When the Washington Redskins made Adrian Peterson inactive on Sunday, the move reportedly didn’t sit well with the team’s veterans. And on Monday, right tackle Morgan Moses essentially confirmed that report — calling the running back’s benching a “slap in the face.”
In a radio interview, Moses said he planned to discuss the decision with coach Jay Gruden and advocated for Peterson, who led the Redskins in rushing last year, to receive playing time.
“Any time you’ve got a Hall of Fame guy that doesn’t dress, man, it’s a slap in the face,” Moses told 106.7 The Fan. “And obviously, we’ve gotta figure out what the reason is. And it’s my job as one of the older guys on the offensive line to speak up and say, ’Hey, we need him.’
“Obviously, you don’t put a Hall of Fame guy like that on the sideline. When he’s healthy, as well.”
The Redskins made Peterson a healthy scratch because of their confidence in second-year back Derrius Guice and the veteran’s inability to play special teams. Gruden said after Sunday’s 32-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that the decision to keep Peterson inactive will be “week-to-week.”
But Gruden also said: “If we have a game where we think can run the ball 55 times in an I-formation, then sure, I’ll get him up.” (The Redskins have never run the ball 55 times in a game under Gruden.)
Moses said Peterson brings “a lot” to the Redskins.
“To have that guy just standing on the sideline is just, it doesn’t sit well to guys on the team or the NFL,” he said. “So I think this is something we need to correct, man, because he is a helluva football player.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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