Vikings notes: Vikings have depth problems in secondary

 

LONDON – A six-hour time difference and growing concerns over the lack of depth in the secondary made for a sleep-deprived experience for Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman on Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

“I’ve been monitoring at 2 a.m. the wires for any potential moves that can be made, the logistics of making those moves, how you get that guy over to England, does he have a passport if we have to bring a player over here?” Spielman said. “That’s been kind of interesting. I didn’t get to sleep until 2:30 this morning and had to get woken up. I called my people over there and it’s 3 in the morning over there and they’re asking what [I’m] doing.”

The Vikings had until 9 p.m. London time Wednesday to make a roster move. Strong safety Jamarca Sanford (hamstring) and cornerbacks Chris Cook (groin) and A.J. Jefferson (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday.

Spielman said all options, as always, are on the table. Asked if he could rule out former Viking and recently retired cornerback Antoine Winfield, Spielman said, “I can’t rule anything. You never know.”

Coach Leslie Frazier said if Cook and Jefferson can’t play, Marcus Sherels would start at right corner in the base defense, while rookie first-round draft pick Xavier Rhodes would stay on the left side when the team goes to its oft-used nickel package. That’s what the team did last week when Cook and Jefferson left the game in the first quarter.

Frazier sounded worried.

“When you get this early in the season to already be this deep into your depth, it becomes a concern because it puts a lot of pressure on your special teams as well,” he said. “You’re backup guys on defense are usually you’re better special teams players and you count on those guys. Now all of a sudden they’re kicked into starting roles and it has a domino effect.”

Fullback/tight end Rhett Ellison, who missed Sunday’s game against the Browns because of a hyperextended knee, did not practice.

You lost to who?

Fans and reporters weren’t the Vikings’ only critics this week, as running back Adrian Peterson found out when his daughter laid into him about losing to what was believed to be a woeful Browns team.

“She kind of shocked me when she said it,” Peterson said. “Kind of threw me off a little bit. In my head, I was like, got to give credit to those guys. They were pretty good. Not the same old Browns I remember.”

Peterson also was asked about his cameo in “The League” and whether he might be in line for a future James Bond role.

“I might have to take some acting classes and see what I can do,” he said. “You never know.”

Back to London?

Vikings President Mark Wilf was asked by a local reporter if the Vikings intend to come back to London for another game while their new stadium is being built in 2014 and 2015.

“We’ll see how this experience goes,” he said. “It’s been great thus far for our players and our team.”