Vikings beat writer Ben Goessling: (Adrian Peterson is) going to be a much bigger part of the passing game than he's been in recent years, or possibly any point in his career. We didn't see Peterson in a preseason game, but the Vikings have been happy with his progress during training camp, saying he looks like a natural pass-catcher and has shown a good understanding of what will be asked of him. If he's going to be on the field in passing situations, of course, he'll be asked to be a bigger factor in pass protection, which hasn't been one of his strong suits. But the Vikings are excited about the chance to get him the ball in space more often and match him up on defensive backs who might have a harder time bringing him down than linemen and linebackers. They are also hoping the change in strategy leads to fewer hits on Peterson and will help prolong his productivity past the age of 29.
New OC Norv Turner emphasized that he wants to get Peterson the ball in space, and that means more receptions. Peterson has only averaged 2.0 catches in his career, and has been curiously underutilized in the passing game since day one. He's not quite the natural receiver as LaDainian Tomlinson was, but as a Turner-RB comparison, Tomlinson averaged 2.9 catches in three seasons under Norv Turner.
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