Tempers flare on final day of camp

MANKATO -- The temperature was scorching on the field for the Vikings final full practice Thursday and the players tempers also were running hot.

The mood was testy and chippy throughout and it culminated with a skirmish between defensive end Ray Edwards and rookie running back Toby Gerhart.

The incident happened at the end of a 10-yard catch by Gerhart on a screen pass in a two-minute drill. As Gerhart was getting up, Edwards shoved him. Right tackle Phil Loadholt jumped in as a peacemaker as Gerhart and Edwards yelled at each other.

Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who was standing behind the play, ran downfield screaming at Edwards. More shoving between players took place.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier jumped in to pull Edwards away and Edwards resisted, causing a heated exchange between those two. Frazier and Edwards tugged at each other for a few seconds before Jared Allen jumped in and pulled them apart.

Edwards was sent to the sideline. Everyone involved laughed off the incident after practice, saying it was a combination of the heat and end of camp tension.

"It happens," Edwards said. "It's hot out here. Some guys do things you shouldn't do in practice against other players. It happens but sometimes you have to let those guys know."

"Just let him know don't do what he did," Edwards said. "Hopefully we don't have that thing again. Don't need to do that at practice, not against your own guys."

Gerhart said he chipped Edwards at the line before releasing into his pass pattern.

"I tried to give him a little chip and then went down the seam," Gerhart said. "He didn't like that chip I guess."

Gerhart has taken a pounding from the defense in camp and some guys have gone out of their way to deliver a blow on him even in non-contact work. Gerhart said he wasn't necessarily pushing back against Edwards.

"I didn't really throw back, I was just doing what I'm supposed to do," he said. "That's part of the play. It's football. It's the end of camp. Everybody is tightly strung and getting tired of each other."

"I didn't expect it at all, but that's the way it goes," he said. "Everybody had my back and they had their back. It's offense-defense. People are getting after each other."

Coach Brad Childress described it as a "teaching moment." "I think Ray felt Coach Frazier and I appreciate Leslie jumping in there," Childress said. "That's just what we do. It's not like we are out fighting a fire or anything like that." Childress said he appreciated the fact that Gerhart stood up for himself and didn't back down after Edwards shoved him. "It's what makes these guys good," he said. "You've got to have a little edge to you, you've got to have a little stink about you. Toby's choking it back and understands the rookie role and all that kind of stuff. But you're only going to take it for so long. It's like the old Popeye deal, 'That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more.' The great thing is the eye in the sky doesn't lie. We have it all on videotape." In other highlights from the morning practice: