The Vikings have only three healthy cornerbacks on their roster. The New Orleans Saints use four wide receiver sets. That's an obvious problem.

"Well, we're going to show up," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "Those guys are going to play hard and give us the effort they always give us." As it stands, the Vikings have Antoine Winfield, Lito Sheppard and Asher Allen as their corners. Frazier, however, said the team has "some hope" that Cedric Griffin might be able to play in some role. Griffin returned to practice this week after spending training camp on the PUP while recovering from ACL surgery. It's seemed like a long shot that Griffin would be ready for the opener, but Frazier did not rule it out completely. He said Griffin is getting some reps during full team work in practice. "The fact that he's out here practicing gives us some hope," he said. "We're just trying ascertain over the next couple days is it a real possibility? We're going to give it another day and see how he does [Tuesday]. But he has already done far more than we expected when we decided to put him on the 53." Frazier said the team is looking at "different combinations" and "exploring all those possibilities" for how to handle the Saints four-wide sets with a shortage of corners. One possibility might be to use safety Husain Abdullah as an extra corner. Frazier did not rule out the team signing another corner, but he acknowledged that it's getting late for that option. "We're getting pretty close now to game day, but you've got to explore all options," he said. "We're talking about a bunch of different scenarios." Peterson on fumbles, late hits: Adrian Peterson was asked about his fumble problems last season during his weekly press conference. "I found out at times by studying myself that when I'm going down I kind of brace myself with the hand that I'm carrying the ball in and that's leaving opportunities for those guys that are in there scraping and punching for that ball, gives those guys opportunities to make big plays," he said. Asked how he keeps himself from doing that, Peterson said: "Just not brace yourself as much. I'm a pretty tough guy so just keep the ball high and just fall down. It is instincts, but when that becomes a problem you're able to sit there and say, 'Hey, I've got to eliminate doing this.'" Peterson said he wants to deliver punishment to defenders who attempt to strip the ball while making the tackle. "I look forward for guys to try and tackle me and tackle the ball," he said. "They might not be on the field too long if they continue to do that." Peterson also was asked about the late hits that Brett Favre took from the Saints in the NFC title game. He vowed not to let that happen again. "Those guys got some cheap shots in," Peterson said. "We're going to definitely eliminate those hits and protect him more and we're definitely going to be the ones delivering the blows." Tough to watch: The Vikings outgained the Saints 475-257 in total yards in the NFC Championship game. They had twice as many first downs and had nearly a nine-minute advantage in time of possession. But the Vikings of course shot themselves in the foot with six fumbles (three lost), two interceptions and a 12-men-on-the-field penalty. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said it's been tough watching that on film this week.

"I don't think there's a guy who wouldn't say it tears them up," he said. "You have a pit in your stomach. All the way until the last drive because the scoreboard is always the first thing that comes up when you're watching tape. You keep seeing the score, you keep seeing the time, you see we have the ball. Yeah, it's still very hard to watch."

News and notes:

  • Bevell said the coaching staff is pushing center John Sullivan hard in practice to see what he can handle physically. Sullivan is recovering from a calf injury and it's unclear whether he will be able to play Thursday. Bevell declined to say whether backup Jon Cooper or right guard Anthony Herrera would start at center if Sullivan can't play.
  • Special teams coordinator Brian Murphy confirmed that Bernard Berrian and Greg Camarillo will work at punt return this week and that both could get chances against the Saints. Percy Harvin will return kickoffs.
  • Frazier said middle linebacker E.J. Henderson will not be held back in any situation and is 100 percent ready to play after returning from a broken leg.
  • Bevell said Peterson has "come a long way" as a third-down back, but they still plan to rotate backs on third down.
  • Bevell on rookie tight end Mickey Shuler, who made the 53-man roster: "He's a young guy who's big, he's strong. I liked particularly at the end of training camp he was in there against our [starters]. You could see him going against Ray Edwards, you could see him blocking Jared Allen. You could him coming off the football in the run game. We've seen what he can do catching the ball in practice. It was worth an opportunity to continue to get some youth at the position and somebody we can teach."