Wednesday morning links

Camp continues to wind down, but The Free Press is still all over it ...

Safety Tyrell Johnson (pictured) is in a battle to keep his starting spot. The third-year player believes the only thing preventing him from a Pro Bowl season last year was interceptions. He had just one.

In our Notebook, you can read about Percy Harvin, who continues to miss camp. But it's not just bereavement; apparently he's coping with those nagging migraine headaches again.

Also in the Notebook, a little more information on the newest Viking, WR Freddie Brown. Brown is the player who was cut when the Bengals signed Terrell Owens last month.

The Associated Press has a story on rookies, specifically running back Toby Gerhart, and their adjustment to the professional game.

Finally, Free Press columnist Shane Frederick notices all of the missing, injured and held-back players on the practice fields and wonders, with two days of camp remaining, is training camp -- in its current form -- even worth doing in 2010?

Clouds don't scare Vikings

Shane Frederick checking in following Tuesday afternoon's practice. ...

Weather pushed the Vikings indoors in the morning but it didn't deter them from staying outdoors in the afternoon. The team practiced for about 90 minutes including the last portion in Blakeslee Stadium, despite an ominous black cloud rolling over the university and some lightning and thunder in the distance. The cloud was followed by a 10-minute downpour and some wind, but -- it's football -- they played on with some live hitting.

If anything, the front cooled things down after a sweltering Monday.

"It was a little cooler that's for sure," rookie running back Toby Gerhart said. "It's been nasty and humid. Fortunately, we were able to get some work in. ... The weather held off enough that we were able to get a little live portion in and get the work in that we needed to do."

While there was some action, several players sat out, including starting offensive linemen Anthony Herrera and John Sullivan, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and linebacker J Leman. Missing from practice were Percy Harvin, Jim Kleinsasser and Cullen Loeffler. Receiver Sidney Rice and cornerback Cedric Griffin, of course, remain on the PUP.

Harvin's return is up in the air

Chad Courrier here, just back at the computer after spending an hour in the Minnesota State fieldhouse, watching some special teams drills. The sun was coming out by the end of practice, and a two-hour afternoon practice is scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m.

Coach Brad Childress acknowledged the reports that Percy Harvin's delay in returning to camp is due, in part, to a continuing struggle with migraine headaches. Harvin first left camp nine days ago because of the death of his grandmother, and Childress said he's back in Minnesota.

"God willing, he's going to work though this," Childress said. "The only thing that would be (a concern) is if we quit trying to find things and throw our hands up."

Because of Harvin's absence, and Sidney Rice is on the physically-unable-to-perform list, the Vikings, who were down to eight receivers, had a workout for two receivers Tuesday and signed Freddie Brown, a seventh-round draft choice by Cincinnati in 2009. The Vikings waived rookie safety Terrell Skinner to make a roster spot.

"We were running the legs off (the receivers)," Childress said.

Check back for more information following the afternoon practice. The team is expected to practice in full pads for some live tackling, which often leads to some news.

Tuesday morning links

The countdown is on: Only two more days of training camp remain. But there's still plenty of news ...

Rookie linebacker Nate Triplett didn't have far to go for his day off on Sunday. He went back to his hometown of Delano. Triplett played high school football there before going on to the University of Minnesota. Now he's with the Vikings.

Staying on the subject of rookies, offensive lineman Chris DeGeare is getting some extra opportunities, thanks to some veterans being out of commission.

The Associated Press, meanwhile, has a feature on defensive lineman Ray Edwards. There's a little here about his contract situation but the main focus is Edwards' offseason workout regime.

Heat remains on at Vikings camp

Chad Courrier here, and if this doesn't make any sense, perhaps I'm suffering from some heat-related issue after spending an hour this afternoon at Minnesota Vikings training camp.

After the morning practice, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said the workout was scaled back in tempo because of the heat. For the shorter afternoon practice, coach Brad Childress allowed the team to work out without helmets.

Veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield said he's never practiced without a helmet at training camp. The hot, humid weather is expected to continue Tuesday.

Receiver Percy Harvin still hasn't returned to practice since leaving a week ago for his grandmother's funeral. He's expected back soon.

Coaches continue to say that when one player is gone, others get valuable, additional reps in practice, but the longer Harvin is out -- and Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe and Anthony Herrera and John Sullivan -- there has to a negative effect on the offense.

Of course, quarterback Brett Favre isn't there, either, so if he comes back in a couple weeks, things kind of start over.
 
Reports are that long-snapper Cullen Loeffler missed Monday's practices to deal with a family matter.

Still no Harvin at camp

This is Chad Courrier, probably five pounds lighter than the last time I wrote because of the fluids lost while watching Monday's morning practice in the hot, humid conditions.

Coach Brad Childress said Saturday that he expected receiver Percy Harvin to return from a family funeral in a couple of days, but he wasn't on the field Monday morning.

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said he's not sure when Harvin will be back, though he thinks Harvin will be ready to practice, despite missing a week. "I don't know where he's at (with conditioning), but I know he takes really good care of his body."

With Harvin gone and Sidney Rice on PUP, the receiving corps has thinned. Taye Biddle suffered some injury during a passing drill, further depleting the numbers. Bevvell said that Logan Payne has teaken advantage of the extra reps.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe did not participate in practice but did some conditioning drills on an adjacent field. Long snapper Cullen Loeffler was absent, while guard Anthony Herrera and running back Darius Reynaud stayed on the sidelines with injuries.

With Herrera sidelined, and John Sullivan not participating fully, center Jon Cooper and rookie guard Chris DeGeare worked with the No. 1 offensive line.

The biggest collision of the practice came when end Jared Allen and blitzing safety Jamarca Sanford ran into each other in the backfield while rushing the quarterback.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said no determination has been made on whether E.J. Henderson will play in Saturday's preseason opener at St. Louis.

Frazier added that Childress slowed the tempo of the morning practice because of the heat. Practice ended about 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.

Check Tuesday's print edition for a story on rookie linebacker Nate Triplett, who has been able to play high school, college and professional football in Minnesota.

Who says special teams practice is boring?

Shane Frederick back again, this time after the Vikings' afternoon practice ...

Heath Farwell

It was pretty quiet once again at Blakeslee as many players were not on the field and special teams was the focus. With the return game -- not kicking -- being the focus and no live hitting, it might have been a little dull for the fans who picked that session to watch.

However, don't tell players like Heath Farwell that such workouts are dull. Farwell, who made the 2009 Pro Bowl as a special teams player, said it's "overlooked" practices like that which decide the final 53-man roster.

"A lot of guys are fighting for roster spots," Farwell said. "People think that special teams might not be very important, but it is."

So who looks good in that department?

"Colt Anderson ('09 rookie free agent safety)," Farwell said. "You can't block him. ... Then there's the he usual suspects like Husain Abdullah and Jasper Brinkley and some of the young guys like (rookie/seventh-round pick) Ryan D'Imperio.

Peterson returns (kind of)

Shane Frederick here following Friday's first practice. ...

Adrian Peterson put on the pads for the first time in three days had what is probably best described as a light practice, doing individual drills but nothing when offense met defense. The running back, who was out with some "tightness," did not speak to reporters after the practice but when someone asked how the session went, he turned back, smiled and said, "Fun!'

In other injury news, fullback Naufahu Tahi left practice with an injury, and John Sullivan, who missed some time earlier in the week, wore no pads and sat out the morning session. Meanwhile running back Darius Reynaud, who was off the field all day on Thursday, rejoined his teammates late in Friday's practice and appeared to have an ankle taped. He also remained out of the workouts.

Others on the field but not participating in team drills included the usual suspects Sidney Rice and Cedric Griffin (both on the PUP list) and Benny Sapp, as well as linebacker J Leman, who was injured on Thursday.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier spoke after the practice and talked a bit about former Viking John Randle, who will go into the Hall of Fame on Saturday:

"He's a special, special guy and a unique player who was in a rare situation. It's a well-deserved honor for him to go into the Hall of Fame."

The rare situation is the fact that Randle went undrafted out of college.

"He had the confidence of the first pick of the draft," Frazier said.

Where's the offense?

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.

More Favre response; Peterson sits out afternoon practice

This is Chad Courrier, just back from afternoon practice, and I'm already tiring of the Favre "retirement" story. You don't know whom or what to believe, by media members or Minnesota Vikings officials or players.

Following Tuesday's afternoon practice, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe confirmed reports that Favre had sent messages to some of the players that his surgically repaired ankle had not healed enough to play this season. He added that he hadn't received a message, and he was headed to the locker room to check his phone.

He said he hoped that Favre isn't retiring, but he was concerned. "Hopefully, it's not what it seems to be." He said that if Favre has announced he won't be coming back, he'd do anything he could to change his mind.

"It would definitely be a blow to the team," Shiancoe said.

Running back Adrian Peterson didn't participate in the afternoon practice because of tightness in his legs. He said he might be out a couple of days. "I know my body better than anybody, except God."

Tackle Bryant McKinnie left practice early with a couple of trainers and walked to the air-conditioned trailer, where he stayed about 15 minutes. It was hot and muggy in the afternoon, and McKinnie didn't talk with reporters on his way to the locker room.

Center John Sullivan returned to practice after missing Monday's two practices with a leg injury. Linebacker E.J. Henderson didn't practice, though he's been given time off before as he returns from a broken leg.

Oh yes, there was football at training camp

This is Chad Courrier. After spending a couple of sweaty hours Tuesday standing alongside the fields at Minnesota State, watching various media members working their PDAs to try get the Brett Favre story, there were actaully some things that happened at practice.

The Vikings were in pads Tuesday morning for the first full-contact practice of training camp. The star of the goal-line drills was safety Jamarca Sanford, who broke through the line to stuff running back Ian Johnson on consecutive plays.

Then the offense tried to fake the dive play and throw to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, but linebacker Kenny Onatolu leaped to tip the pass away.

When the No. 1 offense line played against the No. 1 defensive line, rookie Toby Gerhart made a strong run behind right tackle Phil Loadholt and right guard Anthony Herrera. On the next play, going left, safety Husain Abdullah stuffed Gerhart in the backfield.

Earlier, Gerhart took a big shot from Jasper Brinkley in a short-yardage drill.

Rookie quarterback Joe Webb fumbled his first snap during the goal-line practice, and somebody from the defensive sideline noticed. "Don't get nervous back there, 14."

E.J. Henderson caught a deflected pass for an interception, and as he ran down the field, someone in the crowd yelled, "Nice to have you back."

Coach Brad Childress (pictured -- yes, he did answer a non-Favre question) noted that running backs Ryan Moats and Darius Reynaud looked good carrying the football in short-yardage plays.

Will be back on the field for afternoon practice, though after a physical morning, it's unlikely much of note will happen. Unless someone says they got a call from someone who knows someone who talked with Favre.

(Photo by John Cross)

Quarterbacks have bounce-back practice

This Chad Courrier, and it's my turn to take you inside the Vikings training camp ... or at least tell you what I think I saw Monday morning.

Sunday's practice featured some of the worst quarterbacking seen at training camp, which was good news for linebackers and defensive backs.

On Monday, the quarterbacks got a little revenge, as Tarvaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels and Joe Webb each looked more sharp.

The first "oooh" of the morning practice came when Jackson hit Bernard Berrian with a deep throw down the right sideline during one-on-one drills between receivers and cornerbacks. Within the next half-hour, Ray Small, Taye Biddle, Logan Payne, Jaymar Johnson and Greg Lewis all had at least one nice catch behind the defense.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier had his first media availability after morning practice, and while nothing newsy came out of it, he talked about how well rookie cornerback Chris Cook is adjusting to the NFL,  how Madieu Williams, Tyrell Johnson and Jamarca Sanford have rotated through the two safety positions and how a solid work ethic allowed Ray Edwards to emerge as an impact defensive end last season, especially in the playoffs.

The ribbing of Pat Williams continued Monday as Frazier seemed curious abut the reported 18-pound loss by the veteran defensive tackle. "If he says so," Frazier joked.

Receiver Percy Harvin was not at practice, and Childress said Sunday that Harvin was dealing with a death in the family. It's possible that Harvin has left camp to attend a funeral.

There will be more information and observations in Tuesday's print edition.

Monday morning links

Practice starts in about an hour, but here are a couple of stories from Monday's edition of The Free Press ...

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway (pictured) is off to a good start at camp. Just a continuation of the last two seasons in which he led the team in tackles.

Meanwhile, coach Brad Childress had good things to say about the new turf at Blakeslee Stadium. That story kick off today's Training Camp Notebook. For more on the Blakeslee improvements, go here and here.

Also in the notebook, The Free Press caught up with punter Chris Kluwe, who was in Mankato a week before training camp with is band Tripping Icarus and gave a quick review of the gig. Our entertainment writer, Amanda Dyslin, did a story on the band (Kluwe is the bass player) last month before the show. Read that here.

(Photo by John Cross)