Coach Mike Zimmer just met with reporters for his end-of-the-week podium session, and the topic of the day was the offensive tackle situation.
Zimmer did not confirm the reports, including one from this newspaper, that said Carter Bykowski had suffered a season-ending pectoral injury. He acknowledged it was a pec, but said he didn't know if Bykowski is done.
Early in training camp, Zimmer spoke about the rash of pectoral injuries. Three weeks and another torn pectoral later — that makes it five in 11 months — Zimmer said the Vikings are still looking for answers.
"It's a combination of things really," he said. "It's dehydrated muscles. It's getting in the position. It's sometimes over-strengthening. Sometimes it's fatigue. We are calling around to every expert we can find and keep digging."
So the Vikings are still looking for a common thread, if one exists.
Offensive tackle Phil Loadholt, whose 2014 season was ended by a pec injury and is now out for 2015 with a torn Achilles' tendon, was in the house at Winter Park today after undergoing surgery on Tuesday. He was chatting with teammates at the end of the morning walkthrough.
Zimmer said Loadholt was in better spirits today than he was in the aftermath of the injury, which is understandable. Loadholt told him that he wants to stay around Winter Park this season to rehab his injury so he can be around his teammates, instead of doing the rehab somewhere else.
"He was good. He told me that he doesn't just not be around the guys, not around the facility. He wants to help any way he can," Zimmer said. "He obviously was devastated when it happened but now he's starting to understand that now he's got to get back."