Mark Craig: Peterson realizes fumbling must stop

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - Before you know it, spring and summer will be gone and we'll be heading back into the Metrodome, a little place I'd like to call the Vikings' "Thirteenth Man!"

But first, there are issues to be resolved:

A, Eleven men in the huddle. At all times. No wiggle room.

B, Brett Favre: Will he stay or will he go?

C, Can Adrian Peterson actually do something to stop fumbling, or will it be Year 4 of Peterson talking All Day about doing something to stop fumbling?

After spending a day at St. Thomas Aquinas High School's Piccolo Stadium for the Pro Bowl practices, I get the feeling for the first time that Peterson finally realizes he's got a serious problem that must be corrected.

"I'm a marked man," Peterson said. "When guys play against me, that's all they're focusing on. More so than other running backs, they're really coming after me, punching at the ball and things like that.

"And they should. It's something I would tell my guys about me if they was playing me. At some point, you know you can get the ball out. When he's going down, maybe he'll lose control of it or whatever it might be."

Finally.

I asked Peterson about his fumbling problems before the Vikings played host to the Lions this season. He looked at me like a comic book hero who couldn't believe I had just blown my nose on his cape.

Friday, Peterson looked and sounded like a guy who had had it with fumbling 20 times and losing 13 of them in three seasons. He also fumbled two more times and took blame for a critical fumble that was credited to Favre in last week's NFC Championship loss at New Orleans.

"Just hanging around him this week, I know it still bothers him," Vikings Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson said. "With him, it seems like he goes long stretches where he doesn't fumble at all, but then when it rains, it pours. But I do think he'll get this figured out. He's got a lot of pride in being a great player."

To help a fella out, I went looking for some help for AD. I found it in a guy who's listed at 5-7, but barely stands as tall as he is wide.

His name is Maurice Jones-Drew, AFC Pro Bowl running back for the Jaguars. Some believe he should have been Chris Johnson's All-Pro backfield mate rather than Peterson. While most of their numbers were even this year, Jones-Drew fumbled only twice in 312 carries, losing one of them. Peterson fumbled seven times in 314 carries, losing six of them.

Jones-Drew was a fumbler in 2008. He fumbled six times, losing two of them, in only 197 carries in 2008.

"Harping on it in practice every day helped," Jones-Drew said. "But at the same time, what helped me was knowing when you're tackled, you're down. You're not trying to fight to get the extra 1 or 2 yards. My advice would be, 'The ball is more important than those extra yards.' "

Peterson still bristles at the mention of surrendering. Most backs with his breakaway power would.

"Obviously, when you're stopped, you're stopped," he said. "If it's that type of situation, then yeah, I'll go down. But other than that, I got to keep fighting."

Peterson said he will do an extensive research of game film to determine what plan of action he will take. Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy will assist unless he ends up paying for Peterson's fumbling.

"I'll find out where my weak points are and go from there," Peterson said. "I've really noticed when I'm going down, it's not like I'm taking any real big shots and fumbling the ball. But when I'm going down, guys are poking it out because I'm usually bracing myself for contact with the ground. That's when the ball is out and away from my body. I just need to be more aware of those moments and hold the ball better all the way to the ground."

If he doesn't, the target he carries will continue to grow. Right, Patrick Willis, 49ers Pro Bowl linebacker/tackling machine?

"Oh yeah, I love it when a running back fumbles a lot," he said. "To me, that's blood in the water."

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com