MANKATO -- There was a time when the Vikings would spend several weeks in Mankato preparing for the regular season. Those days are long gone.
The Vikings, who reported to camp a week ago Sunday, will have four more days of practices at Minnesota State before breaking camp and opening the preseason next Saturday at Tennessee.
The team is off today and will be back on the field at 9 a.m. Monday for a scheduled two-and-a-half hour session in shoulder pads. The Vikings also are scheduled to go from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in full pads on Tuesday and Wednesday before having a final practice in shoulder pads from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
There also will be walk-throughs from 3 to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but there isn't much (if anything) for fans to see at those sessions. They aren't practices but rather players walking through drills and installations at a slow-motion speed.
The team is more than happy to have you show up and watch players learn on the field but consider yourself warned.
