Heavens To Betsy! Pretty Please Come To My OTA!

While this is a slightly stale topic, I've been thinking a bit about this ever since I read that Brad Childress was upset that Adrian Peterson was skipping the OTAs. For perspective on the Vikings I typically try to see what Pacifist Viking has to say. He doesn't disappoint here

Where I agree is that if Childress is going to have double-standards for superstars, he should probably consider Adrian Peterson a superstar worthy of the double-standard. Of course, the Vikings have so many legitimate studs, the concern about a slippery slope may be valid.

It's a dangerous game a coach plays, balancing the egos to give the team optimum performance. If Childress took a hard line on Favre's absence, and that somehow contributed to Favre deciding not to come back in 2010, the team would not be better off. But if Childress says, "Ah, hell, I'm letting Favre do whatever he wants, so I should probably go ahead and let all the other players get away with skipping OTAs too, because I have to be consistent," then the team would not be better off either. Certainly things can go wrong when the coach makes these judgment calls, and he can be wrong. Maybe he has a feel for his team and understands how players feel and respond to Favre's absence, and maybe he doesn't.

My perspective on this is a bit different. To me the whole concept of 'it's optional but really isn't optional' respecting OTAs is borderline absurd. Before the mid '90s the minicamps were non stories. I understand that the recent OTA that Peterson missed was mandatory and that he will probably face a fine for missing it, but I hardly think this is relevant.

I've forgotten which celebrated coach said 'this is where the job's are', a singular quote that changed OTA participation from mostly optional to borderline mandatory. I am on board with this concept for maybe 65 players on the 80 man roster, the bulk of the team is either fighting for playing time, a roster spot, working back from an injury or learning a new system. But that leaves 10-15 guys who aren't and these guys should be wrapped in bubble wrap until late August.

Starting running backs, and most particularly Adrian Peterson have no business attending OTAs. There is nothing to be gained by having Adrian Peterson participate in team drills in June. Already Rod Hood and Marlin Jackson have been lost for the season due to injuries at OTAs, and we can expect that number to double or treble by the middle of summer. Vishnu forbid that Childress wins his argument and then loses his franchise.

This isn't just about Adrian Peterson, it is about Jackson too. His injury makes the Eagle secondary desperately thin. As a player new to the team his participation was understandable and I'm not faulting Andy Reid for putting him out there, but he is a great example of why a team should put it's bona fide starters on ice until late summer, double standards be danged.