Peterson keeps passing game on his to-do list

MANKATO —As many of the Vikings worked on special teams assignments early in Saturday's practice, running back Adrian Peterson and his position coach, Eric Bieniemy, made their way to a vacant portion of Field 1 on the Minnesota State Mankato campus.

Bieniemy then spent time working with Peterson on running routes out of the backfield and the necessary footwork that is required. "Route running is key for him," offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. "As many balls as he can catch is key for him, as well as just his run-game footwork. We talk about that often. About the steps he is taking, how he presents himself at the hole and how he sets up his block."

Peterson, the NFL's leading rusher with 1,760 yards in 2008, has often been removed in third-down and two-minute situations in his first two NFL seasons. That role has fallen to veteran Chester Taylor, but the Vikings would like to get to a point where Peterson could be used in all situations. He has 40 catches in his first two seasons but only one touchdown, and that came on his first catch. Peterson has rushed for 24 touchdowns.

Peterson's ability to be a consistent pass-catching threat out of the backfield would be a major plus for an offense that already should be more explosive when first-round pick Percy Harvin gets signed.

Wide receiver Percy Harvin remained unsigned as the Vikings completed their second day of practices. Negotiations were believed to be continuing between Harvin's agent, Joel Segal, and Vikings Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski. Brzezinski was in Mankato on Saturday night for the second practice.

Following that session, coach Brad Childress said he did not have an update. "I'll get one when I go in," he said. "It's kind of like the president goes in and gets an intelligence report. It's not quite as high-level. It's no Batphone or red phone or anything like that. But first thing in the morning generally there's a briefing."

Harvin has missed four practices; a single session is scheduled for this afternoon. Asked at what point Harvin's absence starts to become a real concern, Childress said: "You can't put a value on snaps and it just is all cumulative. It doesn't go back. ... It will be up to him to catch up."

• Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell took issue with a recent ESPN report that he pleaded with Brett Favre to reconsider his decision after the quarterback told the Vikings on July 20 that he was going to remain retired. "[Pleaded] was a word that was misrepresented," said Bevell, who is good friends with Favre and served as his position coach in Green Bay. "Obviously, we were actively recruiting him because he was a free agent. I look at it like when we went for Steve [Hutchinson], Bernard [Berrian] and Chester [Taylor]. ... I would say it's the same when we didn't get T.J. [Houshmandzadeh] or we didn't get Kevin Curtis."

• Steve LaCroix, Vikings vice president of sales and marketing, said the franchise won't partner with the Minnesota State Lottery on a Vikings-themed scratch game this year but added the possibility exists for 2010, when the club will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. LaCroix also reported the Vikings are short of their season-ticket base of about 55,000 from last season but said, "We are working to get back to that amount." LaCroix did not say where season-ticket sales stand.