Vikings' Adrian Peterson cleared for full contact at practice

Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson's big week of practice began in earnest on Wednesday, when he was cleared for full contact and would likely take a few hits at practice. With the coaches still being cautious, coach Leslie Frazier said the team would run Peterson through the paces to see if he is able to play on Sunday in the season opener against the Jaguars.

“We're going to give [Adrian] quite a bit today in practice and see how he responds,” Frazier said. “It's important that we continue to watch him do certain things so we can feel confident, and he can feel confident, about lining up and playing in a ball game. We're going to throw some things at him and see how he responds.”

Frazier said there wouldn't be any qualifications on the contact that Peterson would take, but he wouldn't be hit below the waist or taken to the ground—just like the other players in mid-week preparation for a regular season game.

The team would like to see how Peterson responds to live action, but can't really simulate a real NFL game in practice, so they will have to use their best judgment on deciding whether he plays or not.

"(The decision-making process) will be the same, even if we waited a week from now, three weeks from now, it's hard to simulate a game in practice. It's almost virtually impossible,” said Frazier. “So it won't necessarily be a leap of faith. (The decision) will be based on what our medical staff says, what our coaches see and what Adrian feels as well. We'll try to gather that information and make the right decision."

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