Adrian Peterson fires back at Cris Carter over recent criticism

NFL: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals

Redskins running back Adrian Peterson spent the majority of his career in Minnesota, which makes it surprising that he’s been beefing with a former Vikings legend.

Former Vikings receiver Cris Carter, who is now an analyst for FOX Sports and hosts “First Things First,” was recently critical of Peterson, likening the running back’s skill set to a baby’s diaper.

Obviously, those comments didn’t go over well with Peterson, who responded on Tuesday’s edition of Pro Football Talk’s PM podcast. Peterson, who is known for having a strong handshake, began by saying what he plans to do the next time he and Carter meet in person.

“I’m definitely gonna try to crush his hand,” Peterson said.

He then elaborated on what may have prompted Carter’s comments in the first place.

“I don’t know what it is with him,” Peterson said. “I have no clue, I can’t pinpoint and put my hand on one thing. We played different positions. . . . I don’t know what it is. I haven’t wrapped my mind around it but at the end of the day, he’s one person and I just try to block him out and just whatever it is what it is. It was just more personal because he actually played for the Vikings for a long time and through a lot of those situations I’ve been through that he commented on he could’ve reached out and got some intel that’s not known to the public to base his opinion on and not just go off of the face value of things that he was hearing.”

It’s understandable why Peterson was upset, as Carter came at him hard. He, like TV analysts tend to do nowadays, was likely trying to deliver a strong take in hopes of generating a reaction from viewers. That’s what broadcast journalism has devolved into in this day and age.

Peterson sure seemed to prove Carter wrong in his Week 1 performance. He ran all over the Cardinals, racking up 166 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Peterson has another favorable matchup on Sunday against the Colts, so we’ll see if he can continue to silence Carter, as well as the rest of his doubters.

Arrow to top