It wasn't so long ago that the Minnesota Vikings had a rule in practices: If you touch Adrian Peterson, you get cut from the team. With Peterson nearing a full recovery from his anterior cruciate ligament surgery, that rule has been junked.
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Peterson was hit at practice for the first time on Monday. At least teammates could hit his upper body.
"There were times there was nowhere to go and he had to run into people, and he responded well," coach Leslier Frazier said, via the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "That was good to see. There were some good, hard hits. Nothing to the ground, just guys thudding him."
Peterson hasn't experienced any swelling in his knee after practices. It sure seems like he's on track to have a role in the season opener. The team has been very careful with his reps, and want to see how he responds to a full week of practice with contact. Peterson was raring to go.
"(Peterson) told (running backs coach) James Saxon, 'You tell coach to tell those defensive players to buckle up,' " Frazier said. "I knew it would get him fired up."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
