The Vikings will play it safe with running back Adrian Peterson’s surgically repaired knee, holding him out of the preseason in an effort to ensure that he’s healthy when the regular season starts.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Peterson will not see any action in either of the Vikings’ two remaining preseason games, but the team remains confident that Peterson will be good to go on September 9, when the Vikings open the regular season against the Jaguars.
Peterson, who suffered a torn ACL eight months ago in Week 16 of the regular season, has maintained all along that he’d be ready to play when the 2012 season started, and he’s been eager enough to play that the talk out of Minnesota has mostly focused on the coaching and training staffs’ effort’s to rein him in to keep him from overdoing it.
Although Peterson has said he would like to test his knee out in live game action before the regular season starts, it appears that the first hit he’ll take will come in Week One. Which is still earlier than many predicted when Peterson suffered that injury late last season.