Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman just conducted his annual midseason Q&A session with reporters, though to the surprise of no one he wanted to limit his comments to the 4-5 Vikings without saying anything meaningful about running back Adrian Peterson's legal situation.

"All I'm going to say is basically at the appropriate time, and I know you guys can appreciate this, we'll keep all of our comments under the Adrian situation until it's appropriate to speak," Spielman said. "And I'll just leave it at that. I know Coach [Mike] Zimmer talked to you guys yesterday. I'm probably not going to go any further on the Adrian situation."

Asked when the appropriate time would be — after all, there were rumblings that Peterson was about to agree to a plea deal down in Texas that would allow him to avoid jail time — Spielman responded, "We'll let everybody know."

Pressed again on Peterson, he said, "We'll make the appropriate comments when the time comes."

Now onto football, and how the 4-5 Vikings are starting to get it right on the field. Spielman praised Zimmer for how he has helped the Vikings navigate some early-season adversity, which included losing Peterson in Week 2 after he was charged with child abuse.

"I think just watching Coach Zim, we've dealt with a lot of adversity through the first part of the season," Spielman said. "And to see his leadership and to see this team take his mental approach to the game, where there's no excuses and resiliency, you're seeing this young team with a lot of young guys stepping up and growing. I know we're nowhere yet near where we need to be. … We've still got a long way to go and a lot of things to work on, but it's nice to see the direction we're headed."

Spielman is pleased with the progress that rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has made.

"Teddy is continuing to grow each week. He had a pretty good start when he got the opportunity to play against Atlanta. Then all the sudden he started to see some different things and had to grow through that process," Spielman said. "Even talking about this past week, I know you guys were all over him about the deep ball accuracy and things like that, but that all comes. … He's 3-2 as a starter but all three games we were down in the fourth quarter and he brought us from behind. What he's doing on third down. What he's doing against the blitz. All those things, there were signs of that in college and that's what he did well in college. I think the more he learns, the more he progresses. It's just going to continue to grow."

Spielman chalked the struggles of the offensive line up to a new pass protection scheme and injuries at right guard. He feels they have played better the past couple of weeks, especially left tackle Matt Kalil.

"I know you guys beat the heck out of him in the press and I know you guys love Pro Football Focus and read that. But a couple of the sacks that you guys are digging him on are not always his fault," Spielman said. "And because you guys don't know what the pass protection was or where the slide was. I know Matt was inconsistent early but I think over the last two or three weeks he has really gotten a lot better and got back to being focused. I really think Matt is going to be a heck of a left tackle in this league."

He also defended wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who has been held to two or fewer receptions in five out of the past six games. Zimmer, of course, said yesterday that Patterson needs to be more precise.

"He's a very unique athlete. I think the one thing that you have to remember with Cordarrelle — I know you guys are killing him as well — this is another junior that came out that played six months at a major college then he learned a new system last year and he's learning a new system this year," Spielman said. "And he is a unique athlete and I know Norv [Turner] and I know George Stewart are putting in extra time working extremely hard and Cordarrelle is doing his part putting into it. But it's just that these young guys just have to learn the nuances of the game."

Finally, Spielman talked about outside linebacker Anthony Barr, the No. 9 overall pick in May's NFL draft. Barr continues to make game-changing plays for the Vikings, making Spielman look good.

"Anthony, like a lot of our guys I think, was a pretty unique athlete," Spielman said. "When I talked to you guys after the draft and Coach Zim is up there drawing stuff — Xs and Os on how he was going to utilize the skills he saw on tape and how he was going to fit in the scheme. They're doing a lot more things with him now maybe than they were doing in the early part of the season. And he's continuing to grow as well. He has made some pretty impact plays for us so far and I think that will continue to progress."