RB Adrian Peterson wasn't in Mankato, Minn., on Monday because he was in Houston for a court hearing related to his misdemeanor resisting arrest charge. A pre-trial hearing was moved for the second time and is now scheduled for Sept. 27 and Nov. 15.
So, little has changed for Peterson regarding his off-field issue, and the same can be said for his on-field status. Peterson is expected to return on Tuesday, but according to Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, his status for practicing hasn't changed.
“I don’t anticipate us doing anything differently than we did a week ago with him,” Frazier said. “We’ll continue to go through this process and then evaluate it after the San Francisco game. The plan right now is to let him continue to go through the work that he’s going through with our athletic trainer and our strength coach.”
Good to be a dome team: Special teams worked on punt returns Monday afternoon in 10 mph winds, and it caused some trouble for players vying for the position. ST coach Mike Priefer had CB Marcus Sherels, WR Jarius Wright, WR Bryan Walters and CB Josh Robinson (who recently returned from a hamstring injury) working on the returns. At one point, Priefer implored them to catch the ball.
It might end up being good practice for the team’s first exhibition game, which will played Friday night at windy Candlestick Park against the 49ers. Priefer hopes to get all four players time at punt returns and kickoff returns. He’d also like to mix in WR Stephen Burton on kickoff returns.
Take me out, Coach. I’m ready to sit: A reporter asked DE Jared Allen if he was excited for a preseason game on Friday, and Allen responded, “Absolutely, I will finally get a day off. I am hoping . . . I am throwing this out to Coach Frazier -- if he’s watching the news: I do not want to play on Friday. So please don’t make me play this preseason game.” Reminded that last week that he said “I get paid to play on Sundays” and that he doesn’t want to take any plays off for the coach’s rotation, Allen said: “Sundays is the key word. Sundays and Mondays, but not Fridays.”
Toby’s No. 1: If there was ever a sign that RB Toby Gerhart is currently No. 1 on the depth chart with Adrian Peterson rehabbing his knee, it is the planned rotation at the position for Friday’s preseason game against the 49ers. “We’ll get (Toby) in there some, but we’re not going to hand it over to him a lot, not in the preseason,” coach Leslie Frazier said. “He’ll have limited reps for sure.”
Walsh has a good start: At the passing scrimmage on Saturday night, K Blair Walsh hit 7 of his 8 fields, which were taken at 2-3 yard intervals starting at 36 yards and moving back to 50 yards. He missed wide right on a 45-yarder, but ST coach Priefer was pleased with his effort. “He is striking the ball well,” Priefer said. “His chemistry with LS Cullen (Loeffler) and H Chris (Kluwe) is very good, it’s been excellent. I’m excited again about his continued development. The one that kept me up Saturday was the one that he missed. You go back and watch the tape and figure out why he missed it and you move on, because he wants to be great in that scenario. But like anything else, it’s a process, and he’s going to continue to learn and get better.”
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