Adrian Peterson's much-hyped return to action for the Minnesota Vikings did not go according to plan.
The former MVP rushed for just 31 yards on 10 carries and added three catches for 21 yards in a 20-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. Peterson didn't appear to be hitting the hole with his usual verve during the game, but Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was fine with his star rusher's approach.
"I don't think he looked tentative," Zimmer said, via 1500ESPN.com. "I think he was aggressive trying to get to the hole and maybe trying to get to it a little bit too fast at times."
Peterson didn't always look comfortable in pass protection either, but Zimmer said A.P. missed just one blocking assignment against the Niners.
"He's been working real hard at it," Zimmer said. "He's gotten a lot better, in my opinion, than what he was."
Perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised to see Peterson struggle out of the gate. We'd be a bit rusty too if we spent a whole season wasting away on the Exempt/Commissioner's Permission List. Of course, nobody should be stunned if Peterson goes off for 200 yards against the Lions on Sunday.