Geoff Schwartz: Former Teammate Adrian Peterson ‘Perfect Fit’ with Cardinals

Geoff Schwartz should know a thing or two about Adrian Peterson.

The former NFL offensive guard blocked for Peterson when they were teammates on the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. That was the year Peterson ran for a career-best 2,097 yards.

‘I thought, this offseason, Adrian Peterson should have waited, really, to go to a spot that fit his style of running’

Schwartz knew that Peterson was out of his element with the New Orleans Saints, who ran him a mere 27 times for 81 yards through the first four games of the season, an average of 3.0 yards per game. Schwartz can see Peterson thriving for his new team, the Arizona Cardinals, who acquired him in a trade Tuesday.

“I think it’s a perfect fit,” Schwartz said on the SiriusXM Blitz. “When (Cardinals running back) David Johnson got hurt, I thought they should have snagged him up right away. I thought, this offseason, Adrian Peterson should have waited, really, to go to a spot that fit his style of running. And New Orleans was not one of them.”

‘Adrian Peterson is not a runner who will excel getting eight to 10 carries a game’

Schwartz saw Peterson at his best with the Vikings. And what he saw was a running back who was given enough carries to succeed, something that wasn’t happening with the Saints.

“Adrian Peterson is not a runner who will excel getting eight to 10 carries a game,” Schwartz said. “He needs to get 20-25 carries, he needs to wear on a defense, work on a defense. (In 2012), the first couple runs typically are three and four yards and five yards and two yards. Then, by the fourth quarter, they’re eight, nine, 11, 12, big run. And that’s the type of runner he is.”