PETERSON'S NEW FACE MASK - Has anyone else noticed that Adrian Peterson has a different face mask these days? Ever since his college days at Oklahoma, Peterson has always worn the style of face mask seen here...
He has worn that style his entire 5-year NFL career, including as recently as Week 4 of the 2011 season against the Chiefs...
But when the Vikings played the Cardinals in Week 5, All Day was sporting a new look...
He's now wearing a mask popular with wide receivers and quarterbacks, positions where most guys prefer maximum vision. On defense and the offensive line, most guys want full cages because more bars in your face mask means more protection. Most running backs seem to prefer a fuller cage, too, often preferring the very face mask that Peterson is switching away from. (The "Deion Sanders-style" face mask also seems to be popular among RB's.)
So why is he changing? Face mask changes are pretty rare. Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning altered their face masks earlier in their careers, but they both opted for bigger, more protective cages after suffering facial injuries. I haven't heard or read much about it (it's very possible that nobody else cares) but since Peterson isn't hurt, I assume the change was due to his own personal preference.
In this case, Peterson opted for less protection and more vision. I believe he thinks this change will help his game. Guys will take any edge they can get, and perhaps this is another way to gain an advantage.
So, has the switch affected his production on the field? Let's take a look at the numbers...
Old Face Mask (Weeks 1-4)
81 carries, 376 yards, 4.64 avg., 3 TD
New Face Mask (Weeks 5-8)
86 carries, 422 yards, 4.91 avg., 6 TD
Now, I'm not going as far as to say Peterson's increased production is due entirely to the face mask switch, but if it has helped even a little bit, it was worth it. By wearing a mask with fewer bars, he may literally see things now he couldn't before... and that spells bad news for the rest of the league! He's rushed for over 100 yards twice in the four games since he switched, and at least 1 TD in all four.
I'd be interested to hear Peterson's thoughts on the switch, because I'm sure he put some thought into it. A decision like this is not made willy nilly. I wonder if it was suggested to him or if he had been mulling it for a while? Why did he decide to make the switch during the season? Did he wear the new face mask in practices leading up to the Week 5 game, or was that game the very first time he had worn that style?
I haven't been able to find many good answers to these questions. Again, it's very possible that no one else cares. But stuff like this genuinely intrigues me, and I'm hoping more info comes to light about this subject in the future. For what it's worth, I don't think he'll be switching back any time soon!
PETERSON COULD WIN THE RUSHING TITLE - Through eight weeks, Adrian Peterson is leading the NFL with 798 rushing yards. If he manages to win a rushing title behind this bad (and I'm being nice) offensive line, it would be one of the greatest achievements in history. Imagine what he could do if they actually played well in front of him!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF PONDER (...AND A RANT) - I'll admit I was hesitant to make the switch from Donovan McNabb to Christian Ponder at QB, but I'll give anyone a chance if they play well. And Ponder has indeed played well. His debut against the Packers was spectacular, including a 91-yard TD bomb to Michael Jenkins on his first NFL play! Yes, I know that TD call was reviewed and overturned -- the referee said he was definitely down at the 1-inch line -- but we all know that reversal was Bull Shit. Capital B, capital S!
We've all heard, at least a billion times, that "indisputable visual evidence" is needed to overturn the call on the field (a touchdown)... and there definitely wasn't any in this case. Amazingly, there was no camera with a view straight down the goal line. How is it the NFL and FOX can bring 50 TV cameras to the game and not put one on each goal line? It just boggles my mind. Kind of an important call, right? Anything other than a goal line angle in this case, and you're just guessing.
But the ref (obviously a master of geometry and physics) took one look at replay footage shot from precisely 48 degrees overhead, consulted his TI-83 calculator, and decided that Jenkins was absolutely, positively down at the 1-inch line. No touchdown! Take it off the board, I say! I'm the referee! See what kind of power I wield?! Fear me!
It doesn't even matter to me that he ended up throwing a TD pass two plays later. Christian Ponder deserved a TD on his first throw if only because it actually was a touchdown! Man, he got hosed on that one. Fire the ref that made the reversal, and fire whoever is in charge of putting cameras on the goal line, because they're not doing their job. Unbelievable! But I digress. Wait... what was I talking about again? Oh yeah... Ponder looks pretty good so far.
He has worn that style his entire 5-year NFL career, including as recently as Week 4 of the 2011 season against the Chiefs...
But when the Vikings played the Cardinals in Week 5, All Day was sporting a new look...
He's now wearing a mask popular with wide receivers and quarterbacks, positions where most guys prefer maximum vision. On defense and the offensive line, most guys want full cages because more bars in your face mask means more protection. Most running backs seem to prefer a fuller cage, too, often preferring the very face mask that Peterson is switching away from. (The "Deion Sanders-style" face mask also seems to be popular among RB's.)
So why is he changing? Face mask changes are pretty rare. Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning altered their face masks earlier in their careers, but they both opted for bigger, more protective cages after suffering facial injuries. I haven't heard or read much about it (it's very possible that nobody else cares) but since Peterson isn't hurt, I assume the change was due to his own personal preference.
In this case, Peterson opted for less protection and more vision. I believe he thinks this change will help his game. Guys will take any edge they can get, and perhaps this is another way to gain an advantage.
So, has the switch affected his production on the field? Let's take a look at the numbers...
Old Face Mask (Weeks 1-4)
81 carries, 376 yards, 4.64 avg., 3 TD
New Face Mask (Weeks 5-8)
86 carries, 422 yards, 4.91 avg., 6 TD
Now, I'm not going as far as to say Peterson's increased production is due entirely to the face mask switch, but if it has helped even a little bit, it was worth it. By wearing a mask with fewer bars, he may literally see things now he couldn't before... and that spells bad news for the rest of the league! He's rushed for over 100 yards twice in the four games since he switched, and at least 1 TD in all four.
I'd be interested to hear Peterson's thoughts on the switch, because I'm sure he put some thought into it. A decision like this is not made willy nilly. I wonder if it was suggested to him or if he had been mulling it for a while? Why did he decide to make the switch during the season? Did he wear the new face mask in practices leading up to the Week 5 game, or was that game the very first time he had worn that style?
I haven't been able to find many good answers to these questions. Again, it's very possible that no one else cares. But stuff like this genuinely intrigues me, and I'm hoping more info comes to light about this subject in the future. For what it's worth, I don't think he'll be switching back any time soon!
PETERSON COULD WIN THE RUSHING TITLE - Through eight weeks, Adrian Peterson is leading the NFL with 798 rushing yards. If he manages to win a rushing title behind this bad (and I'm being nice) offensive line, it would be one of the greatest achievements in history. Imagine what he could do if they actually played well in front of him!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF PONDER (...AND A RANT) - I'll admit I was hesitant to make the switch from Donovan McNabb to Christian Ponder at QB, but I'll give anyone a chance if they play well. And Ponder has indeed played well. His debut against the Packers was spectacular, including a 91-yard TD bomb to Michael Jenkins on his first NFL play! Yes, I know that TD call was reviewed and overturned -- the referee said he was definitely down at the 1-inch line -- but we all know that reversal was Bull Shit. Capital B, capital S!
We've all heard, at least a billion times, that "indisputable visual evidence" is needed to overturn the call on the field (a touchdown)... and there definitely wasn't any in this case. Amazingly, there was no camera with a view straight down the goal line. How is it the NFL and FOX can bring 50 TV cameras to the game and not put one on each goal line? It just boggles my mind. Kind of an important call, right? Anything other than a goal line angle in this case, and you're just guessing.
But the ref (obviously a master of geometry and physics) took one look at replay footage shot from precisely 48 degrees overhead, consulted his TI-83 calculator, and decided that Jenkins was absolutely, positively down at the 1-inch line. No touchdown! Take it off the board, I say! I'm the referee! See what kind of power I wield?! Fear me!
It doesn't even matter to me that he ended up throwing a TD pass two plays later. Christian Ponder deserved a TD on his first throw if only because it actually was a touchdown! Man, he got hosed on that one. Fire the ref that made the reversal, and fire whoever is in charge of putting cameras on the goal line, because they're not doing their job. Unbelievable! But I digress. Wait... what was I talking about again? Oh yeah... Ponder looks pretty good so far.
He switched prior to your mention for a short time as well. He wore a Revo Speed helmet and the mask similar to his old mask for the new helmet. He then switched back to the basic Riddell helmet and old mask style before switching to this new smaller mask.
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