Adrian Peterson, after tearing his ACL in the final game of the 2011/2012 season, has made some great strides in trying to get ready for a quick return to the team, perhaps by the opening day of the 2012/2013 season. Indeed, September 9, the date of the Vikings opening game against Jacksonville, has been the day he's been hawking as the date of his glorious return.
Of course, he's not the one in charge of that and the man who is, Vikings Head Trainer Eric Sugarman, has quickly tempered the optimism of that return date.
"He'll keep throwing that out there. And good for him," Sugarman said. "That's great. That's obviously our goal, to get him playing the first game. But only if he's functionally safe to do it. This is our franchise. We can't be foolish about this."
Peterson and Sugarman will hold a press conference on Wednesday to update the progress of Peterson's rehab, and Peterson might even do some rehab drills to show how far he's come in his recovery. It still won't mean an automatic return on the first day of the year for the Vikings' star back.
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