ADRIAN PETERSON WAS LATE TO A MEETING

We noted earlier that we couldn’t figure out why in the world the Vikings would keep running back Adrian Peterson on the bench for the first two series of today’s game. FOX reported during the game both that Peterson had a cold and that the Vikings just wanted to “mix things up,” neither of which made much sense -- football players routinely play through ailments much worse than a cold, and keeping one of the most talented players in the NFL on the bench to “mix things up” is, well, stupid. But now we know the real reason Peterson was on the bench: He was being disciplined for showing up late to a team meeting. “It’s just how we do business,” Vikings coach Brad Childress said after the game, per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “We talked to our leadership committee. They are all unanimous with that and that’s just the way it goes. Everybody else is accountable, they’re accountable as well.” Peterson said of the benching, “I fully understand it and accept it. That’s one thing I know about our coach, there’s no prima donnas. … It wasn’t really anything big but I respect his decision.” Vikings cornerback Cedric Griffin was also held out of the starting lineup for being late to the meeting.