Continued: Vikings Insider: Distractions are part of the job

The potential for distractions in the NFL is everywhere. Having 53 players on a team -- 61 if you count the practice squad -- means issues inevitably are going to arise during a season that begins in the July heat and ends in the cold of winter.

"We talk about it in training camp," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "You never know what's going to befall you. Whether it's injury, you just don't know what kind of situation it's going to be."

The latest situation came up Sunday as Childress, presumably, tried to enjoy the final day of the Vikings' bye week. The report by Fox Sports that defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams could face four-game suspensions for testing positive for a banned diuretic almost certainly wasn't news to Childress.

But it was to many of his players, who are now faced with the threat of being without two Pro Bowl teammates for a quarter of the season. The loss of two of the NFL's best run-stoppers almost certainly would have a devastating impact on a 3-4 team that still has hopes of making a run at the NFC North title.

As players returned to Winter Park on Monday after having six days off, Childress addressed the issue head-on in a team meeting before turning the focus where he wanted it -- today's game against Houston.

Childress told his players as much as he thought they needed to know about what was going on and then instructed them to use the "I know nothing" defense when asked by the media.

"I think the biggest thing, and Brad took care of that, was bringing us in a team meeting and briefly speaking about it," receiver Bobby Wade said.

"I've seen it done a few different ways. Spend a lot of time on it, talking about it or briefly bring it up and let everybody know that there is an issue but it will be handled. And that's exactly how he presented it to us, and that just allows us as a team to no longer think about it."

Childress has experience in dealing with potential distractions, although he was quick to point out there is no manual provided to coaches on a correct way to do so. The potential suspensions of the Williamses is at least the third major one Childress has faced this year.

Shortly before the Vikings opened training camp in July, the Green Bay Packers filed tampering charges against their NFC North rival for allegedly having inappropriate contact with quarterback Brett Favre. The NFL eventually ruled in the Vikings favor.

The Vikings also were faced with questions throughout camp about a potential suspension for Bryant McKinnie, who had been arrested in February after a brawl outside a Miami nightclub. The league suspended McKinnie for four games for violating its personal conduct policy just before the regular season started.

Childress declared during his Monday news conference that the situation involving the Williamses would not become a distraction. That is an easy thing to say, but actually making sure that happens is another story.

Childress said he looks to the locker room for help in this area.

"I think the biggest thing is that you have good internal leadership and that guys aren't worried about external things that they can't control," he said. "The best teams are those that are internally driven. In other words, the guys in the locker room are holding each other to a standard and pushing each other and taking care of a lot of stuff before it ever gets to me."

Veteran safety Darren Sharper claims it's actually not that tough to make sure players stay focused on the next game and not the next drama.

"It's a similar thing as when you come into work every day," he said. "Guys have things that go on at home, things that go on around the league. When you step between those lines you have to focus on your job, and that's playing football. ... You can't worry about if your cat is sick at home or your dog is not feeling well or anything that might be bigger than that. When the lights turn on you have to go out there and play."

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com