Vikings LB Chad Greenway thinks Adrian Peterson can still win NFL MVP

Chad Greenway jumped on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday, discussing a wide range of topics during the slowest period in the NFL. Among some of the click-bait questions, the linebacker was asked whether running back Adrian Peterson can still win an NFL MVP award.

“Yes. Why not?” Greenway responded. “It’s Adrian. He can do anything. I still tend to lean towards the fact that we’ve gotten so much preseason publicity is because of our quarterback. Unfortunately for running backs, it’s just like the 4-3 outside linebacker, it’s an undervalued position. As good as he is and as great as he’s been and as good as he can be this year, publicity wise in the NFL it’s driven by quarterbacks. If you don’t have a good one, you don’t have much of a chance.”

While, yes, it is true that the running back and 4-3 outside linebacker positions have been devalued in today’s NFL, Peterson is in a category of his own. There’s a reason why the Vikings wanted to keep him around after all the off-the-field headlines over the last year. Peterson is valuable, and it’s hard to see him not having a good season after playing just one game in 2014.

Peterson won the league’s MVP honors in 2012 in his return from a torn ACL the previous season to rush for 2,097 yards, averaging six yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns. Who knows whether Peterson, 30,  will come eight yards short of the NFL’s single-season rushing record this year, or possibly even shatter Eric Dickerson’s record set in 1984 (2,105 yards), but Peterson was in excellent shape when he returned to Winter Park for OTAs and minicamp.

It’s a nice tandem the Vikings have offensively with Peterson and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and it’s clear from Greenway’s comments that Bridgewater has gained the attention and respect from the locker room based on his play last year. Even if Peterson doesn’t win MVP, it should be a fun offense to watch if those two key pieces stay healthy.