79% of Cowboys Fans Still Support Adrian Peterson Coming To Dallas

Early Wednesday morning, I posted the following poll question for our Landry Hat readers: “Would you support Adrian Peterson joining the Dallas Cowboys following allegations of child abuse?“. In the last 36 hours, over 1,800 fans have voted. And so far, here are the results.

Honestly, I was surprised by the overwhelming support for Peterson coming to Dallas. And not necessarily due to the fact he’s been indicted by a grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. But more because of his age and his salary.

Due to the amount of wear and tear the average NFL running back sustains in a career, which usually reaches as far back as Pop Warner, players at this position have a shortened shelf life. Most believe a running backs’ play begins to deteriorate at age 30. Peterson will be thirty in March.

But you have to also consider that “AP” is a physical freak of nature. This is the same player who suffered a torn ACL and MCL knee injury in late December of 2011.  And a mere eight months later, started the very first game of the 2012 season for the Vikings and went on the record a career-high in rushing yardage (1,898). Peterson also won the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards that season.

So, there is a good chance Peterson can play at a high-level far into his thirties. Other running backs have. Players like Marcus Allen, Curtis Martin, John Riggins and the great Walter Payton come to mind. Even the Cowboys very own Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith had some success into playing football into their thirties.

Maybe the bigger issue is money. Next year, Peterson is scheduled to make a whopping $12.75 million. That high amount combined with his age and these latest charges are all reasons Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes the running back is done in Minnesota.

"“A week ago, the Vikings were tied to Peterson because Peterson was the face of the franchise at a time when the franchise was embarking on a two-year stay at an undersized college stadium.  Now, the Vikings will have no choice but to move on from a man who has quickly become equal parts distraction and pariah.”"

Florio believes Peterson’s legal troubles will keep him from playing the rest of the season. Next year, he fully expects the Vikings to move on from the native of Palestine, TX. And despite the Cowboys currently having the NFL’s leading rusher on their roster, DeMarco Murray, it seems a rather large number of fans still think Peterson is a good fit in Dallas. Either with Murray or without him.

Murray is in the final year of his rookie deal. There have allegedly been no talks of an extension for the four-year back, presumably due to his injury history. In the last three seasons, the Cowboys third round pick in 2011 has missed a total of 11 games due to injury.

As for Peterson, he is one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. In his eight-year career, Adrian has rushed for a total of 10,190 yards and 86 touchdowns. He averages 98.0 yards per game and has rushed for over 1,000 yards every season except for one (2011). Peterson is a six-time Pro Bowler who has been voted a first team All-Pro three times.

Want to add in your vote? Whether it be by trade or being released, would you support Adrian Peterson playing for the Dallas Cowboys any time in the future following these latest allegations? Tell us your answer by participating in the poll below and see the latest results. Feel free to further explain your choice in our comments section.