This article was originally posted to PurplePTSD.com...
April 28th, 2007 should be one of those dates that Vikings fans across the land remember forever. It might not be as high on the list as January 28th, 1960 (the day the Minnesota was granted an NFL franchise), January 11th, 1970 (their first Super Bowl appearance) or even January 17th, 1999 (NFC Championship Game loss to Atlanta) but it should be listed up there as one of those franchise changing dates in history. That was the day that the Minnesota Vikings drafted an injury riddled running back out of the University of Oklahoma with the 7th overall pick.
It didn’t take long for Adrian Peterson to take the league by storm. He began turning heads early running for 103 yards in his first game while sprinkling in a 60 yard touchdown reception. Shortly after that he was in the record books with his famed 296 yard game against the San Diego Chargers. It was clear that the team had a franchise changing player on their hands.
The following ten seasons saw the Vikings doing their darnedest to feed the beast while remaining balanced, a task that has proven easier said than done. It’s that line of thinking that has some people thinking that Adrian was a godsend for this organization while a faction of others believe the franchise couldn’t get to the next level because of the attention that he demanded. It really was a darned if you do, darned if you don’t sort of scenario...and now it appears that it’s come to a close...
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article at PurplePTSD.com...