MINNEAPOLIS — There was quite a mix of souvenir jerseys to be found on the ticketholders revolving into the Metrodome late Sunday morning. The finding of an informal survey was that there were more No. 84 Randy Moss jerseys remaining on the backs of Vikings fans than any other outerwear seen at this season opener.
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"That's going to change,” said Jason Jones, a co-owner at Nick's Sports World in downtown Minneapolis. "We ran out of Adrian Peterson replica jerseys, and that was before the game. He outsold everyone 4-to-1, with (Tarvaris) Jackson second.”
Those aging purple Moss jerseys are certain to be outnumbered by Peterson's No. 28s when the Vikings return in Week 3 to play Green Bay.
The rookie running back from Oklahoma made his official debut, and before the Vikings' rapid-moving 24-3 victory was over, the home team had a star attraction for the first time since Moss left for Oakland.
Peterson was merely impressive through the first 3 1/2 quarters against the futile Falcons. Then, he made a play that both guaranteed the victory and sent the witnesses away from the Dome squealing with delight.
Peterson's instant ascent to stardom came with 7 1/2 minutes left in the game and the Vikings holding a 10-3 lead.
The Vikings were leading just 10-3 and facing third-and-5 at their 40. The Vikings figured on a blitz, with the idea that quarterback Tarvaris Jackson would hang tough in the pocket before swinging a pass to Peterson in the right flat.
Jackson's toss was out in front of Peterson. He batted it backward, reached to pop the ball to himself, secured it and was up to speed immediately.
"Tarvaris made a great pass under pressure,” Peterson said. "I kind of got a bobble but was able to pull it in. There was nothing but green grass in front of me.”
Peterson is 6-1 and 217 pounds. He runs high, and that makes him look similar in frame to Seattle's Shaun Alexander, the NFL's MVP in 2005.
Steve Hutchinson, the Vikings left guard and a former Seahawk, was asked if he sees an Alexander-Peterson comparison.
"What Adrian does have in common with Shaun is they are both great backs,” said Hutchinson
So, here's a notice to Purple zealots: Hustle if you want to be the first on the block to dump that ratty old Moss jersey for a shiny new No. 28.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
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The point of this article, and what a pointless article it is, is that Adrian Peterson is loved in Minneapolis and that he has over taken Moss as a fan favorite there. Not hard to do seeing how Moss has been out of Minneapolis for how long now???
I for one don't care where they come from as long as they head to Norman...Be fine w/ me if Stoops landed a stud rb from North Korea or Syria...All about the champeenships for me
OSU fans always bring up the out state connection, where did Hart lee Dykes and Thurmon Thomas come from? First class programs like OU gets the talent from whereever and places like Stillwater collect up pretty much the scraps with very few exceptions.
OU has always gotten all their stars from the state of Texas. So what? They still hone their high school skills at OU and win national championships at OU. That's why they leave the Lone Star state to play football in Oklahoma. This is the place where they can actually compete for a title EVERY year, not every 25-30. You Longhorn fans are always talking about the Texas players winning at OU. Think how UT could win if they actually wanted to play there.
Texass does have a lot of great NFL talent. Too bad the University of Texass can't parlay that to success. One NC in 30+ years? Pathetic! The smart players, and the players that want to win go to OU!
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