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Let's make a few stops around the NFL to show that life after Adrian Peterson doesn't have to be the death of a suitable running game in today's NFL.
In Cleveland …
The Vikings play at New Orleans on Sunday. Last Sunday, the Browns upset the Saints with two rookie running backs combining for all 30 carries for 122 yards (4.1) and one touchdown.
The Browns' prized free-agent signing to help their moribund ground game this past offseason was Ben Tate. But when Tate injured a knee early in the season opener, the Browns came back and almost beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh and then shocked the Saints with the combination of third-round draft pick Terrance West of Towson University and undrafted free agent Isaiah Crowell of Alabama State.
West was selected 94th overall. That's only two spots higher than where the Vikings chose running back Jerick McKinnon, whose role will expand with offensive coordinator Norv Turner having a full week to prepare a Peterson-free game plan.
West and Crowell averaging 4.1 yards a carry was enough balance to help inexperienced quarterback Brian Hoyer complete eight of 11 passes for 78 yards during the winning drive in the final 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
If Hoyer can do that with two rookies at his side, Matt Cassel should at least have a chance to succeed with Matt Asiata, McKinnon and Joe Banyard chipping in against one of the worst defenses in the league.
In San Diego …
The Chargers are last in the league in average yards per carry (2.5 yards). But they pulled the upset of the young season last week when three running backs came together to keep Seattle's vaunted pass defense off balance just long enough for Philip Rivers to play brilliantly in the passing game.
Ryan Mathews, Donald Brown and Danny Woodhead averaged between 2.8 and 4.0 yards per carry. Rivers also averaged just 1.5 yards on 11 carries when the passing game broke down.
No run was longer than 16 yards and nobody had more than 32 yards rushing total. But all together, the Chargers slammed Seattle with 37 rushes to stay balanced while beating the best team in the league.
In New York …
The Jets have the top running game in the league. They average 179 yards per game and a 5.0 yards per carry. They also have Chris Johnson now, but they don't feed him like a workhorse back.
In fact, Johnson is second on the team in carries with 23. Four Jets backs have between 13 and a team-high 31 carries, which belong to Daryl Richardson.
Turner was presented with these scenarios as an example of what life could be like for the Vikings as they venture into a long-term running back by committee system for the first time in years.
And let's face it, Peterson is the greatest back of this generation, but running backs don't carry entire teams. Otherwise, the Vikings would have had more than one playoff win in Peterson's seven seasons.
"Well, every team is different," he said. "And some of the guys you are talking about are guys that, No. 1, have played, or they're pretty darn talented guys.
"That's what we're hoping is we come out of this over the next period and say these backs are really good, and they're really contributing to doing a good job. We need to find that out."
NFL Chatter
Jimmy Graham has called himself a wide receiver. The NFL, for contract purposes, ruled he's a tight end. Meanwhile, defensive-minded coaches on the other side of the field are likely to simply call him the toughest one-on-one matchup in the game.
"He is like a wide receiver," said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, whose team faces Graham and the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday. "He's just tall, and we don't have a lot of tall guys. A guy with height is always a matchup problem. Especially if he can run and jump like this guy can."
Possessing the league's most athletic 6-7, 265-pound body, Graham experiences just about coverage scheme imaginable. Last Sunday in Cleveland, the Browns double-teamed him and held him without a catch for the first 27 minutes of the game. And after that? Well, all he did was catch 10 balls for 118 yards and two touchdowns in 33 minutes.
"The biggest thing," said Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, "is they started moving him around to areas where they were going to limit the ability to double him."
Since 2011, Graham ranks fourth in the NFL in receptions and first among tight ends with 288 catches for 3,707 yards and a league-high 36 TDs.
The Vikings have some intriguing coverage options for Graham. One of them is rookie ninth overall draft pick Anthony Barr, who has the height, wingspan and speed to contend, but obviously lacks the experience.
"All these guys [like Graham] are going to get some catches, no matter how much you preach, because you can't double-cover a guy every single play," Zimmer said. "So you have to pick your spots with these guys, and then sometimes you're just wrong."
Three observations
• Philip Rivers played as well last week as he's ever played. Even under heavy pressure, he was precise in his accuracy in taking down Seattle.
• Atlanta's Devin Hester is 31 years old, but he's never looked faster than he did Thursday night while breaking Deion Sanders' mark for most return touchdowns in NFL history.
• The Bucs are the worst team in the league, and it's not even close.
Two bold predictions
• Somebody will be arrested for domestic abuse next week. Yeah, we know. That's not very bold anymore.
• The Colts will start a four-game winning streak this week at Jacksonville.
MARK CRAIG