As the Adrian Peterson saga stretches on into organized team activities, the Minnesota Vikings have begun to take a harder stance. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, head coach Mike Zimmer laid out an ultimatum for the former MVP running back Wednesday, saying the star running back can either play for the Vikings or not play at all.
Mike Zimmer gives ultimatum to Adrian Peterson, La’el Collins takes starting reps
Elsewhere, one of the New York Giant’s top pass rushers suffered a scary injury.
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Peterson made his displeasure with the Vikings organization known at the outset of the offseason, but the team continuously shot down the possibility of trading the former MVP. Once the 2015 NFL Draft came and went without a deal for Peterson, it became a near certainty that he would remain in Minnesota for the upcoming season.
However, Peterson remains upset with the organization over what he views as a lack of support during his child abuse scandal in 2014. His agent, Ben Dogra, has tried multiple strategies to facilitate a departure, though nothing has worked thus far. In their most recent attempt, Peterson’s camp leaked to the media that the running back would consider retirement rather than play in the Twin Cities. The team understandably does not take the threat to retire seriously, and Zimmer echoed those thoughts with his statement to the media.
Peterson doesn’t appear likely to report anytime soon, but the team has no reason to budge at this stage.
La'el Collins opens OTAs with No. 1 offensive line
When the Dallas Cowboys signed highly coveted rookie La'el Collins shortly after the draft, the plan appeared to be let him compete for a starting spot in Year 1. The team's approach hasn't changed, but Collins got a head start in OTAs, playing for absent right tackle Doug Free with the No. 1 offensive line.
Free, the preferred starter for most of the last few seasons, missed workouts while continuing to rehab from offseason ankle surgery. The team expects Free to return in time for training camp, but the more reps Collins receives, the more likely the LSU product could overtake the veteran for the starting job.
Even if the Cowboys ultimately choose to stick with Free at right tackle, Collins expects to compete for the starting left guard job, as well. Any extra work he receives, even if at a different position, helps his cause.
LeSean McCoy misses first day of OTAs with neck injury
As he has done in his previous stops, new Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan plans to heavily feature the running game in his offense. In pursuit of that cause, the Bills traded middle linebacker Kiko Alonso for All-Pro tailback LeSean McCoy. Ryan may have to wait a little while longer before seeing McCoy on the field, however. According to NFL Network's Albert Breer, McCoy missed the start of OTAs due to a neck injury.
McCoy's injury isn't believed to be serious, but it underscores the need for Buffalo to utilize multiple running backs in its ground attack. As it stands, the team's depth chart behind McCoy includes 34-year-old Fred Jackson, journeymen Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown, and rookie Karlos Williams.
It’s not clear at this stage which of Buffalo’s backups will receive the most snaps after McCoy. However, Ryan and his coaching staff have plenty of time to figure out those details before the regular season starts in September.
Rolando McClain misses start of OTAs
One of the pleasant surprises and best stories of the 2014 season was the resurgence of 2010 first-round pick Rolando McClain. McClain, twice retired before his 25th birthday, returned to become the starting middle linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys. While he remains a part of the team’s defense, he wasn’t able to participate in the start of OTAs, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
The cause of McClain’s absence appears to be the lingering effects of an offseason knee surgery. The Cowboys did not consider the procedure serious at the time, and McClain isn’t expected to miss much time. However, given the lack of depth on Dallas’ defense, any practice the linebacker misses should raise some eyebrows.
Regardless of the injury, McClain currently faces a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Robert Ayers leaves Giants workout on cart
One of the unfortunate developments of every OTA period is the inevitable injuries. Last year, Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee suffered a torn ACL and missed the entire year. A season-ending injury may have also occurred at New York Giants OTAs, as defensive end Robert Ayers left workouts on a cart.
According to reports, Ayers went down during some non-contact work and hobbled off to the sideline, where he was treated by team medical staff. He was soon after carted off for further examination. New York has already lost one player, left tackle Will Beatty, to a serious injury thus far this offseason.
Ayers was one of the Giants' key offseason additions. The team gave him a two-year, $4 million deal to backup Jason Pierre-Paul and Cullen Jenkins. If Ayers' injury turns out to be serious, rookie Owamagbe Odighizuwa would be in line for a heavy workload.
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