Patricia: It's a 'Tremendous' Opportunity for Young Players to Learn from Peterson

The acquisition of veteran running back Adrian Peterson can be beneficial for the Detroit Lions both on the field as well as off the field.

"I think it's always great, especially for young players to see vets that have been in the league for a long time, especially great players that have been in the league a long time and try to see how they approach game week -- how they approach the preparation, how they practice, and then, how they perform," Lions head coach Matt Patricia said Monday via a video conference with Detroit media.

In New England, Patricia had the opportunity to work with several talented and highly productive members of the Patriots' defense.

In Detroit's backfield, Kerryon Johnson, at 23 years old, was the elder statesman prior to Peterson's arrival.

Detroit's running back room features a young core of players that have the potential to become foundational pieces in Detroit's offense.

Patricia and the Lions are hoping that the young talent on Detroit's offense can sit back, observe and learn from interacting with a player of Peterson's caliber.

"I went through this with young linebackers back in the day that got a chance to sit next to Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel, Willie McGinest, Rosevelt Colvin, Adalius Thomas, Chad Brown and Larry Izzo," Patricia said. "Just being in a room with those guys, you learn a lot. It's great for young guys to sit there and maybe just watch and just observe to see what it looks like to be in the league as long as he's been in the league, with the success that he's had. That's a tremendous opportunity for a young player to see."

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