ASHBURN, Va. -- His introduction to Walter Payton occurred via the internet. A young Adrian Peterson searched for footage of the former Chicago Bears great. He saw Payton run over defenders; he saw him cut one way as a defender fell another; he saw him sprint past defenders on long touchdown runs.
Eventually, Peterson saw something else: himself.
"I would say I'm more similar to Walter Payton than anyone else," Washington Redskins running back said as his team prepares to host Chicago on Monday (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). "A lot of people say Eric Dickerson because I run upright, but if you look at Walter's and my game, I would say it's similar as far as getting it by any means.