PETERSON: My main reason, it kind of speaks for itself when I think about it. When they came to me, "You're out in L.A., Mr. Jim Brown wants to do an interview with you," immediately I said yes. Coming from the best football player to play the game, it's an honor for me to come here and sit down and chat with you.
BROWN: It's interesting. I didn't ask you the question to have you praise me, but some people are afraid of me because I am controversial, in some sense. So, for you to feel that way is really respectful of me, and I appreciate that.
PETERSON: Yes, sir.
BROWN: You've had fantastic statistics so far. How do you feel about your performance over the last two years, and how do you rate your performance? Are you satisfied? Are you disappointed in certain areas?
PETERSON: My first year, it was a pretty good year for me. I wasn't excited about how we ended it—we didn't make the playoffs or anything—and that's how it is with me, it's all about team accomplishments first. But as far as how I did my rookie year, I felt I did pretty good, but deep inside I knew I could have done a lot more to help the team out. There was a lot more I could have done personally as far as just crossing the T's and dotting all the I's; a lot of missed opportunities. So, coming into my second year, I was focusing on trying to improve on those things. And we did all right. The season's never a success if you're not playing in that big game—the Super Bowl—but I felt like the second year I got a good feel, a better rhythm, a better understanding of the game, just the football part of it. I was just going out there and running the ball. I was able to feel more comfortable, wasn't thinking as much.
BROWN: These questions are important to me, and I know you'll be really honest. Do your coaches understand your ability the way you would like them to? Do they give you the plays that you would like? And do you find sometimes that you struggle because you know some plays are better than others? Are you satisfied with what your coaches contribute to your ability?
PETERSON: I would say our running backs coach, Eric Bieniemy, who played in the NFL for a little bit, pretty much understands me. They understand my ability, but I don't know to what extent. E.B., just talking with him and how he approaches me, he understands the potential that I have but that I still have to grow and get better. We talk about some of the plays, not really in the running game but more spreading me out and finding other ways to put the ball in my hands. I pressure him to get some plays and spread me out, get me out on reverses and stuff like that. But I feel like they do a pretty good job of addressing that.
BROWN: That smile on your face is telling me something that only running backs know. Coaches are not always on top of it when you are special. See, you have a special makeup, your physical makeup, your mental makeup. There is a conception that you teach running backs how to run, OK? So do they try to teach you how to run?
PETERSON: Yeah. They say, "This is what you want to do, a step here and then a step here," and inside I'll be like, What? It's like, OK, I'll try to do it that way, but …
BROWN: You know why I'm asking you these questions, don't you? The territory that we're in now, only running backs understand these questions. People think that coaches are always right, but it's difficult to teach a runner how to run, because every runner is different. You have to have an understanding of how to assist what that runner has, so they know how to assist what you have without taking away your special ability, because you're not like anybody else. Sometimes it's kind of hard for a coach to make those adjustments. Is that why you have that smile?
PETERSON: Yeah. Yes, sir. You hear all that stuff about going out of bounds, or if two guys are roughing you up and your forward progress is stopped, you might as well go ahead and fall down. But that's not really my mindset.
BROWN: Exactly. Your ability to make moves on the move, to accelerate, to break tackles, is what makes you special. Coaches are used to teaching what the norm is, so they teach what normal people do. But Adrian Peterson, in my mind, is a special talent, so consequently I would hope that they would be able to listen to you about your ability rather than you listening to them about your ability, because it's very difficult to teach a great runner how to make steps, what steps you take, and what you do at impact. They have to recognize that you have a natural ability to do things that can't be explained. So we agree on that?
PETERSON: Yes, sir.
BROWN: Do you ever have conversations with your linemen?
PETERSON: From time to time. I'm really not vocal and expressive, but I'm starting to get more comfortable to open up. I guess it's just building a relationship with the guys. Right now I'm right next to a couple of offensive linemen (in the locker room) so I have more opportunity to talk to the guys. I'm becoming more vocal.
BROWN: I get the feeling you're being respectful because you're young.
PETERSON: Yes, sir.
BROWN: But you know some things that you want to get out?
PETERSON: Yes, sir.
BROWN: My biggest problem was to get the coaches to understand that I was a runner and I wanted to prepare myself based upon the calisthenics I did and get myself ready. For example, I used my forearm when I ran the ball, so I didn't want to do pushups because I wanted my forearms to heal. I wanted to do the stretching and sprints to get certain things ready, but the coaches had a certain routine and they had the linemen doing the same routine! I thought, "My God, I need a special set of things to lend themselves to getting me ready for Sunday." Do you find that to be true?
PETERSON: I do. I find that to be true.
BROWN: The media deal with statistics and valide you by statistics. Have you ever had a 10-yard run that was better than a 60-yard run?
PETERSON: I have, absolutely.
BROWN: So you have a different set of values than those who ask you questions normally? Because they think the length of the run is the greatness of it.
PETERSON: Yes, sir, they do. I can remember one play in college. We might have been on the 8-yard line; it was a run of the middle, right in the A gap, a combination of getting into the end zone, shoulders low, just driving, breaking tackles. When I watched the play again, I was like, "Man, I was determined to get into the end zone." You could see it on that play. That's what it's about for me.
BROWN: Do you know anything about the history of football?
PETERSON: The history of football? I sit back and I watch NFL Network. They show old-school football. I watch you.
BROWN: That's real old-school football (laughs). Let me ask you something: You ever heard about Ollie Matson?
PETERSON: No, sir.
BROWN: OK. The reason I ask you is the Rams traded nine men to get him (from the Chicago Cardinals, in 1959) and he was an Olympic sprinter and one of the all-time greats, but very few people would probably know him. So what I've done, I've studied pretty much everybody in history that I can think of. Are you familiar with some of the great old-school runners?
PETERSON: From the old school? You, hands down. Gale Sayers.
BROWN: You know about Gale. Then tell me, is he, in your opinion, one of the greatest runners who ever lived?
PETERSON: Based off what I've seen? I'd say yeah. Yes, sir.
BROWN: You probably like his style.
PETERSON: He wasn't, like, physical, but yeah. He had that speed—a hundred percent. He used to just glide through there.
BROWN: So you go from Gale to Earl Campbell. They're different, right?
PETERSON: Earl, I think he was a different style. His speed was good. He didn't have the outstanding speed, but he had speed where it was tough to catch him. But he was like a bull. Big thighs. A downhill runner.
BROWN: Is speed your greatest asset?
PETERSON: No, sir.
BROWN: You don't think so?
PETERSON: No, sir.
BROWN: That speed is a big deal, let's be honest. I call it the fourth gear. You know you have it. If you study backs, you study history, you know there are not a lot of backs who have that fourth gear. Great backs, where you can accelerate by that last man and get the six, what value do you put on having that?
PETERSON: I value that a lot. I won't say it's my best attribute, but I think if you've got that fourth gear, where your teammates are chucking their hands up when you get to the second level, it sets you apart.
BROWN: That's why I wanted the Browns to draft you, because it's invaluable. Sometimes when you get caught on the 1-yard line, you never score the TD. There's no guarantee when you get caught on the 1-yard line that you're gonna get the six. But when you close out, that's six on the board. That's one of the things that sets you apart from a lot of backs in history. OK. Barry Sanders is a good friend of mine. He had unbelievable moves, but his fourth gear was suspect. Do you think he had a fourth gear?
PETERSON: No, not really. I watched him and didn't see he could just drop it down and close it out. He had good speed, but he wasn't really that home-run hitter.
BROWN: Do you think there have been a lot of them in history with that fourth gear?
PETERSON: No, not that many.
BROWN: What do you consider your greatest game?
PETERSON: My greatest game? I would say probably against Green Bay, a home game last year. It was a must-win game for us as far as the standings in the division and trying to get to the playoffs. I contributed that day. I was able to overcome adversity through that game. The main thing I remember about that game, fourth down, fourth quarter, maybe four minutes to go, me going to the sidelines and telling coach, "Go for it, go for it!"
BROWN: You were telling Coach that?
PETERSON: Yes, sir. We had the punt team out there. We called a timeout, and we called … I think it was a Fox 3 run. I remember hitting it; it closed up and I bounced it outside, it was like fourth-and-2, fourth-and-1. I think about it, and it makes me sick to my stomach. There was one guy I had to beat, and it was a home run, a touchdown. I got past the first-down mark, trying to break the last tackle, and I kind of got careless with the ball; he punched the ball out and they recovered the ball. The defense did a great job of getting us the ball back. Just coming out and touching the ball every play that whole (ensuing) drive, just having the ball in my hands, not only running the ball but receiving it—and scoring the game-winning touchdown—that was something I'll always remember. I was in the zone.
BROWN: Let me ask you this. Do you remember your mistakes more than your success or your success more than your mistakes?
PETERSON: My mistakes more than my success.
BROWN: That's the way I am. I know that I remember them so vividly, because it's like, "Damn! If I'd just shifted the ball. My God!" People think you're always thinking about what you did good, but you're in that elite group that goes for perfection. So you remember those mistakes; they live with you because you know you could have made a better choice.
PETERSON: I definitely agree with all that.
BROWN: Which leads me to the fact that everybody wants to talk to you about injuries. How do you think about injuries? Are you trying to modify something because it might keep you from being injured?
PETERSON: No, sir. I have the mentality that if you come in playing not to get hurt, that's when you're going to get hurt. So I play relentless.
BROWN: Give me an idea of the running backs in the game today that you look at and respect.
PETERSON: LaDainian Tomlinson, I grew up watching him and liking him. Of course, he's been injured. There are some young guys I like. I like (the Bears') Matt Forte. He doesn't really have that breakaway speed, but he's an all-around player; he runs hard and follows his blockers well. I like (the Jaguars') Maurice Jones-Drew. A little bowling ball is what I call him; he runs hard. For a bigger guy, I like (the Giants') Brandon Jacobs. Sometimes I don't think he runs the way he should, but as far as, what, 270 pounds? He's a beast when he wants to be.
BROWN: Don't worry about controversy because honesty is what it is, OK? Is L.T. overrated?
PETERSON: Is he overrated? I wouldn't say that he's overrated. I would say the injuries that he had kind of put him on the back burner.
BROWN: You're the most complete runner I've seen in a long time. When I analyze L.T.'s situation, I think he's very fortunate to be in the system that he's in. If he were not in San Diego in the system that he's in—if he had to run what you run—could he be the same player?
PETERSON: In a different system, it's possible things would be different. He's not that great a downhill back. But I think he's a pretty good running back.
BROWN: But you're what I call a true striker of the ball—a guy who makes me sit up on my seat, makes me think that you got more yards than you should have gotten rather than looking at a guy who didn't get what he should have gotten. He should have got another five!
PETERSON: I say that about myself sometimes, too. I should have taken that to the house! I should've broken that tackle! Yeah, I do that.
BROWN: Rumor has it that you want to gain weight. Is that true, and why?
PETERSON: It's a long season, and your body's going to get beaten up. I wanted to put on a couple more pounds in the right spots—legs and whatnot—just to be stronger and faster. I hear guys talk about how it might slow me down, but I don't think so. If I put the weight on in the right way and continue to work hard, it won't affect me too much.
BROWN: Do you ever get out of shape?
PETERSON: I don't think I'm ever really out of shape. Sometimes I'm not in the best shape, just when I'm relaxing. But never out of shape.
BROWN: When you came to my home, your father was with you. Could you tell me what he means to you?
PETERSON: He means the world to me. It's really hard to put into words how much he means to me. Just being the first person to put the ball in my hands and get me started playing this game. And football is just outside of everything else. He has always been there for me and all of his kids. I'll always have that respect for him, hands down.
BROWN: You've had some tragedies in your life. Have you been able to cope with those, come to grips with them?
PETERSON: Just by praying and giving God his time and knowing He'll help you through no matter what it is, no matter what the situation. It's not going to be easy, but He'll make it a lot easier for you.
BROWN: So you're a spiritual person?
PETERSON: Yes, sir.BROWN: Religious or spiritual?
PETERSON: Religious.
BROWN: What religion are you?
PETERSON: Baptist.
BROWN: What would be the biggest principle in your religion that guides you in your life?
PETERSON: You can do all things through God, and He'll never put more on you than you can bear. Those are the two things that I've fallen back on. With my dad being gone, as bad as that was, God never gives you more than you can handle. My brother passed at a young age; I saw him get killed right in front of me. It's knowing that God gives me the strength to deal with it and knowing that He'll never give me more than I can handle.
BROWN: Do you feel like your generation, the now generation, is as different as people say, that you're your peers are difficult and trouble-prone?
PETERSON: I think you could say that in a way, but it's the people you surround yourself with. You hang around positive people and you can expect positive to come from it, and if you're around negative people you definitely can expect something negative to come from it.
BROWN: Do you think money is the No. 1 criterion for young guys, that they think of the money more than anything else?
PETERSON: I think a lot of guys do. I see it all the time, and it kills me. A lot of guys come into the league and they get comfortable. They're being paid this and that. It's like how they played in college doesn't transfer because now they're playing more not to get hurt; they're out there playing timid and thinking about the money.
BROWN: Do you feel there's any bias in the game today? Are you aware of any prejudice, any inequality, or do you feel totally comfortable with the National Football League?
PETERSON: As far as on the field?
BROWN: Period.
PETERSON: I think it is what it is. I don't want to sit here and say it's not out there. It's out there. Some guys are prejudiced toward different people. Some black toward white, and vice versa. On the field, though, I wouldn't say there's too much. I would say much more, like, within the business aspect.
BROWN: You think the agents are great for the game, they're great for you, they make their contribution? Or do you think they can be a detriment?
PETERSON: I think they serve their purpose. They do a good job. When you come out, there's a lot of things you don't understand about the business, contracts and different things like that. You find some good guys that can take care of you. I think they do their job. But then again, I sit back now, I look back and it's like the guys are really not around that much, other than when there's some type of incentive you can reach, or they're just talking about your contract or what not. But I think they serve their purpose to a certain extent.
BROWN: Do you think agents have your best interests in mind other than the money they can get you?
PETERSON: I would say my agent, Ben Dogra, I think he does. He has a pretty good feel. He seems like a pretty good guy.
BROWN: What do you think of a system where rookies can get a $20 million bonus and not even play the first year?
PETERSON: I don't think it should be changed. There's a lot of guys who say, "Man, these guys come in not proven, and they get paid like that?" But I think it's fine.
BROWN: But when you get further into your career and it's time to get paid, they don't pay you. So to me it seems like you're getting money when you haven't done nothing, and then when you've done something they don't pay you. Shouldn't it be the opposite?
PETERSON: I guess maybe it should be the opposite. … You can look at it and say, Matt Stafford got $80 million and hasn't played one game, and then you've got Peyton Manning—won a Super Bowl and probably the best quarterback in the game—and this young cat is getting paid more than him. But you can also look at that and say when it's time for Peyton to come back up and renegotiate, that's going to help him out.
BROWN: So you think that the way it's settled now is OK?
PETERSON: I think it's OK. I really do. Football is a physical sport; you never know what can happen to you. They say NFL stands for Not For Long, so you never know. Guys that have proven themselves in college to be in the top 10, top 15, I think they should be rewarded.
BROWN: I'm not going to give my opinion on that.
PETERSON: You have an opinion? I want to hear it.
BROWN: I think the league is kind of upside down. JaMarcus Russell went to the Raiders (with the No. 1 pick in 2007) and didn't get to camp in time to play his first year, but he got paid. But his career is in shambles now because he didn't show up in time to get a good start. So, consequently, his total career might be affected by that. So all he got is the money with no real consistent career, and I think that's a crime. I think that every young player should report to camp on time; they should get all contracts worked out to get their career into a great position. So I would say to you, if you've got to opt for money or the career, opt for the career, because the career will give you the opportunity to make money for a long time. But if you just opt for the money and don't have a career where your legacy is set, then that money you got earlier is going to run out. I've come to this conclusion based upon personal experience and understanding.
PETERSON: I can definitely understand where you're coming from.
BROWN: Do you pay attention to your union?
PETERSON: Yes, sir. I'm starting to get more involved, too.
BROWN: The worst thing, in my opinion, is that you all have neglected the pioneers of the game. Guys are crippled. Guys die at an early age. Guys are homeless. And they tell me through your union, the modern-day players say, "Well, hey, man, that's not our affair." Do you feel that way?
PETERSON: I don't feel that way at all. I feel like those are the guys that paved the way for us. And especially with the amount of money they're issuing out today, it's ridiculous not to look out for them.
BROWN: Do you feel, as an African-American, you should put back into the system to help the culture elevate itself, or do you feel it's good enough just to give to charity once in a while? Do you feel you should use some of your money, some of your influence, to truly put back into society and to help those who are not really at the table?
PETERSON: I do.
BROWN: You do?
PETERSON: Yes, sir.
BROWN: Do you think most of the players feel that way?
PETERSON: I don't think too many players feel that way. You've got a lot of selfish people in the world. But I've always had that mindset, even at a young age, because I've been dreaming of being in the NFL since I was knee-high, since I was seven. I always wanted to give back to the community back home, and back in Oklahoma, and nationally. … I love to give. I've got a big heart.
BROWN: Do you worry about your image? Do you let your publicists present you as just a good guy, or would you prefer to be your own man and let the perception be what it is?
PETERSON: Just be my own man. I do want to have a good image, a clean image, but I really don't focus too much on that. That doesn't mean I go out and do crazy stuff. That's not my personality at all. I know I've got 10 brothers and sisters who look up to me, and they want to be just like me, too. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I carry myself well.
BROWN: That's OK. That's good. You've got to be you, right?
PETERSON: Yes, sir.
PETERSON: What were some of the things you did during the offseason as far as working out?
BROWN: I was vain. I didn't want to gain any weight so my clothes would fit right and all that stuff—for the ladies, you know? Some of my friends and teammates, we'd do some running. I'd work on my quick-starts—acceleration was always my thing—and that was pretty much it other than basketball, which I played almost every day. I would come into camp about five pounds underweight so that when I got there I wouldn't have any weight to lose. We used to run the 40; I'd run my 40, beat everybody, and then the coach would leave me alone and I could start working on my game.
PETERSON: How do you think the game has changed over the years?
BROWN: I think it's a great entertainment spectacle. They've done a fantastic job of promoting it. I think it's exciting, I think the playoff system is good, and I think that you have certain players who are great because they love the game. But I think money has affected the game, cheapened it, and I think the buffoonery has taken a lot of dignity out of the game. A lot of players think those antics are amusing, but it's buffoonery. If you're conscious about images and history, African-Americans had to fight off the caricatures of buffoonery all through history; they made a mockery of watermelon-eating, big eyes, shuffling, dancing, shaking your booty. We had to fight to get rid of those stereotypes, then the modern-day football player comes out and shakes his butt and all that (expletive), excuse my language, but it's embarrassing because the population likes it in one sense, they laugh at it, but then they ridicule it. So if you're Ochocinco, he thinks he's cute, but in essence it's a lack of dignity.
But I'll tell you this: If you look at Troy Polamalu, that kid's a player. You look at Ray Lewis, that's a player. You look at Shawn Merriman, that's a player. Peyton Manning, that's a player. The real players don't deal with a lot of foolishness. Polamalu just gets ready for the next play. The money has obviously affected the game. The agent worries about the money; he's not looking for what you call quality of life, your whole being, family, social life, your happiness. And the union has to keep itself going, so there's a selfishness there. And, of course, you have the ownership. In essence, I don't think that players are different; I think the circumstances are different. And you don't have a lot of legitimate people dealing with the players. Who tells a player the truth? It's like the tail wagging the dog.
PETERSON: As a running back, what's your best advice for me?
BROWN: Do what you're doing. (laughs) Do just what you're doing. That's good enough for me, and it'll be good enough for you because you're studying, you're working with your coaches. … There are people who want to give you advice because they want to give you advice. They might not be as smart as you, and just because I played doesn't mean I know any more than you know about you right now. … You have your freedom to think and to do. I don't want to inhibit you by forcing things into your mind. I want to free you up to use your creativity and let your physical and your mental spirit come together and perform. If you were having certain problems, I might have some advice for you. But I don't see any problems. You're a special young man.
More from Jim Brown:
On his reputation:
Until you got here, you didn't know how I am. Am I just like you thought I would be? A lot of people are scared of me. They think I'm going to just jump on them, try to eat them up, all that kind of mess. But here's what happens: The brighter you are, it's almost the more you have to look out for other people's feelings because intelligence will eat them up, intimidate them. And if you're an African-American, in general, you're not supposed to be intelligent. The boxes you're supposed to be in, your thing is leadership through physical ability, not that you can truly think. …
They try to look at me as an "angry black man." Naw, I'm a man first, a human being, and I don't give up my space for anybody. I fought to be recognized as a man; that's intimidating to people that want you to be a symbol. Don't ever let anybody make you a symbol. Football is what you do; it's not what you are. And your character and your dignity is utmost. So your space belongs to you in this world, not to be validated by nobody else. That doesn't mean you're an angry man, it just means you're a man.
On the relationship between black athletes and corporate America:
They say, "Be like we want you to be and we'll give you this endorsement money." Well, guys opt to be that and so they become African-American symbols of making a lot of money and being great athletes, but they have nothing to say about the destiny of our country, the destiny of our people. You can be a great player and have a lot to say, because if you're a great player, they're going to go along with you until you can't play anymore. Then it don't matter what you say, anyway, because you've been used up. So you might as well take the opportunity to be your own man.
I'm not dependent. I don't want something for nothing. I believe in hard work. I believe in education. I believe in family values. I believe in collective power. OK? It doesn't matter how old I am; I'll be relevant because I'm always working to make change.
On the difference between charity and change:
Charity is when you do something to help situations and people by donation, an open hand and so forth, and you do it because the people need it, you have a charitable heart, you're a humanitarian and you want to do good things that you can do.
Change is when you fight to make change in a society so that the masses of people can enjoy their democratic rights. You fight for equality and equal opportunity, so that a person is not receiving your charity but being able to go through a door that's been closed so they can get what they deserve based upon their hard work.
If you take charity as your first move, then you send a message to all the youngsters: "Be like me. I'm a great player, but I'm not politically inclined. I'll help you out, but I'm not going to get in anything controversial because I'm going to let the status quo remain." Like Michael Jordan, for example. I like Michael. I think Michael's a nice guy, a great basketball player, a nice smile, dresses well. But Michael said once, when I asked him about putting back and there was a political candidate (we) wanted him to help, he said, "Look, I can't do that because I'm with Nike and Republicans buy sneakers, too." He was saying he had to keep his image first. Well, in America, that was his right. But he never got to where he got because people did that before him. Some people sacrificed everything to break down the barriers.
via Sporting News
