"Vikings running back Adrian Peterson doesn't think he'll be the same player once he makes a full recovery from reconstructive knee surgery.

Not for the reasons you might think.

"I feel like I'm going to come back better than before," Peterson said Friday in his first interview since tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament on Dec. 24 against the Redskins. "I know people might laugh at that or think otherwise, but you know what? It doesn't matter what they think or how they feel about it. The only thing that matters is how I feel about it and what I believe."

To return as the NFL's top running back in time for the 2012 season opener, Peterson said he's eager to do "whatever it takes." He already has started a rigorous rehabilitation plan that could take at least eight months. Peterson tore his ACL and MCL after taking a shot from safety DeJon Gomes three weeks ago in a game at Washington. Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery Dec. 30 in Birmingham, Ala.

Most people rehab for about two weeks after the injury before having surgery because of swelling and range of motion in the knee. Peterson's swelling subsided quickly, and his range of motion was at 90 degrees. "