So far, so good. That's the message Vikings coach Leslie Frazier sent today when it came to the health of the team's top three cornerbacks.
That's a good thing considering the Vikings travel to San Diego on Sunday to face quarterback Philip Rivers, a standout receiving corps featuring Vincent Jackson and last year's No. 1-ranked offense.
Chris Cook, who was slowed by a hamstring injury in the preseason, practiced on Monday. If he doesn't suffer a setback this week, he'll be the nickel back.
"Hopefully he puts together another good day today," Frazier said. "But so far, so good."
The other concern is the amount of plays starting right cornerback Cedric Griffin will be able to take. He's coming off his second torn ACL in as many seasons and has only played limited snaps in two preseason games.
"All indications are he's going to be fine," Frazier said. "But still he's had limited exposure in the preseason for obvious reasons, coming off a second ACL surgery in a little over a year. So we're all anxious to see how he performs. We'll probably have too monitor how much he's on the field and how things are going. We're excited and we need to see how he's going to do on Sunday."
If Griffin has to be taken off the field, Cook has to play more, which brings Marcus Sherels or Asher Allen on the field in obvious passing situations. Allen hasn't played or practiced since the preseason opener. He has a toe injury, but is practicing this week, Frazier said on Monday.
Frazier was asked if he'll dress more defensive backs because of the Chargers' passing offense. He said it's not how many DBs that's important, it's WHICH DBs he has available. Clearly, for the team to be more competitive against the Chargers, the Vikings need Antoine Winfield, Cook and Griffin at full strength. The safeties will be Husain Abdullah and Jamarca Sanford to start. Tyrell Johnson could rotate at strong safety with Sanford, Frazier said.
