Vikings' New Running Back Takes Tips From Adrian Peterson
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota Vikings fans know that Adrian Peterson is number one, but not that Toby Gerhart is gone – who is second in line to carry the ball?
His name is Jerick McKinnon, and he's still making a transition to full time running back.
In college he did a number of things, including throwing the ball as a quarterback at Georgia Southern University.
Now, he's a full time running back.
"We'll see how it goes. But all I can do is come to work every day, learn from AP and all the other running backs and do the best that I can for the team," McKinnon said.
That's right. He's got a pretty good teacher in Adrian Peterson.
"It's a blessing," McKinnon said. "To learn from the best. Watch him move out there, learn some tips he might have and add it to my game."
And he's already done enough to keep the coaching staff interested.
"Jerick is doing a good job. We're using him in a lot of different situation," said coach Mike Zimmer. "He catches the ball well. He's got excellent acceleration coming out of the back field. He's learning the run reads better now."
Because he has some of the same goals they have – to make something happen with the football.
"The O-line is doing a great job at blocking this whole camp. Those big guys are putting a lot of effort in. It's a pleasure to run behind them," McKinnon said.
