and attitude,"
Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "When you watch him run, you can tell he's very competitive. We know they're going to run the ball; it's no secret. They've got a great back, a great offensive line, so it's going to be a huge challenge."
Peterson doesn't sound frustrated by the Vikings' 1-3 start. He sees his success as a foundation upon which the team can build and get stronger as the season goes on.
"We know what type of team we have,"
Peterson said. "You can start off slow, but you can always pick it up and finish strong, and that's what it's all about."
