Archive for July, 2007

Chester Taylor, after suffering a bruised forearm in morning practice, spent the rest of the day wearing a specially padded sleeve.  Taylor is expected to talk to the media tomorrow. T Bryant McKinnie will be activated from the non-football injury list tomorrow.  Hopefully Venus will go easier on him from now on. S Darren Sharper sat out contact portions of practice today, still nursing a sore shoulder from when he got plowed by Tony Richardson. Marcus McCauley remains the talk of camp for his play at cornerback. Tarvaris Jackson is throwing picks left and right and having trouble holding on [...]

Viking RB Chester Taylor left the practice field this morning after suffering an injury to his right forearm.  Brad Childress says the injury is merely a contusion, and has not yet said when Taylor will be ready to return to the field. In other running back news, Adrian Peterson fumbled the ball in practice this morning, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell yelled at him.  This is the second straight day that AP has fumbled. Taylor hurt, AP can’t hold onto the ball.  And running back was going to be the strength of our team, remember?

Adrian Peterson may have taken the field without a red jersey, but that doesn’t mean Viking coaches were in any hurry to get him into the middle of heavy action.  Peterson, who’s wearing a special undershirt fitted with a device to help protect his collarbone, sat out the morning’s most physical session, the “live” 11-on-11 drills.  Brad Childress told Viking writer Kevin Seifert afterward that he “didn’t notice” Peterson’s absence from these drills, but proposed that coaches had kept him out because they involved third-and-long situations, and Peterson was not yet up to speed on pass protections. Other stuff that [...]

Adrian Peterson is signed, and now he has reported to camp.  But that’s not the only good news – according to Sean Jensen, Peterson took the practice field this morning without a red “no touching” jersey, meaning the running back has been cleared for full contact.  This goes a long way toward dispelling our fears about Peterson’s collarbone; obviously, if there were any concerns about it, they would not allow Peterson to be hit in practice.

Sean Jensen, in the Pioneer-Press’s cheesy Vikings Now blog (if you’re gonna use Blogger at least get rid of the navbar guys – jeez), remarks today about how great the Vikings DBs are looking.  He singles out rookie Marcus McCauley for mad props, talking about a diving catch he made on a “crazy play” he can’t divulge for mysterious reasons related to the “team’s interests” (let me guess – they’re trying to install a 46 defense?).  Jensen also gives kudos to Cedric Griffin for picking off a Cortez Hankton bobble, and tipping one away from Troy Williamson.  About the defense’s [...]

Kevin Seifert of the Star-Trib reports that the Vikings have reached an agreement with first-round draft pick RB Adrian Peterson.  The five-year contract, which Peterson is expected to officially sign later today, will pay the dynamic former Oklahoma ball-carrier $17 million in bonuses, and around $40 million if he reaches all the incentives.  Peterson, who’s been holed up in his home in Norman, Oklahoma with two suitcases packed, is expected to report to camp in time for tomorrow morning’s practice. Let the Adrian Peterson era officially begin…

Who needs Simeon Rice when you have Brian Robison?  Rookie DE Robison made a great impression on coach Brad Childress in today’s morning session when he blew by Artis Hicks and tackled Mewelde Moore in the backfield.  Robison went on to strain a muscle in the second practice but it’s not considered serious. Veteran S Darren Sharper was woozy after a big collision with FB Tony Richardson, and sat out the day’s second session. Ben Leber missed both practices with a strained calf.  Dontarrious Thomas is getting lots of reps as a result. Sidney Rice took the field for the [...]

The agent for Vikings Pro Bowl DT Pat Williams says his client has broken off negotiations with the team and plans on testing the free agent market at the end of the season. Here’s the statement from the agent, Angelo Wright: We engaged in a dialogue and set a date before the season kicked in, and today was the day they strapped up, so by not reaching an accord on a new deal, we will move on after the season. Teams sign their core players, and don’t let them get into a situation where the player’s value is determined by [...]

There were two different reports yesterday as to why Simeon Rice was dumped by the Bucs. The first one, from Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com, said Rice was given the option of taking a pay-cut, refused and was released. The second, from Chris Mortensen of ESPN, said Rice was dropped because he failed a physical. But which version of events is true? ProFootballTalk (Mutiny Coming in Tampa) has a posting in which a Tampa radio host, Steve Duemig, upholds Jay Glazer’s version of events – that Rice did not fail a physical, but was in fact dumped because he would not [...]

Sidney Rice, the Vikings‘ second-round pick, has signed a contract and will be in camp tomorrow. If this receiving corps is going to be any good, the talented Rice will have to step up and develop quickly. Adrian Peterson is still not signed. Pro Bowl DT Pat Williams has broken off negotiating a contract extension, and the whispers now are that Williams will test the free agent market when the season ends. Williams himself says he doesn’t want to be distracted during camp by contract talks. The tackle is said to be in fine condition this training camp, unlike last [...]