Adrian Peterson: Emmitt Smith's rushing record is 'long-term goal'
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Petersonsays his long-term goal is to eclipse Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith’s career rushing record.
Peterson rushed for over 10,000 yards in the seven full seasons he has played since being selected in the first round of the 2007 draft. The 30-year-old missed all but one game last season after being indicted on child abuse charges.
Smith rushed for 18,335 yards over 15 seasons in the NFL—13 with the Dallas Cowboys and two with the Arizona Cardinals—before retiring when he was 35.
"I don't think it's impossible,'' Peterson told the Pioneer Press on Saturday during Adrian Peterson Day in his native Palestine, Texas. "A lot of things are still to come. ... I look at things that anything is possible. He played 15 years. I'm going into year nine but I've only got eight on the body. That's a long-term goal (to break the record).''
Peterson also discussed the possibility of trying to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105. Peterson rushed for 1,266 yards in 2013, his last full season in the NFL. In 2012, Peterson posted 2,097 yards after tearing his ACL the previous year.
"I think he already knows,'' Peterson said to the Press about chasing Dickerson's record. "He's always going to be a competitor, like anybody. You don't want your record broke. But if it gets broke, then you're going to have respect for that person because you know what it takes to be able to accomplish that.''
• The MMQB: Can Carson Palmer pick up where he left off in Arizona?
