SETTING THE SCENE: After Saturday night's practice under the lights, coach Mike Zimmer didn't feel a full morning walkthrough was necessary. So the Vikings crammed it all in during the afternoon, practicing in helmets and shoulder pads from 2 to 5 p.m. It was a sunny but breezy day here.

HEINICKE GETS A CHANCE: The coaches gave quarterback Shaun Hill a break today, and it was rookie Taylor Heinicke who got a look with the second-stringers. He has been streaky in camp so far, but he fared OK today. He threaded a touchdown pass to rookie tight end MyCole Pruitt and hit receiver Cordarrelle Patterson a couple of times on the sidelines. It looks like Heinicke has the leg up on Mike Kafka to be the No. 3 QB.

MR. RED ZONE: Charles Johnson could end up being quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's go-to guy near the end zone. Johnson picked up where he left off Saturday night, consistently creating separation in red-zone drills today. That's not easy to do in such close quarters. Johnson has clearly improved his route running, and the 6-foot-2 wideout showed off his ball skills and body control when he caught a back-shoulder fade against Xavier Rhodes.

FROM NORTH OF THE BORDER: Brian Peters, who joined the Vikings after a stint in the Canadian Football League, is currently running ahead of recent draft picks such as Brandon Watts and Michael Mauti. He has often been with the second-team defense and seems to have some mobility. It's still early, but Peters looks like a legitimate candidate to make this team.

LEGEND IN THE HOUSE: Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle Alan Page was here to watch practice and do a shoot for NFL Films. After the practice, both players and coaches surrounded Page on the field as he dispensed wisdom.

CAMP CHATTER: "I think we ran out of oil in the training room." — Zimmer explaining why Hill, his 35-year-old backup QB, was rested.

INJURY REPORT: Offensive tackle Carter Bykowski (thigh bruise), wide receiver Gavin Lutman (hamstring) and running back DuJuan Harris (shoulder) sat out practice for a second straight day. Meanwhile, Zimmer said that cornerback Josh Robinson (pectoral) is not close to a return.