Adrian Peterson Equals Zero Super Bowls for Dallas Cowboys

The idea of mixing that famous running back in a purple uniform with the Dallas Cowboys won’t work. Many champion the financially responsible and cognizant Cowboys of today. But, you can’t be a coupon cutter while trying to hand Adrian Peterson a Dallas uniform.

I hate to break this to you, but, you can’t be a cheerleader on both sides of that coin.

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Peterson might have some gas left, but at age 30, his needle is pointing towards empty no matter how you dress the situation.

The argument that the former NFL MVP (2012) benefits his team for missing a year of football is crazy. A year away from football doesn’t buy one a year’s worth of a vacation in the Caribbean — claims of Peterson drinking from the fountain of youth is comical, especially at the position he plays.

So let’s drop the act, remove the makeup, and get real: Adrian Peterson wearing number 28 in Dallas hurts (read: not help) the Cowboys fight for a sixth title.

It’s believed that Peterson is the new magic wand that can Photoshop the blemishes the Cowboys wear. Because really, America’s Team is just one player away from a Super Bowl appearance (which team is?).

Not sure that’s the case. Former Cowboys’ starting running back DeMarco Murray couldn’t dash himself — and his teammates — away from Lambeau Field with a victory last January. In fact, he actually helped the Packers with a fumble.

The point is, one player, no matter how great they were yesterday, doesn’t qualify a team as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. This rational thinking is leftover mind food from Cowboys’ owner and general manger Jerry Jones, the buy now and pay later credit card mind-set.

That education doesn’t work. The monthly bill will come. And you’ll have to pay; you always do. One way or another, somebody pays.

There might be a reward in the product today, but you have to be definitive that there’s still value when the bank statement arrives. That’s the rub.

Talking about compensation, what type of coin will land Peterson and ground his ego? As of right now, over the next three years in Minnesota he will earn nearly $13 million in 2015, nearly $15 million in 2016, and nearly $17 million in his final year.

The question is: are the Cowboys dumb enough to hand an aging running back top dollar in hopes that his best years as a running back are between the ages of 30-33?

Especially when an upcoming NFL Draft is sprinkled with running back talent?

I see the Hollywood narrative: The Son of Texas Comes Back Home. It’s no gossip that the former Palestine, Texas native wants to come back and play for his hometown. But that story was cute five years ago.

Now, it’s like asking a college graduate to come back and play high school football.

If destiny had a say about this, it would have said something five years ago. That ship has sailed. And so did the AP to Dallas blueprint. What’s left to do is burn the idea, and forge ahead without the man in purple as if he wasn’t meant to be a Cowboy. Because realistically, he never was one.

Sure, Peterson has over 10,000 rushing yards, 86 touchdowns, and averages five yards a carry. But the stat lines come with the worn tires. He has carried the ball over 2,000 times in his career so far — to put that in perspective, Murray has carried the ball 934 times overall, and turned 27 last February.

Combine his mileage with his torn ACL and MCL from back in December 2011, and you begin to see more reasons why AP doesn’t make sense for a Cowboys program in reboot mode.

In my mind, the conversation about Adrian Peterson joining Dallas won’t end because it never really started. The idea of marinating some Vikings’ purple with Cowboy blue might be enticing at first, but the taste of AP in Dallas won’t last. And it won’t be that good either.

Next: 5 Reasons Not To Draft A First Round Running Back

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