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Childress won't rule Griffin out of opener

The Vikings coach said he isn't willing to say Cedric Griffin will be out to start the regular season.

August 2, 2010 at 11:53PM

MANKATO -- Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said during his news conference Monday morning that cornerback Cedric Griffin would not play in the Vikings' regular-season opener on Sept. 9 in New Orleans.

But coach Brad Childress said later Monday that he isn't ruling Griffin out of the opener. Griffin suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the Vikings' loss to the Saints in the NFC title game. Torn ACL's take six to nine months to heal so it wouldn't be surprising if he remained out to start the regular season. Childress isn't the type to tip his hand about this sort of issue so it isn't surprising that he did not give a yes or no answer.

"I don't know that," Childress said when asked if Griffin would be sidelined on Sept.9. "I'm not going to put anything past him. We're just continuing to accelerate him here and we'll see. But him and E.J. [Henderson, who broke his leg last December but is taking part in camp], as I've said before, their work kind of defies description so nothing would surprise me."

Griffin is on the physically unable to perform list right now but could be brought off at any time. He has been done conditioning on the side during practice and Monday spent time shadowing Frazier around the field to get a better look at how things operate.

"I'm not really sure what is going, on so I'm just going to [go] through my drills and workout like I have been and continue to improve," Griffin said. "I'll let them tell you all my timetable and I'll just go out there and work hard and do the best I can."

Griffin made it clear he has suffered no setbacks in his recovery and called himself "fully healed."

"I'm doing my drills already," he said. "I'm doing routes on air so I'm just progressing and I'm happy with my progress and I will be out there soon."

Althoug he appeared frustrated a few days ago when he discussed his situation, Griffin said Monday that isn't the case. "I don't believe it's frustrating," he said. "I believe they are being cautious, they are being safe and we're adding depth to our team right now. Chris Cook, Lito Sheppard. They're all competing out there, doing a great job and when I come back it will be another addition to the secondary."

Griffin is right in that the Vikings are being cautious -- a wise move in a case such as this -- and thus it seems likely that Frazier's prediction will prove to be accurate.

Notes from Monday afternoon

  • Childress said that wide receiver Percy Harvin, who missed a second consecutive day of practice Monday because of a death in his family, is going to return home to Florida. Childress isn't sure when Harvin might rejoin the team and said he would find out more later Monday.
    • The Vikings' second practice was schedule to run from 3 to 4:55 p.m. but Childress ended it at 27 minutes early. The Vikings were in shells and shorts this afternoon but will be in pads on Tuesday morning and their will be live periods (goal line and short yardage), meaning that if you want to attend a practice that would be a good one at which to show up.
      • Rookie linebacker Nate Triplett intercepted a pass from quarterback Joe Webb in a team drill. If it had been in a game situation, Triplett easily would have taken the ball down the sideline. Webb had definite issues with his accuracy Monday.
        • Wide receiver Sidney Rice (hip, PUP); cornerback Benny Sapp (dehydration); Griffin; Henderson; John Sullivan (leg) and Harvin did not take part in the second practice. Rookie Chris DeGeare again got reps in place of Steve Hutchinson at left guard.Childress said DeGeare also is going to get snaps at right guard in camp to see how he does. Childress not specify whether Hutchinson was held out because of any type of injury. He had shoulder surgery after last season.
          • Rice said he's making progresss but wouldn't put a timetable on his return. "It's not that serious," he said. "I'll be fine. ... Taking it one day at a time." Rice said "certain things" still cause him pain. "Not so much straight ahead running. In my job and the position I'm at, you've got to break down and make certain cuts. Just want to be cautious for now and get back to 100 percent."
            • Former Gopher wide receiver Logan Payne has had two pretty good days catching the ball. Payne is getting more reps with Harvin and Rice not practicing. Payne is playing all the different receiver positions, including the slot. "I was just playing outside to start with," he said. "I've been in this offense for a while [at Seattle] so I kind of know all the positions. In Seattle, I played all the positions so that's definitely an advantage for me."
              • Sage Rosenfels got some work with the first-team offense in the morning and had his best moments of camp. He completed a nice pass over the middle to Greg Lewis in traffic during a team session.
                • Sapp said he got overheated during practice Saturday and started cramping. He sat out the past two days of practices. "Just cool it down a little bit," he said. "Just take it easy. It's nothing major. Typical training camp things."
                  • Frazier said cornerback Antoine Winfield looks 100 percent after coming back from his foot injury. "He shows no ill effects from the injury he had a season ago," Frazier said. "He is moving around real well. My confidence along with our other coaches confidence is high in regards to him. We are pleased with where he is at this point. We have a lot of camp ahead of us and a lot of football to be played before we get to our first game, but so far, so good."
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