vikings/nfl

Tarvaris Jackson asked new Vikings defensive coordinator and former Indianapolis assistant coach Leslie Frazier last spring about getting in touch with the Colts' Peyton Manning. The two quarterbacks finally hooked up for a 15-minute phone discussion in the past few days.

"It wasn't too long," Jackson said. "Just a quick conversation about quarterback things. I didn't want to take up too much of his time because you know he has a Thursday night game this week."

Jackson, who will start the Vikings' season opener against Atlanta on Sunday, wanted to talk to Manning about how he handled things early in his career. Manning started as rookie in 1998 for a Colts team that went 3-13 and then rebounded to go 13-3 the following season.

"I just listened to him," Jackson said. "I know he has been through it before. [Starting during his] rookie season. Pretty much the same position I'm in. I'm a young guy. I just wanted to hear some pointers from him. How he took his rookie season and stuff."

Manning's advice to Jackson: "He just told me to play safe but don't play scared," Jackson said. "There is a difference. You don't want to go out there and take a check down just to be taking a check down when you've got guys open down the field. So I want to go out there and try to execute the offense but don't force anything."

Gag order

Coach Brad Childress admitted he poked fun at himself in front of his players Wednesday for being too forthcoming about a conversation he had last weekend with New England coach Bill Belichick.

During a radio interview Sunday, Childress recounted how Belichick had called to ask him not to take tight end Garrett Mills off waivers and indicated New England would select a Vikings player to even the score. The teams ended up swapping Mills and linebacker David Herron.

"That's a case of me being too colorful," Childress said. "You guys wonder why I stand up here and go, 'Yep, no and maybe so.' Bill's and my conversation should stay between Bill and myself. I actually parodied myself this morning in this morning's clips as somebody that talked too much."

Thigpen's departure

Childress sounded as if he might have regretted working out twice against Kansas City during training camp after the Chiefs claimed quarterback Tyler Thigpen off waivers last weekend. The Vikings were hoping to sign Thigpen, a seventh-round draft choice, to their practice squad.

"That may be a downside of having practice with Kansas City," Childress said. "Having them be able to look at a guy warm up and throw and then throw in some drills and watch how the ball gets out. I'm sure obviously they had an eye on him."

Childress said Thigpen "needed just a little bit more seasoning."

Etc.

• Childress seems to be leaning toward having Brooks Bollinger be the backup quarterback Sunday. That would make recently acquired Kelly Holcomb the emergency QB. "We'll just kind of see how we go through the week here," Childress said. "Right now you'd have to certainly give Brooks a leg up just because he has been here longer. He understands more about some of the nuances."

• Safety Mike Doss (calf) and linebacker E.J. Henderson (illness) were the only Vikings who did not practice Wednesday.

• The Vikings had talked about bringing in former Jaguars safety and special teams standout Nick Sorensen for a workout, but Childress indicated that wasn't going to happen.

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com