Mike Zimmer insists Vikings focused on beating Saints, not 'Adrian Peterson'

— -- EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. --? Adrian Peterson's?return to Minnesota?to face his former team is rich in entertainment value, spectacle and hype.

That bodes well for a week's worth of storylines for broadcast crews, media and fans.

But apparently not so much for the teams playing in that prime-time matchup next Monday.

Inside Vikings team headquarters, Minnesota's Week 1 opener against New Orleans?isn't being viewed as a momentous or even controversial occasion, despite the chatter that has circulated across the NFL about Peterson's? wanting to "stick it" to his former team during his homecoming.

"I hope we have a chip on our shoulder," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "This game isn't about Adrian Peterson. It's about the Vikings and the Saints. They've got a lot of great offensive weapons. He's a great player, but this game isn't about Adrian Peterson."

The hype behind Peterson's return began building the day Minneapolis decided not to pick up the $18 million option on his contract in February, a move that made him a free agent. When he signed with the Saints on a two-year, $7 million deal, the prologue for the next chapter of his career was already written.

And in an oh-too-perfect opportunity to make an encore performance and demonstrate that the best years of his career aren't behind him, Peterson will play the team with which he rushed for 11,747 yards and 97 touchdowns to open the 2017 season.

It's not only a first for Peterson, who has traded in his purple and yellow to don black and gold not as a featured back but as a member of the Saints' trio of rushers, but a first for the Vikings' defense that, for years, had to temper the urge to make a play on Peterson in practice.

"When he was here, we couldn't tackle him and now, it's a must," Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes said.

The Vikings have the advantage of knowing Peterson's tendencies, certain moves he may try to utilize in various situations. Even still, knowing how Peterson carves up defenses doesn't offer the knowledge of how to stop him in live action.

"Everyone has their weaknesses, but end of the day, him running that ball, him getting to the outside, him breaking a few tackles -- once he gets going, it's over," Rhodes said.

Should Peterson break past the Vikings' defensive front and into subsequent levels, Rhodes could be tasked with trying to stop his former teammate. The Pro Bowl corner says he doesn't talk a lot of trash on the field, but will make an exception to his own rule come Monday.

"Definitely a lot of pride," Rhodes said of the one-on-one matchup. "I have to come down with the tackle. When he was here we had a couple of conversations that I told him I'm not going to back down from him. He told me we're going to see how that ends. We're definitely going to see how that ends Monday night."

Though the future Hall of Famer may have the spotlight now, another running back hopes to make headlines in his debut as Peterson's successor.

Rookie Dalvin Cook enters Week 1 as the Vikings' starting rusher after bursting onto the scene in the preseason. The similarities between Cook and Peterson have been debated since the ex-Florida State product was drafted in the second round last April.

"Amazing plays, is all I can say," Cook said. "The things he put on film is unbelievable. Some of the tackles he broke, the long runs. You always know Adrian for being a physical back, but he can do it all."

Come Monday, when it's Cook's turn to step into Peterson's shoes, the hype of replacing the franchise's rushing leader will stay as just that -- hype -- and not get in the way of the Vikings' quest to start 1-0.

"It's going to be crazy with him returning back," Cook said. "He did a lot for this organization. With him coming back, I know everybody [is] going to be hyped for it. It's going to be one of the best games of the year. We just gotta be ready to go, which I know we is."