METAIRIE, La. -- John Kuhn spent nine years with the Green Bay Packers before he joined the New Orleans Saints last summer.
So perhaps more than anyone else in New Orleans, Kuhn appreciates sharing a locker room and a practice field with former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
“Strange? It’s not strange. I’ve been dreaming about a day like this for a long time,” the veteran fullback said of his longtime NFC North rival, who signed a two-year deal with the Saints last month.
“He looks the same way he looked when I was watching him from the other sideline for all those years. He looks like the same old AP, and I’m just excited to see him in the same team colors.”
Peterson, 32, looked plenty fast and fluid on the practice field Thursday during the first Saints OTA practice session that was open to the media. But of course he did. Running backs usually look great during these non-padded, non-tackling practice sessions.
Still, a few things were noteworthy about Peterson’s performance:
First and foremost, he was out there at full speed -- and head coach Sean Payton noted that Peterson has been in New Orleans since the start of the offseason workout program. That wasn’t always the case with the Vikings, as Peterson often preferred to begin his spring training on his own in Houston.
Peterson also took the bulk of first-team snaps since Mark Ingram was watching from the sideline with an unspecified injury issue.
And perhaps most interesting, the Saints were installing their nickel offense -- so Peterson was catching several passes from Drew Brees out of the backfield. That has always been a small part of Peterson’s game but not a major part.
“He made a few catches today that looked pretty good. ... I think he’s comfortable catching the ball in space. He was on top of the protections, much the same way you’d expect Mark or any of those backs to have a variety of things that they can do,” said Payton, who noted that all of the running backs do a little bit of everything at this time of year, then “as we get closer into the season, you begin to hone in on how you want to deploy certain people.”
“Listen, he’s picked things up well. He’s been here through the whole offseason program, he’s in good shape and moving around well,” Payton said of Peterson, who appeared in only three games last season because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. “So it’s good to be able to get out and do some football movements and get that timing down. But he’s done well.”
Peterson wasn’t available to the media after practice Thursday. However, he said in a conference call last month, “It’s kind of crazy to hear people even comment on how many years I have left and compare me to other running backs, when I'm just my own individual.
"This is one thing that I really dislike about the NFL is how people kind of put guys in a box -- especially running backs after that [age] 30 mark,” Peterson added. “So in my mind, I feel like I have a lot of years left.”
Payton agreed, pointing to Peterson’s unique history, which includes a 2,000-yard rushing season and NFL MVP award in 2012 after he returned from a torn ACL suffered in 2011.
“I think he would be the one guy that you would say already has really gone against conventional wisdom. So I would agree with him,” Payton said. “I think that not only his skill set, but his physical ability and the way he trains and his athleticism, I think he’s excited to get back and return healthy.”
Payton insisted he doesn’t expect any issues with Peterson and Ingram sharing the backfield in New Orleans, pointing out that he's managed similar timeshares since he first arrived in 2006 and had both Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush on the roster.
And Kuhn was quick to point out that his excitement for the run game is just as much about Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara as it is about his "dream" pairing with Peterson.
“We’re just excited because we felt we made great strides last year as a run offense,” Kuhn said. “There’s a lot of weapons in there right now. And you talk about the young guy, Alvin, some of the stuff that you see him able to do right now. And let’s not forget that workhorse 22 [Ingram] -- he’s a beast. So there’s gonna be a three-, four- or five-headed monster this year.
“What I love about it is you stack a whole bunch of weapons in an offense with Coach Payton, he’s kind of like a mad scientist in there. He’s so great at being able to get people into positions for the things that they do best. And with all those weapons we have, with Drew, with Coach Payton, some great minds creating some fun matchups, it’s gonna be fun to watch.”