Could be true.
Garrett was averse to running the ball before last season and Linehan was as well at just about every stop. Sometimes people will never give up those old habits.
But, I do see this team in a bit of a pickle with regards to Murray. He's had injury issues throughout his career and just logged in 392 carries (not including playoffs). You still had to pay Dez and I think he's just a better investment in terms of impacting the team. And we had larger issues on defense than we have had at finding a replacement for Murray.
As a runner, Peterson is one of the all time greats. But, the Vikings weren't going to give him away for free and he's 30 years old. Plus, he's a mediocre blitz pickup and threat as a receiver. The cost and his age made it prohibitive, so you have to look elsewhere.
The tailbacks worth taking at our spot in the draft were Gurley (coming off an injury) and Melvin Gordon and both were already gone. And we still need defensive help, particularly in the secondary where Carr is aging and way overpaid, Claiborne has sucked since his 2nd season, Sterling Moore was gone and O-Scan (at the time) was getting long in the tooth. Oh, and we still needed pass rush help and Randy Gregory who was a legit top-5 talent fell into our laps in the 2nd round.
So do you really go after a premium tailback or do you find the best players you can get at the best price and take your chances behind your great O-Line and with McFadden (who still has the explosiveness and is a very good blitz pickup and receiving tailback), Randle (who looked very good last year) and Dunbar to help spell them?
Personally, I think you go with what the team did. I think it addresses more of our issues at a fraction of the price and we don't mortgage our future.
YR