MANKATO -- Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson was back on the field Friday morning for practice after missing three days because of soreness in his left leg. However, he continued to only do work in the individual drills.

This means Peterson isn't participating in some valuable periods, such as blitz pick-ups. Peterson also had been limited before being held for four practices. "As a coach, you want every guy to take every turn, that's just the way we're wired," coach Brad Childress said. "Reps are the best thing [they can get]. No substitute for them."

Childress does not know when Peterson will be cleared to practice in full. "We take it day-by-day," he said. "We listen to the athletes and listen to the docs and go from there. As much as I want them to, [the doctors] may say, 'Well, that's good that you want them to but right now that's not the prudent thing to do.'"

As for wide receiver Percy Harvin, he remains with his family after the death of his grandmother and Childress remains unsure when Harvin will return.

A few other notes from this afternoon:

  • Former Eagles wide receiver Todd Pinkston and former Vikings safety Willie Offord are helping out in camp as part of the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship program.
  • The afternoon practice was a special teams session during which the Vikings worked on punt and kickoff returns. Lito Sheppard, Marcus Sherels and Taye Biddle were catching punts. Working on catching kickoffs were Ian Johnson, Ray Small and Jaymar Johnson. Darius Reynaud (sprained ankle) continues to sit out.
  • Cornerback Benny Sapp did some conditioning work during the special teams practice but it remains to be seen when he will return after suffering from post-dehydration symptoms. "That's a day-to-day thing," Childress said. "The doctors will let him [practice] when he is able. They are telling me, I'm not telling them."
  • We've noted on our Twitter accounts (www.twitter.com/juddzulgad and www.twitter.com/chipscoggins) that the Vikings have drawn some impressive crowds the past two days. Officially, 6,500 fans attended Thursday's practices and there were 4,500 in attendance this morning.