Peterson says ankle pain was nothing new

Peterson says ankle pain was nothing new
January 1
Minneapolis Star Tribune
"As Adrian Peterson left the field last Sunday after fumbling in the first quarter against the Giants it appeared the Vikings Pro Bowl running back had just suffered an injury to his left ankle.

It turns out the pain Peterson felt wasn't anything new.

Peterson revealed Wednesday for the first time that he has been battling the ankle problem since the Vikings' 35-14 victory against Arizona on Dec. 14. Peterson said the ankle feels "pretty good" now.

"I've been fighting with this ankle injury the past three weeks," he said. "Going out on Sundays I take a lot of shots in the legs, so it got twisted up on that play, and it was pretty painful [against the Giants]."

Peterson rushed for 76 yards, his second-lowest total this season, against the Falcons and also fumbled twice, losing the ball once. He rebounded to rush for 103 yards versus the Giants but 67 came on a second-quarter touchdown run.

Coach Brad Childress has rested Peterson on occasion during late-season practices, in part because the Vikings hold workouts on an artificial surface, but Peterson did not miss any time Wednesday.

Peterson, the league's leading rusher this season, committed his NFL-high ninth fumble against the Giants, although it was recovered by teammate Jim Kleinsasser. Just as he had done the week before, Peterson carried a football around with him in the locker room in an attempt to focus on ball security.

Asked about playing in his first playoff game Sunday against the Eagles, Peterson said: "It's definitely more special and going in with the focus of, 'Hey, it's win or go home.' So make sure with the preparation, everything is tight.""
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