Things looked rather bleak in December, but Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson believes that he'll be ready for the team's regular season opener on Sept. 9, as Yahoo! Sports reports. Peterson is recovering from tearing the ACL and MCL in his left knee, major injuries that typically take up to a year for recovery.
Despite the severity of Peterson's injuries, the running back has been working hard during the summer to join his teammates for the opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. As he tells the AP's Dave Campbell, he's optimistic as he progresses through rehab ahead of schedule:
Despite what everyone else had to say, that was my vision. I knew it was going to be a journey, a path, to get closer to that vision, and I'm closer. I see it. It's closer now. It was far away in the beginning, but I've been working hard and just moving forward. So hopefully here in a couple weeks -- here in a couple weeks, not hopefully -- that vision will be right there in front of me in my lap.
Peterson injured his knee on Dec. 24 against the Washington Redskins, and he had reconstructive surgery during the following month. For an explosive running back like Peterson, having healthy knees is absolutely integral to his success, so you have to imagine that the Vikings want to be cautious with their star player. There's no obvious timetable for his return yet, but the back appears to be planning on Sept. 9 for his return.
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