NFL running back Adrian Peterson was staring at the end of his football career, being over the age of 30 and playing a football position where age 30 marks the finish line, or damn close to it, for most players.

Peterson doesn’t consider himself to be like most players.

Wanting to keep his career going and defy the odds, Peterson and his trainer worked out all summer, like any pro athlete would, and waited for the phone to ring: Someone, they figured, would invite “AD” to a training camp where he could earn his job.

But, the phone never rang.

As training camps approached and AD was still without an invite, he and his trainer decided to recreate the NFL training camp environment, and AD went through his own version of camp, doing all the stuff he knew he would’ve been doing had he been with a team, at his personal gym. Finally, the phone rang; the Washington Redskins wanted to bring Peterson and several other running backs in to take a look at them. Peterson, being a well-known commodity, would only need to take a physical, though, and not go through workout paces. Everyone in the NFL was aware of his abilities.

Once he got to Washington, though, AD insisted on working out right alongside the other running backs, all of whom were younger (and less-known) than him, and with fewer miles on their bodies.

According to accounts, AD stood out, being in the best shape, eschewing water breaks, and really impressing Washington’s staff. While the original plan was just to evaluate some backs to know the market, the Redskins changed their minds: They signed Peterson on the spot.