Vikings safety Harrison Smith, right, tipped the ball away from Bryan Walters during the first day of training camp. Smith has been getting more repetitions with the first-team defense.
Rookie safety Harrison Smith is getting more and more reps with the first unit on defense and figures to play some there Friday night in San Francisco. The coaching staff has been impressed with how poised Smith has been during his training camp climb. And Smith also seems to bring a bit of a nasty edge to the secondary, a feistiness that coach Leslie Frazier believes could become contagious.
Fantastic finishTuesday's most exciting play capped the afternoon's most productive drive. In a two-minute drill late in practice, second-year quarterback Christian Ponder was dialed in, completing five of his seven pass attempts. The final play of that 80-yard drive was a 25-yard strike to Percy Harvin on a post route. Harvin was blanketed by Smith on the play yet made a superb catch while falling to the ground for a touchdown.
Position: Cornerback
The skinny: Burton, a fifth-round draft pick a year ago, never earned the full trust of the coaching staff as a rookie. The 5-11, 190-pounder appears to be playing with more confidence, although he hasn't made many flash plays.
Chances of making the team: The Vikings probably will keep six cornerbacks. Chris Cook, Antoine Winfield, Chris Carr and Josh Robinson are locks. Burton, Zack Bowman, Marcus Sherels and Reggie Jones, one of the biggest surprises of camp thus far, are battling for the final two spots, or possibly only one spot.
•WR Kamar Jorden (broken hand) is out.
•RB Adrian Peterson (knee) remains on the PUP list.
•DT Christian Ballard (hamstring) missed Tuesday's practice.
•TE John Carlson (knee) is still out.
•DB Robert Blanton (hamstring) is still out.
•OT DeMarcus Love (shoulder) is still out.
•RB Jordan Todman (ankle) is still out.
•OL Geoff Schwartz (sports hernia) had surgery Tuesday and will be out four to six weeks.
•WR Greg Childs (knees) had successful surgery Tuesday.
"They're at that point in training camp where this time kind of wears on them a little bit. Wearing pads and banging like we've banged. But they've been pushing through. Which is a credit to their desire."
-- Coach Leslie Frazier, on the demeanor of the team
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| Seattle - F. Hernandez | 12:05 PM |
| Cleveland - J. Masterson |
| Toronto - R. Dickey | 12:05 PM |
| NY Yankees - C. Sabathia |
| Arizona - W. Miley | 12:10 PM |
| Miami - R. Nolasco |
| Cincinnati - H. Bailey | 12:35 PM |
| Philadelphia - J. Pettibone |
| Houston - L. Harrell | 12:35 PM |
| Pittsburgh - J. Locke |
| Los Angeles - M. Magill | 12:35 PM |
| Atlanta - M. Minor |
| Tampa Bay - M. Moore | 12:35 PM |
| Baltimore - C. Tillman |
| Boston - J. Lackey | 1:10 PM |
| Minnesota - P. Hernandez |
| Milwaukee - K. Lohse | 1:15 PM |
| St. Louis - J. Gast |
| NY Mets - D. Gee | 1:20 PM |
| Chicago Cubs - T. Wood |
| Chicago WSox - J. Peavy | 2:35 PM |
| LA Angels - J. Vargas |
| Kansas City - L. Mendoza | 3:05 PM |
| Oakland - A. Griffin |
| Washington - D. Haren | 3:10 PM |
| San Diego - A. Cashner |
| San Francisco - B. Zito | 3:10 PM |
| Colorado - J. Nicasio |
| Detroit - D. Fister | 7:05 PM |
| Texas - D. Holland |
| Memphis | 2:30 PM |
| San Antonio |
| Los Angeles | 12:00 PM |
| Red Bull New York |
| Sporting Kansas City | 4:00 PM |
| D.C. |
| Real Salt Lake | 9:30 PM |
| Chivas USA |
| Date/Opponent | Time | W | L | Score |
| 2013 preseason | ||||
| Aug 9 - vs. Houston | 7 pm | |||
| Aug 16 - at Buffalo | 6 pm | |||
| Aug 25 - at San Francisco | 7 pm | |||
| Aug 29 - vs. Tennessee | 7 pm | |||
| 2013 regular season | ||||
| Sep 8 - at Detroit | Noon | |||
| Sep 15 - at Chicago | Noon | |||
| Sep 22 - vs. Cleveland | Noon | |||
| Sep 29 - vs. Pittsburgh (in London) | Noon | |||
| Oct 6 - Bye | ||||
| Oct 13 - vs. Carolina | Noon | |||
| Oct 21 - at. NY Giants | 7:40 pm | |||
| Oct 27 - vs. Green Bay | 7:30 pm | |||
| Nov 3 - at Dallas | Noon | |||
| Nov 7 - vs. Washington | 7:25 pm | |||
| Nov 17 - at Seattle | 3:25 pm | |||
| Nov. 24 - at Green Bay | Noon | |||
| Dec 1 - vs. Chicago | Noon | |||
| Dec 8 - at Baltimore | Noon | |||
| Dec 15 - vs. Philadelphia | Noon | |||
| Dec 22 - at Cincinnati | Noon | |||
| Dec 29 - vs. Detroit | Noon |
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