Vikings safety Johnson apologizes for DWI arrest

A day after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, Vikings safety Tyrell Johnson met with reporters and apologized several times.

"I made a mistake," he said. "I'm very regretful for the mistake. ... And I'm very fortunate and blessed that I didn't get hurt and no one else got hurt in the situation because of my selfishness."

Johnson was stopped early Tuesday morning on an exit ramp of westbound I-394 in Minneapolis by the State Patrol, and a preliminary breath test measured his blood-alcohol level at 0.12 percent. The legal limit for driving in Minnesota is 0.08 percent.

Johnson, who will play Sunday against Detroit, said the team provides options to players who feel they cannot drive.

"That's what is disappointing about the situation," he said. "Because the Vikings make a valid effort to give you [options]. You have to use those, just for advice to everybody else who gets in that situation. It's not worth it [to drive]. You got to make that call if you can't drive home. Even if you think you're good, you're not good."

As far as driving after drinking, Johnson said: "You can always take a cab, sit still and call somebody. A lot of different options. Just a poor judgment call."

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said Johnson, who has been splitting time with Jamarca Sanford at strong safety, would play Sunday, but Frazier would not go into details on what discipline might be issued. "We have talked with him, and we're going to handle it internally," Frazier said. "It's always disappointing when guys fall short in different areas. But I know these things are going to happen."

"Sometimes, when you're moving guys around to try to create that mismatch as the game continues on, you're going into that 10 seconds left on the clock, guys are running around," McNabb said. "You're trying to get everyone lined up. Mistakes are going to happen in the game. Fortunately, it was really low, how many mistakes we really made in that game. We'll get it cleaned up, get back on the same page and get everything the way we want it to be."

McNabb also disagrees with the argument that the Vikings haven't thrown enough deep passes.

"It's only been two games," he said. "Last week against Tampa, we were able to get some balls downfield. [Tight end Visanthe] Shiancoe had a catch to pick up some big yards, we had Percy on a couple plays. We had about seven or eight explosive plays, so to say that we didn't establish anything downfield is really not it.

"I think people are seeing teams throwing deep balls for 60-70-yard touchdowns, and that's going to come, but you have to methodically move the ball downfield and move the chains and we were able to do that."

Injury update Cornerback Chris Cook was back at practice in a limited capacity despite a groin injury. Cook said he felt better and that he was able to ignore whatever pain he felt and practice at full speed. He also said maintaining hydration was key during games.