MINNEAPOLIS _ Four years and 217 days after he rode a camel into his 30th birthday party, Adrian Peterson now wears the workhorse saddle upon which Redskins interim coach Bill Callahan will ride into U.S. Bank Stadium for Thursday night's game against Peterson's former team.
So, Bill, you old-school O-line coach, exactly how much football do you think is left in Peterson, who, by the way, said Tuesday he is "for sure" playing Thursday on his nicked-up ankle.
"Oh my gosh," Callahan said Tuesday. "He's got so much in him."
Actually, Callahan answered that question two days earlier, not with words but rather a scripted play sheet to open the windy, rain-soaked 9-0 home loss to San Francisco.
Peterson off right tackle for 14 yards ... Peterson left end for 5 yards ... Peterson left guard for 3 yards ... Peterson left tackle for 2 yards ... Peterson right tackle for 4 yards ... Peterson right end for 4 yards ... Peterson right guard for 3 yards ...
That's right. Seven plays, seven Peterson runs. He had another carry in the 10-play drive that ended with a missed 39-yard field-goal attempt.
"He's just rare," said Callahan, who is 1-1 since replacing the fired Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start. "His offseason training regimen is really unique. ... I think he's one player that certainly takes advantage of every resource that he can."
Chiseled Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter sees that firsthand four to five times a week every offseason. He and other Houston-based NFL players work out alongside Peterson while swearing by grueling taskmaster James Cooper, Peterson's longtime trainer and co-owner of the O Athletik, the gym Peterson opened in 2016.
"The harder it gets, the more and more determined Adrian gets to get that next rep, finish another lap," Hunter said. "He just gets that look. How he takes care of his body is something I admire, and it's where I get some of the way I take care of my body."
Give us a good example, Danielle.
"We'll do legs with maybe 10 sets of squatting with heavy weights," he said. "We'll darn near almost die. But then we go run the track. Or runs miles in the sand pit, changing directions. Or run up a steep hill 20 times. Or bear crawl up the hill backward.
"You come out of the squats and your legs feel like Jell-O. You're thinking, 'How in the world am I going to be able to go run?' Then you push yourself. Everything we do is about muscle endurance."
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