49ers to face a fired-up Adrian Peterson

By Daniel Brown
San Jose Mercury News

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Adrian Peterson remembers the other time he faced the 49ers' defense. It is not a pleasant memory.

"I felt like I was getting attacked by bees," he recalled this week.

More than two years later, Peterson still feels the sting. He managed only 3 yards in 14 carries that day. By the time Peterson staggered back toward the Candlestick Park locker room on Dec. 9, 2007, feeling frustrated and dazed, he was already plotting his revenge.

"As I was walking off the field, I'm like, 'I can't wait until we play the 49ers again,' " Peterson said.

He gets his wish Sunday when the 49ers visit the Metrodome.

Peterson, 24, will be looking for a more typical performance. In 32 career games, he has 17 100-yard rushing efforts, which means he reaches the century mark 53.1 percent of the time.

That's the highest percentage in NFL history. Barry Sanders rushed for 100 yards in 49.7 percent of his games, and Jim Brown did it 49.2 percent of the time.

Against the 49ers, though, Peterson couldn't manage 10 feet let alone 100 yards.

"That's a game that sticks in my mind constantly," he said during a conference call with Bay Area reporters. "That was the worst game in my career. I'm not taking it lightly."

In that 2007 matchup, the 49ers used a team effort to corral Peterson. Ten players had a tackle or assisted on a tackle against him, including Patrick Willis (3½ tackles) and cornerback Nate Clements (three tackles).

Looking back, Peterson gave a tip of his helmet to the 49ers' defensive players, saying they "play football like it should be played." Peterson was especially differential to Willis, who was the busiest bee back in 2007.

"He's got that deadly stinger," Peterson said, chuckling. "I love Patrick Willis, man. He plays ball just like me. In my opinion, he's the best defensive player in the league, at least at his position, and that's not to take anything away from Ray Lewis."

Still, Peterson said the key to his low rushing total that day was Peterson himself. He was a rookie in 2007 and was so accustomed to success that he freaked at the first hint of failure. Five weeks earlier, he had torched the San Diego Chargers for 296 yards.

Football was easy. He was surprised when the 49ers made it so hard. But when Peterson went back to look at the game film, he discovered, to his horror, that his offensive line actually did a great job. He just chose the wrong holes to run through.

"I was pressing," he said.

Now, Peterson said, he's a savvy vet who recognizes the importance of staying patient. Moreover, he used memories of his 49ers debacle as motivation during recent offseason workouts.

He rushed for 180 yards against Cleveland in Minnesota's opener, then followed with 92 yards against Detroit despite suffering a back injury that limited him in practice this week.

"He can change direction so well," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said. "It's very rare that you're going to find that kind of size and speed and determination at the same time with great feet. His ability to step right here and go in another direction at full speed, it makes him very exceptional."

"It is a tremendous opportunity for us defensively to see where we are," Singletary said. "He's a guy you have to contain on every play. We're going to have our hands full.

". . . Stopping Peterson is not about one guy, it's about everybody doing their job."