Adrian Peterson will not suit up vs. the Eagles today, as Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report. Redskins coach Jay Gruden has made it clear that Derrius Guice will be the starter and handle most of the rushing work.
Some of Peterson’s teammates aren’t happy that he’s a healthy scratch, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The future Hall-of-Famer is regarded by some as the best back on the team and many members of the Redskins believed that come week 1, the question would be how many carries Guice would be taking away from Peterson and not whether Peterson would be suiting up.
Washington gave Peterson a $1.5MM signing bonus and another $1MM to re-sign with the club this offseason. No word if the team has plans to trade or release him.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- TE Jordan Reed is among the other inactives for the Redskins, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. QB Colt McCoy will also not suit up.
- Mike Evans and Devin White will both play for the Buccaneers today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The pair were listed as questionable heading into the contest will illnesses.
- CB Byron Jones won’t start for the Cowboys today, Schefter adds in a separate tweet. Jones will play, but he’ll be limited as he is still recovering from offseason hip surgery.
- RT Marcus Gilbert will not play for the Cardinals today, as Darren Urban relays on the team’s website. Gilbert is nursing a knee injury.
Again, players thinking they know more than the coaches. Keeping Peterson fresh is smart considering Guice is coming off a major injury. He isn’t a #1 anymore, though he did a great job last year.
I suspect most of the Redskin players respect Adrian a lot more than Gruden (who will probably need a miracle to save his job).
Why not showcase him if you plan on trading him
Showcase for a trade? This is the NFL and he also wouldn’t bring back anything of value in a trade.
It’s extremely short-sighted to make Derrius Guice a lone featured back this year in Washington. Coming off an ACL rehab (out for the season in 2018 after an injury in pre-season), Guice is still recovering. A very workload, tired in the fourth quarter is the ideal time to injure him again.
Peterson should have a back to spell him off as well, as he tired at the end of last season. Both should be carrying the football when healthy.
What’s especially stupid here is that Adrian Peterson is a locker-room leader and the only HOF player on a very tired or young roster. Excluding him from the game day roster is a great way to deflate the locker room. Jay Gruden’s argument that it would be tough not to share the carries if Peterson is active shows huge weakness of character.
Guice looks great. 1.8 yard per carry is like elite.
Character, character, character…bad decision by Gruden, why am I surprised