John Randle Says Adrian Peterson Is 'Gone' From Vikings, Tells Amazing Dennis Green Sauna Story

Pro Football Hall of Famer John Randle talks Texas high school football (0:45), why losing 41-0 in the NFC Championship Game wasn't a bad thing (3:44), being in the sauna with Dennis Green (5:50), an amazing Dennis Green phrase (7:36) and why he thinks Adrian Peterson is out of Minnesota (12:25).

John Randle is one of the greatest Vikings of all time. The Hall of Fame defensive tackle made six Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams in 11 seasons in Minnesota. His Vikings career ended a 41-0 loss to the Giants in 2000-01 NFC Championship Game.

"For me personally, I knew it was my last game as a Viking, and I knew I was leaving Minnesota, so I think in a lot of ways, I was just kind of in a standpoint of just finishing up the season because I knew I wasn't coming back," Randle remembers. "I knew they wouldn't have wanted me back."

Randle went on to play three seasons with the Seahawks, making one more Pro Bowl. After retiring, the Mumford, Texas, native returned to the Twin Cities and currently lives in Medina, Minnesota.

Being around the team, Randle recognizes another Vikings breakup is coming. He believes Adrian Peterson's career in purple is coming to a close. While talking about the Vikings' prospects for next season on ThePostGame Podcast With Jeff Eisenband on Super Bowl radio row, Randle, unprompted, specifically brought up Peterson's position.

"We've got to figure out who's gonna be our starting running back," Randle said.

That warranted a follow-up question:

ThePostGame: You mention starting running back, what does that exactly mean?
RANDLE: Adrian Peterson is gone, he'll probably be gone. He can maybe come back if he can lower his pay.

TPG: You think he's gone?
RANDLE: It's a possibility because he's already said who he's looking at. He's looking at other teams. I think he said Denver or some other team. You know what, eventually we're gonna have to replace him anyhow. It's sad in one way, but it's a new beginning of something else. It's an opportunity for someone else to come in and to fulfill that role because we're gonna have to do it anyhow.

In lighter news, Randle talked with ThePostGame about his former coach, Dennis Green, who passed away last July. Randle was part of eight playoff appearances, including two NFC Championship Game exits, with Green leading the Vikings.

And now, we know Dennis Green used to get in the sauna with the players:

TPG: What memories were brought back [from Dennis Green's passing]?
RANDLE: My first day of practice we had with Dennis Green, it was pouring down raining. I think most coaches would have told us to go inside. He told us, "This is a learning experience, so we will continue to practice." In training camp, we stayed out there, in mud, full pads, hitting. That's probably one of my first memories of Denny. One of my other memories of Denny is we were always in the sauna, the guys, and that was our kind of like "get away from the team." He comes in there and we all got quiet. It was almost like, "Uh oh." The principal's in here with us, so we all ... it was just awkward. Another memory was he would play the drums during lunchtime, so if you got really bored, you wanted to hear something, you go down there and you hear the head coach playing drums, so those are some quick memories that I can remember of Denny.

TPG: The sauna story, keeping it PG, was everyone was in towels?
RANDLE: Yeah, everyone in towels, but we were like why is he in here with us now? This is supposed to be our time. It's not coach's time. It was just an awkward moment.

TPG: Was that him trying to be one of the guys?
RANDLE: No, I think it's just more of Denny seeing himself as being one of the guys, but not realizing he's the head coach. It just made us feel uncomfortable that the head coach was in the sauna with us.

TPG: So you would not recommend a current NFL head coach get in the sauna with the players?
RANDLE: Don't get in the sauna with the players because that's where the players go when they want to talk about their lives, what's going on with this stuff. You know what, my girlfriend ... I'm like, "Here comes the head coach." It gets quiet.

TPG: When people see Dennis Green, they think the "We are who we thought they were clip," which was with Arizona…
RANDLE: See, that was in Arizona. Seeing it on TV was funny, but it's the clips I know when I was in the room and seeing him talk to us, the stuff he used to say to us like, he used to tell us, "Nobody can play the way we play when we play." We were all like, "OK…" That, to me, means more than the one I saw on TV because I was in the room when he said that.

Randle spoke to ThePostGame on behalf of Kay Jewelers, which has a partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Randle, who sung the "Every kiss begins with Kay" jingle on ThePostGame Podcast, advises men and women to be aware Valentine's Day is upon us.

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