Adrian Peterson Says Tom Brady Throws 'Mediocre' Passes In Comparing Teddy Bridgewater To Him
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Any time someone compares another quarterback to Tom Brady, eyebrows raise. Ears particularly perked up when it was Adrian Peterson making the comparison. And the All-Pro running back really caught New England's attention when he made an unfortunate word choice to describe No. 12.
Peterson has now set a nearly impossible standard for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, mentioning him in the same breath as Brady, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and likely the league's all-time winningest quarterback by 2017. Unfortunately, Peterson may have been trying to compliment Brady and Bridgewater, but instead took his foot and jammed it firmly into his mouth.
"He reminds me of a Tom Brady because Tom Brady is great at those mediocre passes," Peterson said on Pro Football Talk Live on Friday. "Those short passes and mid-range passes, and that's exactly what Teddy does as well. He's the type of guy that needs the receiver that runs routes and that's at a specific location that you're practicing."
Take Peterson's "mediocre passes" remark out of context and he's throwing an unnecessarily heavy haymaker at both Brady and his own quarterback. But by "mediocre" Peterson almost certainly meant "medium-length," not "of only moderate quality." That, by the way, is the Google definition of "mediocre," which AP clearly should look up before he decides to use the word again.
AP's comments still come off as kind of a backhanded compliment (at best) to Bridgewater and, by extension, Brady, implying that they need good teams around them to succeed, such as the world-beating Patriots rosters of 2006 and 2013. Peterson may have meant well, but put Brady and the word "mediocre" in the same sentence and expect the pitchforks and torches to light up your whole neighborhood.
It was time for Patriots fans on Twitter to do their job and they certainly showed up:
Peterson also said the Vikings could win Super Bowl 51 next season. Maybe they could, especially if Bridgewater makes a step toward the elite, but such a comment has a ridiculously low chance of success. Peterson doesn't seem to understand probability, either. Maybe he just enjoys the taste of his own foot.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
