No Touching 28

Adrian Peterson returned to the Minnesota Vikings practices this week. Some people, Jerry Rice, have questioned this but they aren't there. Haven't been there. Just another opinion that doesn't matter. The opinions that do matter, the Vikings training staff and coaches, have signed off on Peterson suiting up and running plays. He's back. He's ready.

Despite this, head coach Leslie Frazier didn't want his defense touching 28. He even stopped practice to approach the defense and make himself very clear. Do not touch 28. Not this week. This did not sit well with Peterson. When defenders dropped to the ground to avoid the hard charging back, Adrian Peterson was not happy. Not happy at all. He's been waiting nearly eight months for that first contact. He has to wait a few days longer. The problem with this no contact rule is that Peterson doesn't play that way. He brings contact. That's why the defense was dropping to the ground. Defensive end Jared Allen even went into a fetal position. The defense knows the brutality that Peterson brings to his running. He brings it to games. He brings it to practices. He's even brought it to Pro Bowl practices. No one brings effort to Pro Bowl practices. Few even brought effort to the actual Pro Bowl game last year. To his new NFC teammates, not used to his high effort in any practice, it was a real shock. Peterson wants to get back to that more than anything. It will happen next week.

I really don't understand the inability of so many people to accept Adrian Peterson's quick return. I don't remember a similar inability to accept the quick return from an ACL injury made by Wes Welker a few years ago. They just let him be. Maybe it's the difference in positions that Peterson and Welker play. I don't know. People just have to accept that Adrian Peterson is back. The people closest to him don't seem too surprised that he's back so quick. His trainers, coaches and teammates accept it just fine.Those that haven't been around the recovery procees should accept it as well.