BY CHIP SCOGGINS AND JUDD ZULGAD

Brad Childress frustration over Adrian Peterson's absence was the hot topic on the first day of the Vikings mandatory minicamp Friday, but there were other developments worth noting.

Here were some of the highlights:

Winfield returns: Cornerback Antoine Winfield said his right foot is doing "great" and no longer causes him pain when he runs. Winfield missed six games after breaking his foot in October. He visited a foot specialist in North Carolina this offseason and said he turned a corner physically about two months ago. "I went and had an injection that stopped the inflammation and knocked everything out," he said. "I've been running without any pain. I can't wait. I missed out last year. I don't feel like I even played last year." Winfield has been working out with a few other NFL players at a facility in Houston this offseason. "The main thing was for me to rest it, make sure that I came back 100 percent," he said. "I didn't want to rush anything, go too hard and try to do all the OTAs and stuff. But I feel great right now. I'm excited. I can't wait." Nervous start: Rookie Toby Gerhart, who missed OTAs while completing his classes at Stanford, admitted he was nervous before his first real workout. Afterward, he was kicking himself over a fumble. "Not too good," Gerhart said when asked about his first practice. "It was going well and then I put the ball on the ground. I need to hold onto it." Gerhart will participate in both practices Saturday and then fly to California for his graduation ceremony. He will return to the Twin Cities on a red-eye flight Sunday and complete rookie orientation next week. Favre watch: Jared Allen had some fun with the whole Brett Favre watch when asked about not having his quarterback at the minicamp. "As you can see, we're all pretty distraught out here," Allen said. "It was hard to get through practice today and I really don't know how we're going to do this whole weekend without him being here. I'm sure we'll survive." Needless to say, there's not a lot of anxiety amongst players about whether Favre will return. It's just a matter of when he decides to announce it. Henderson's road to recovery: Linebacker E.J. Henderson, who is recovering from a fractured femur in his left leg suffered last December, was able to take part in individual drills. Childress admitted he kept a close eye on Henderson. "He did a nice job out here," Childress said. "I know he was excited to get back out here and move around with the guys and get through some individual drills. I wish I could tell you that it surprised me but the way he has attacked this thing is amazing." Henderson's goal is to be ready for training camp and then the season opener on Sept. 9 at New Orleans. Asked if that seemed too optimistic, Childress said, "Nobody has told me to be pessimistic about it. ... He hasn't had a whole heck of a lot of setbacks. Maybe we will see some down the line here. But I haven't seen any of them." Extra points: -- As expected, defensive end Ray Edwards did not participate because of his unhappiness over his contract situation. Brian Robison took his spot at left end with the first-team defense. -- Ryan Cook worked at left guard in place of Steve Hutchinson, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Hutchinson went in the locker room to get treatment after the stretching portion of the practice. Cornerback Cedric Griffin did the same. -- In nickel package, Benny Sapp lined up at left cornerback while Winfield moved to the slot. Winfield played at left corner in base defense. Lito Sheppard continued to play right corner with the first-team defense while Cedric Griffin recovers from ACL surgery. -- Chad Greenway left practice for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Erin Henderson. -- Wide receiver Taye Biddle (second-year pro from Mississippi) got past Sapp and caught a long pass from Sage Rosenfels in team period. Jaymar Johnson beat DeAndre Wright on a deep throw by Rosenfels later in the period. -- Ben Leber had a near interception of a Tarvaris Jackson pass in 7-on-7 drills but the linebacker could not hold onto the ball.