Vikings meeting room a lot quieter without Williamses

Vikings safety Darren Sharper said the defensive meeting room was a lot quieter Thursday.

"That's something I could get used to," he said, smiling.

He was joking about the absence of chatterbox Pat Williams, who along with Kevin Williams were at the NFL offices in New York to appeal four-game suspensions for testing positive for a banned diuretic that can serve as a masking agent for steroids. Kevin's hearing came first and lasted from mid-morning until late Thursday night, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. It was unclear whether Pat's hearing began after Kevin's or was pushed back until today.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said the timing of the appeal hearing caused the defense to be "almost a day behind" because Thursday is an important preparation day.

"[The Williamses] are the meat and potatoes of what we do inside," Frazier said. "To not have them on a day where you're making adjustments -- because today is our third-down day along with our short-yardage and goal line ... those guys are pivotal to our success in that area."

Sharper can't bring himself to consider the possibility that the defense might lose its two Pro Bowl tackles for an extended period.

"That's a nightmare," he said. "You don't like to have nightmares. I won't let that thought cross my mind.

"Those guys are two All-Pro defensive tackles and you would like to have them in the game. It would be a different world without them."

Coaches typically use Tuesdays to prepare their game plan, but Frazier altered his schedule so he could travel to New York that day to speak on behalf of defensive end Jared Allen, who had a meeting with league officials about several of his recent QB hits.

Allen avoided a suspension but was fined $25,000 for his hit on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Frazier said he was reluctant to attend, but said he felt afterward that it was the right thing to do.

"I think it lent some credence to who he is and what he's about, as well as our talking through the plays that were in question from a coaching standpoint and also from a former player's point of a view and now the player's point of view also," Frazier said.

The Vikings used running back Adrian Peterson as the kickoff returner late in the fourth quarter last week after Maurice Hicks had a costly fumble. Peterson, who returned the kickoff 16 yards, said he would like to do more in the return game.

"Yeah, that would be pretty nice to get back there and see if we can get a little more going in the kickoff return game," he said. "We've got some guys who are doing a good job, but we'll see."

Peterson returned 16 kickoffs last season, but coaches prefer to use him in that capacity only in special situations such as when they are trailing late in the game. The additional punishment and risk of injury are too great to have Peterson return kicks on a regular basis.

Special teams coordinator Paul Ferraro said Peterson often lobbies to return kicks, however.

"Adrian wants to be back there," Ferraro said. "He'll go to the head coach even before we go to him. So when those situations have come up in the past Adrian has been right there wanting to do it."

Allen missed his second consecutive day of practice because of a right shoulder injury. Peterson was given the day off to rest. Receiver Bobby Wade (thigh) had limited participation.