This is Chad Courrier, and it dawned on me while watching Friday's morning practice that what is generally considered to be an explosive offense is missing a lot of weapons.
Receiver Percy Harvin is gone from camp to deal with the death of a family member, and receiver Sidney Rice has missed all of camp with a hip injury. Adrian Peterson hasn't practiced for two days because of tightness in his legs, and you-know-who is still in Mississippi, contrary to various rumors, waiting to see if his ankle feels good enough to play.
That's a lot of firepower that isn't on the field, getting ready for the upcoming season. Only receiver Bernard Berrian and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe are projected starters who are practicing now.
Coach Brad Childress said he's not so concerned because all of those players are veterans and should have knowledge of what's being done at practice. But he also said you never make up the lost time at training camp.
It's uncertain when Harvin will return or Rice will be ready, and it wouldn't be surprising is Peterson stayed out until Monday, given that the players are off Sunday. And Favre ... I think we've seen over the last two days that we should't guess if or when he arrives.
NFL officials joined practice Friday morning. They also met with the media and will attend the afternoon practice and team meetings. The officials are here to share the rule changes and points of emphasis for the season.
Shiancoe and Greg Lewis each made nice catches during two-minute drills. Tarvaris Jackson was the most accurate of the quarterbacks. Rhys Lloyd drilled a 49-yard field goal that had plenty of extra distance.
Running backs were the designated autograph signers Friday, and not surprising, Adrian Peterson's line began forming shortly after morning practice began. A couple hundred autograph seekers stood in line for more than an hour, and Toby Gerhart's line also had an overflow before practice ended.
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