The oppressive heat that has made these long afternoon practices in Mankato very tough on players, coaches and, yes, media finally relented Friday. It was sunny but a relatively cool afternoon session with temps in the mid-70s. For the fifth straight practice, the players were in full pads. The theme of the day was the defense's domination in the red zone.
TEDDY TWO PICKS: Third-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has had a strong camp overall, but he had a rocky display during a red-zone passing drill. After completing a touchdown to wide receiver Adam Thielen, he threw interceptions on consecutive passes. Outside linebacker Anthony Barr grabbed the first one after Bridgewater's pass was tipped at the line. On the next play, defensive end Brian Robison dropped into zone coverage, the quarterback didn't detect him and threw it right to him. Defensive end Everson Griffen did the same thing to him in a red-zone drill a couple of days ago. It could be nothing. But it could be something. Overall, Teddy completed only two of seven red-zone attempts today.
NOWHERE TO GO: The front seven again got the better of the offensive line during a red-zone running drill. Whether it was the starting line or the second-stringers, whether it was Adrian Peterson or Matt Asiata in there, the running backs simply had nowhere to go during that drill because of an immovable defensive line. The only highlight for the offense came when the backups were on the field. Veteran quarterback Shaun Hill tossed a play-action bubble screen to wide receiver Jarius Wright, who juked cornerback Jabari Price out of his jock on the way to the end zone.
THIS SEEMS LEGIT: It was a little curious early in camp that Thielen was getting a bunch of snaps with the first-team offense. But a week into camp now, Thielen being significantly involved in this offense appears to be a legitimate thing. Thielen, who ran a really nice route to get open for Bridgewater on his touchdown in that red-zone drill, has put in a lot of work over the past few years to make himself a viable receiver, not just a special-teams stud. Might Thielen elbow Wright out of three-wide sets?
EARNING APPLAUSE: German wide receiver Moritz Bohringer, who might have gotten the Bronx cheer from fans a few days ago after a drop then an easy catch, got the loudest applause of the day this afternoon for making a sweet grab. After running a comeback route, the sixth-round pick outmuscled rookie corner Tre Roberson, a potential practice-squad candidate, to make a diving catch with Roberson all over his back.
REMEMBER THE NAME: The undrafted rookie with the best chance to make the team might be Jhurell Pressley, a 5-foot-10, 206-pound running back from New Mexico. Pressley has an intriguing mix of size and wiggle and has looked natural while running routes out of the backfield or when split out wide. I'm eager to see how he fares in those joint practices and the preseason games when people are actually trying to tackle him.
CAMP CHATTER: "Shut up, AP! You can't talk until you practice all the time!" — one Vikings defender taking a playful shot at Peterson after Peterson started jawing with another defender. We can't say for sure if it was Robison, but it sure sounded like the voice had a little Texas twang.
INJURY REPORT:Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (left shoulder) and running back Jerick McKinnon (lower back) both participated in practice for the first time since suffering their injuries, though both were pretty limited. … Peterson (hamstring) practiced for the third straight day. … Right guard Brandon Fusco sat out the end of practice after getting banged up.