AP Photo - Nam Y. Huh
By: Aj Mansour | KFAN.com
@AjKFAN
Minneapolis, MN - Leslie Frazier met the media Monday morning to recap and put the Vikings 28-10 loss at Chicago to bed once and for all. The topic du jour on this Monday surrounded a surprising revelation that came to light early Sunday morning when the NFL Network began reporting that superstar running back Adrian Peterson did not arrive at Soldier Field with the rest of the Vikings team.
The severity of the issues was quickly subdued as members of the Vikings media staff assured those on hand that Adrian was in fact at the stadium but had arrived approximately 20 minutes late.
"[I knew he wasn't on the bus] when the bus left," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier joked. "He's Adrian Peterson so I know if he's on or not on."
Frazier did not share a particular reason for Peterson's tardiness but did infer that this was an isolated incident that has not been an issue with Adrian in the past. Still Frazier sat down with Adrian Monday to remind him the severity of following team protocol.
Peterson who was not ready to discuss the situation after the game on Sunday down played the issue saying that it was "really not a big deal" but would not go into further detail. It's probably safe to say that coach Frazier disagrees with Adrian's assessment of the ordeal.
"Anytime one of your leaders is not where he's supposed to be, it's not good," Frazier explained. "I talk to our team all the time about being where you're supposed to be and being where you're supposed to be on time. It's a big deal."
As for whether or not Peterson's absence on the bus and tardiness to the field caused a distraction for the team, Frazier said "I think everybody's pretty focused on their job and what they had to do. I'm not sure how many guys even knew that he wasn't on the bus."
It is however hard to ignore the fact that while Peterson did still eclipse the 100-yard mark, he had a down game (by his standards) that included two out of character fumbles by the league's leading rusher.
"Hopefully it will never happen again," Frazier said in closing. "I can't see why it would."
