Pelissero: Players watch NFL's move on Adrian Peterson
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The NFL is taking a measured approach to Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson's reinstatement. The players union has fired a warning shot about what will happen if that approach isn't consistent with how similar cases have been handled.
And the players themselves are paying attention to how things shake out, knowing this could be a test case for how the NFL's new, still-under-development personal conduct policy will treat those accused of violent crimes in the wake of the Ray Rice case.
"It's a different league now," Vikings fullback Jerome Felton, Peterson's teammate and vocal supporter, told USA TODAY Sports this week.
"People are definitely going to be watching and be concerned about how it all plays out, because obviously, as long as the court process usually takes — it could take a year or two years, and so it's hard to be on the shelf when you're trying to defend your innocence."
Peterson opted not to wait. He pleaded no contest Tuesday to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault, avoiding jail time and ending a saga that began Sept. 12, when he was indicted on a felony charge for injuring his 4-year-old son while disciplining him with a tree branch.
The terms of Peterson's negotiated agreement to go on the exempt list stipulated he'd stay there until the legal process was complete. But the NFL advised him Thursday he'll remain on the list while it gathers information and considers discipline. Peterson, 29, also will "meet with designated experts who will make recommendations for the Commissioner's consideration" and has the opportunity for a hearing before discipline is issued, the league said.
The NFL Players Association quickly pledged to "pursue any and all remedies if (Peterson's) rights are breached" under the collective bargaining agreement, as it did by appealing Rice's indefinite suspension. Now, with tension continuing to mount, the Peterson situation is setting up as prelude to one of two things: compromise on the conduct policy or all-out battle.
Peterson is no victim. The 2012 NFL MVP has continued to collect his $691,176 game checks. The no contest plea rightly strengthens the chances he'll face a substantial fine, if not a suspension on top of the eight games he already has missed.
The authority to make that decision, at least for now, still rests with Commissioner Roger Goodell. And whether Goodell retains that authority or not, the new policy may well use the exempt list (or something like it) as a way station for players facing serious criminal charges. It's a logical middle ground that lets players keep their jobs while also removing the burden from teams about whether to take them off the field.
The big concern for players and their union arises when the end of the legal process is only the setup for another series of steps on a timeline the NFL controls, particularly if placement on the list becomes involuntary. The NFLPA has proposed neutral arbitration for all personal conduct matters, but the league believes it can institute changes without collective bargaining.
That stance has fostered distrust, too, even at a time players such as Felton admit they don't envy the spot Goodell is in: trying to create a holistic solution with the guidance of experts under heavy scrutiny, but also needing to piecemeal answers on the likes of Peterson in the interim.
"It's a tough deal, and I understand it's a tough position to be put in from a commissioner standpoint," Felton said. "But that's why (Goodell) makes 50 million dollars a year."
Coming up short
Also paid well: Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton, who will make a little over $18 million in 2014 on the contract extension he signed in August and has rewarded the Bengals with eight touchdown passes and nine interceptions through the season's first nine games.
Dalton's almost impossibly poor passing line Thursday night — 10-of-33 for 86 yards, three interceptions and a 2.0 passer rating before backup Jason Campbell replaced him late in a 24-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns — was at least partly due to a lack of rhythm and timing with his receivers. A.J. Green has missed time. Screen ace Giovani Bernard was out hurt.
But these are the sorts of performances that have made scouts question whether Dalton, 27, is just good enough to help the Bengals get to the playoffs or a guy who can get them over the hump. Because when Dalton's on his game, he's a guy you can win with, but not much more. And when Dalton's bad, he can be the type of bad that makes a game unwinnable.
Take nothing away from a Cleveland defense that now ranks fourth in scoring (19.1 points against per game), has produced 17 takeaways and is a primary reason the Browns are tied for first place in the AFC North at 6-3, with more wins than they've had in a full season since 2007.
Three and out
• The 49ers haven't lost three straight games since they started 0-5 under Mike Singletary in 2010. They haven't been below .500 after nine games since Jim Harbaugh took over as coach in 2011 either. There's a lot on the line for Harbaugh and his team Sunday night in New Orleans, where the Saints beat the 49ers last November and are 11-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome since the start of last season. Both teams enter 4-4, but the Saints are surging at the top of the lousy NFC South, while the 49ers are already three games back of Arizona in the NFC West. Lose again, and the return of star pass rusher Aldon Smith may not be enough to make the sort of run the 49ers will need to have a shot at a fourth straight NFC title game berth — further increasing the volume on speculation about Harbaugh's future.
• The Texans are going to run into the same issue with Ryan Mallett that the AFC South rival Titans have with rookie Zach Mettenberger: If you can't protect a quarterback who can't move, you're in trouble. Mallett, 26, has just good enough feet to get by and he can sling it when he has time. But the Texans — who rank around the middle of the pack with 20 sacks allowed — need to give him a consistent pocket, because Mallett's not going to create that time on his own. They'll have extra time to prepare for the transition from Ryan Fitzpatrick, with a bye before next weekend's visit to Cleveland.
• Four teams' Super Bowl odds are already off the board at the Bovada Sportsbook: the Jets, Buccaneers, Jaguars and Raiders. (Last call now for the Titans at 1,000:1). The Broncos (7:2) remain the favorites ahead of the Patriots (6:1), Seahawks (8:1), Packers (9:1), Cardinals and Colts (both 10:1).