Adrian Peterson: Minnesota Vikings Must Avoid Rushing Back Star RB from Injury

Despite blowing out his knee late in the 2011 season, running back Adrian Peterson remains committed to playing in Week 1 of the 2012 season. But the rebuilding Minnesota Vikings must avoid rushing their best offensive player back in what figures to be a transition year in Minnesota. 

Risking another injury on a weak or less-than-100-percent knee just doesn't make sense for Peterson given the outlook for the Vikings in 2012 and beyond. 

All offseason, Peterson has stayed on course for a Week 1 return from the torn ACL and MCL he suffered in his left knee during Week 16 last season. The Vikings' 27-year-old running back discussed that fact Wednesday during his injury update press conference. 

"I have been ahead of the schedule since day one. The staff here in Minnesota, the staff down in Houston, they have been doing a great job of just pushing me and pushing me, but having that limit on it, knowing I want to do this, I just have to play it slow and it will come. From square one I have been ahead of the curve. So, me personally, because that’s my goal, I set my goals and expectations high, and that first game against Jacksonville I plan on being back. It will be disappointing if I am not."

You can't fault Peterson for his accelerated rehab or his desire to play in Week 1. He's a football player and a good one at that. He wants to play whenever his body tells him he can, and for Peterson, that probably means Week 1. 

But the Vikings' brass should be singing a different tune.

Minnesota has won just nine games—including three in 2011—since Brett Favre threw his game-changing interception during the NFC Championship in January of 2010. Few will doubt that this is a team in full rebuilding mode. 

Faces are changing up and down the Vikings' roster.

The quarterbacks are mostly brand new with 2011 first-round pick Christian Ponder leading the revival at the game's most important position. There's no veteran coming to save the day for the Vikings' 2012 season like some hoped with Favre in 2010 and less did with Donovan McNabb in 2011.

While Ponder started games last season, there's bound to be a number of ups and downs at quarterback for the Vikings in 2012. 

A once dominant offensive line for the Vikings is in transition. Steve Hutchinson and Bryant McKinnie are long gone, having given way to youngsters upfront. 2012 first round pick Matt Kalil should help as a centerpiece to the new line.

The defense got old in a hurry over the last two seasons, and GM Rick Spielman is now in the process of replacing the stalwart veterans of the team's past with young players found in the draft. Even an optimistic Vikings fan would tell you that side of the ball is in the midst of change and is likely to struggle again in 2012. 

Longtime kicker Ryan Longwell even got the boot for rookie Blair Walsh. 

Clearly, the Vikings in 2012 are facing a transition year—a necessary season in terms of rebuilding the franchise. 

That current rebuilding process is what makes rushing back the team's best player on a bum knee such a risky endeavor. Minnesota should take every precaution necessary for ensuring Peterson is better than 100 percent before returning to his former workload. 

Letting Peterson come back any time before that would jeopardize his contributions in the future when the Vikings may be back to relevance in the Super Bowl picture. 

ESPN North blogger Kevin Seifert summed up the argument well Wednesday night. 

"I'm not going to suggest the Vikings should hold Peterson out of the lineup once he's medically cleared. But in the big picture, there seems to be every reason to take it as slow as possible. If Peterson can avoid some wear and tear during a rebuilding season, wouldn't that help the Vikings in the long-term?" 

Seifert goes on to write that any scenario in which the Vikings or Peterson slow the comeback based on the team's projected season is very unlikely. No team or player is going to surrender to the fact beforehand that a season is likely to be a lost one.

But in this situation, it makes perfect sense. While Peterson is still relatively young (27), he has totalled over 1,500 touches in five NFL seasons. It is well documented how backs approaching the 2,500 touches mark or 30 years old mark begin to break down in a hurry. 

Certainly, no one in Minnesota wants to see that breakdown happen before the Vikings get relevant again. 

Like Seifert, I don't endorse the Vikings shutting a healthy Peterson down. That would be beyond the point. 

But if there's any worry about the left knee of Adrian Peterson come Week 1, the Vikings should be taking extreme caution. Peterson will want to play regardless, but the Vikings need to be smart in their handling of a player that remains very, very important to their long-term success. 

Risking him for a couple of games to begin a transition season is a risk the Vikings simply do not need to take.