As we were told or had expected, quarterback Christian Ponder (hip), defensive end Brian Robison (concussion) and running back Adrian Peterson (ankle) were not present during the portion of practice open to the media.

Not expected was the absence of left guard Steve Hutchinson. We'll know more when the injury report is issued after practice, but the guess is it's nothing serious. Coach Leslie Frazier didn't mention Hutchinson when he went through his daily injury update earlier today.

The guess is Hutch was savvy enough to have a tweak of some sort that's nagging him just enough to let him rest through a December practice on a team that's 2-10. The team also has been known to give him some practice time off late in seasons.

Meanwhile, Asher Allen, who missed last week's game because of a shoulder injury, was on the field practicing.