John Carlson Injury Update: Vikings TE Slated To Play In Regular Season Opener

Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson is nearly all the way recovered from a sprained MCL, according to head coach Leslie Frazier. In a press conference following Sunday's practice, Frazier did not elaborate on Carlson's status other than to say that he was out at practice and should be ready when the Vikings take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in their season opener on Sept. 9.

Frazier did note, though, that he doesn't expect Carlson will be pushed to play in the team's final preseason game on Thursday against the Houston Texans. That said, Frazier was encouraged by what he saw from Carlson on Sunday.

[Carlson] moved around pretty good. It's good to see him back out there with his teammates and I'm encouraged by the fact that he's back out there. We think if he can just keep making progress throughout this week, he should be fine to be ready for game week. It was good to have him back.

(via Vikings.com)

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Jasper Brinkley Playing Well After Missing Last Season

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jasper Brinkley had a breakout game against the Sand Diego Chargers Friday night, totaling four tackles and two sacks in Minnesota's 12-10 loss to the San Diego Chargers.

After missing the entire 2011-12 season due to hip surgery, Brinkley is gaining confidence in his hip after his breakout game Friday. Speaking with Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Brinkley said being able to get on the gridiron was big for him,

"It was just getting back in the game and getting on the field. I've been away from the game for a year, so it's good to go out and have a good game like tonight."

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier was also complimentary of Brinkley's performance.

"He seemed like he played a lot better. He was more aggressive. It seemed he was out there having fun, let it go a little bit. Just encouraging, his play. ... He made a lot of plays tonight. That should help his confidence."

With Brinkely back to 100%, it will be a big plus to the Vikings defense as they prepare for their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 9.

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Josh Robinson Injury: Vikings Rookie Suffered Concussion

The Minnesota Viknigs had a rash of injuries in the secondary during their 12-10 preseason loss to the San Diego Chargers. One of those injured was rookie cornerback Josh Robinson, who was diagnosed with a concussion after a collision with Chargers running back Jacob Hester in the second quarter.

Robinson was having a good camp after being drafted in the third round out of UCF, and was having another good performance before the injury happened. Robinson had two tackles on the night beforehand. Robinson was listed third on the Vikings depth chart at right cornerback and looked to be a potential piece in head coach Leslie Frazier's secondary in the next couple of years.

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ANIMATED: Harrison Smith's Big Hit Could Lead To Big Fine

Vikings Vs. Chargers: Late Rally By Sage Rosenfels Comes Up Short In 12-10 Loss

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sage Rosenfels came into the game for one drive in the fourth quarter and led the Vikings to the game's only touchdown and a brief lead in Friday's 12-10 preseason loss to the San Diego Chargers.

Rosenfels was 6-for-6 passing for 51 yards on the drive, culminating on a 1-yard touchdown pass to running back Matt Asiata to give the Vikings a 10-9 lead with 1:50 remaining in the game.

San Diego started the game's final possession at their own 20-yard line. The Chargers were helped on the drive by a 15-yard penalty on Minnesota, followed by back-to-back completions by San Diego quarterback Jarrett Lee, a 20-yarder to Taylor Embree and a 17-yarder to Mike Willie. The Chargers were then able to run the clock down and Nick Novak kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.

San Diego led 6-3 at halftime and then added a 54-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding with 8:40 remaining and held a 9-3 lead until the game's final two minutes.

The Minnesota defense held San Diego without a touchdown, gave up only 202 yards of total offense and had six sacks. The Vikings fell to 1-2 in the preseason and San Diego is 3-0. Christian Ponder played into the fourth quarter and was 9-for-15 passing for 115 yards and an interception. Joe Webb also played briefly and was 6-for-8 passing for 59 yards.

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Andrew Sendejo Injury: Vikings Defensive Back Leaves With Leg Injury

Minnesota Vikings defensive back Andrew Sendejo left in the fourth quarter of Friday's preseason game against the San Diego Chargers with an apparent leg injury, according to Tom Pelissero of ESPN 1500 in Minnesota:

Andrew Sendejo has left the game. Getting checked out by trainers. #Vikings

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 25, 2012

It's right ankle/leg for Sendejo. They're working him on the table. Sage Rosenfels now at QB. #Vikings

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 25, 2012

Sendejo, a third-year player who was undrafted out of Rice in 2010, is currently fighting for a roster spot in the Vikings' defensive backfield. He played in two games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, picking up one tackle. Last season, he appeared in four games for the Vikings, picking up three tackles.

The Vikings also lost defensive back Josh Robinson to an injury earlier in the game and safety Mistral Raymond was a late scratch after an injury in pregame warmups.

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Mistral Raymond Injury: Vikings Safety Injures Back In Pregame Warmups

Minnesota Vikings safety Mistral Raymond was a late scratch from Friday's preseason game against the San Diego Chargers after he experienced back pain during pregame warmups, reports Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Fowler also noted that although Raymond appears to be in line for a starting spot, it wasn't a given that he was going to start Friday's game:

Safety Jamarca Sanford got the start alongside Harrison Smith, which wasn't unexpected anyway. The Vikings wanted to give Sanford another shot to compete for a starting spot, though Raymond has the inside track.

Raymond was a sixth-round pick out of South Florida in 2011. He played in 10 games for the Vikings last season, finishing with 10 tackles, an interception and three passes defensed.

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Chargers Vs. Vikings: Minnesota Trails 6-3 At Halftime

The San Diego Chargers lead the Minnesota Vikings 6-3 at halftime of Friday's preseason game. Both teams have combined for nine punts and just 182 yards of total offense so far.

San Diego scored on a 50-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding in the first quarter and a 34-yard field goal by Nick Novak in the second. The Vikings got on the board with a 29-yard field goal by Blair Walsh with just :08 seconds remaining in the half.

Starting quarterback Christian Ponder has played the entire first half, going 8-for-15 for 97 yards and an interception, including a 40-yarder to Percy Harvin, who has two catches for 53 yards. Toby Gerhart has rushed six times for 18 yards. Running back Lex Hilliard lost a fumble, one of two Minnesota turnovers in the half.

The Vikings defense has sacked San Diego quarterback Charlie Whitehurst four times — two by Jared Allen and one each by Fred Evans and Jasper Brinkley. San Diego has not turned the ball over in the first half.

San Diego gets the ball first to open the second half.

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Josh Robinson Injury: Vikings Defensive Back Leaves Game With Possible Concussion

Minnesota Vikings rookie defensive back Josh Robinson left Friday's game against the San Diego Chargers in the second quarter and is currently being evaluated for signs of a concussion:

Josh Robinson has been taken to the locker room with a possible concussion #VikingsGame

— Minnesota Vikings (@VikingsFootball) August 25, 2012

Robinson left the game after he collided with Chargers running back Jacob Hester during the second quarter with San Diego leading 6-0. Robinson had made two tackles in the game. He was a third round draft pick by Minnesota this year out of Central Florida. Robinson is listed third on the Vikings depth chart at right cornerback.

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Chargers Vs. Vikings: Ryan D'Imperio A Suprising Scratch

Going against a Chargers team that won't be led by Philip Rivers on Friday night, the sole surprising scratch for the Vikings is fullback Ryan D'Imperio, according to Tom Pelissero of ESPN.

D'Imperio, a top contributor on the Vikings special teams, reportedly participated in practice for the team on Wednesday and hasn't had any injury concerns through training camp and the preseason so far. Joining him on the sideline will be receiver Kamar Jorden (hand), cornerback Chris Cook (concussion), guard Bridger Buche (knee), guard Geoff Schwartz (sports hernia surgery), tight end John Carlson (knee), nose tackle Letroy Guion (knee) and halfback Adrian Peterson (knee).

Rivers was scratched for the game by the Chargers, although it is without injury as the team wants to play Charlie Whitehurst in his place instead. Pelissero hypothesized that the injured Chargers offensive line facing a healthy Viking defensive line may have persuaded the San Diego coaches to make the decision.

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Vikings Preseason Going Well For Matt Kalil, Kalil Says

Rookie left tackle Matt Kalil is feeling good about his progress in his first preseason with the Vikings.

The No. 4 overall pick out of USC is excited about tonight's preseason game against the Chargers, where he is expected to play the entire first half. It will be the most plays he'll have in an NFL game until the regular season.

From the Star Tribune:

"We'll play all the way up until I think the beginning of the third quarter," said the new starting left tackle. "It'll be the most plays that I've played so far in a single NFL game. I thought I did pretty well [in the first two preseason games]. I'm looking to this next game to get more playing time and play the whole first half. I'm excited for it."

The third preseason game is typically considered the most important because the starters usually play more snaps in this preseason game than any other.

Chargers Vs. Vikings: Charlie Whitehurst, Not Philip Rivers, Starting For San Diego

The third preseason game is usually marked as the most important one on the August schedule for each team, but the San Diego Chargers have elected to sit quarterback Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates on Friday night against the Minnesota Vikings. That means Charlie Whitehurst will start at QB for San Diego, so it seems the only reasonable assessment of the Vikings' defense will be whether they are bad enough to get torched by a backup QB. The big time starting talent simply won't be around as a suitable measuring stick for any positive progress for the unit.

Rivers and Gates have nothing to prove during the preseason, so this ultimately feels like a smart move by Chargers head coach Norv Turner.

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John Carlson Injury: Vikings Tight End Missing Valuable Reps

John Carlson is taking longer than expected to heal from a sprained MCL suffered early in training camp. The Minnesota Vikings tight end is expected to be healthy enough to play when the regular season begins, but the free agent pickup realizes he's missing valuable reps while sitting on the sidelines.

Carlson said on Thursday that he has a good feel for the Vikings offense just from watching things happen from the sidelines, but realizes that on-field reps are crucial in his preparation.

"Footwork, pad level, hand placement in the run game and keeping the feet driving once you meet contact -- those things, you need reps to get that back," Carlson said. "In the pass game, pass releases, again footwork, running routes, getting proper depths, getting on the same page as the quarterback."

"These are things I've been mentally taking reps at, and I do think that that helps to visualize and go through things in your head. I know that helps. Again, it's not taking the physical reps on the field and not an ideal situation. But this is the situation that I'm in, and I have to make the most of it."

The Vikings have an advantage considering Carlson is expected to complement Kyle Rudolph as a two-headed tight end combination, but the sooner he's ready to go 100 percent, the better.

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Adrian Peterson To Dress For Vikings Final Preseason Games

Adrian Peterson will be in uniform for Friday night's preseason game between the Minnesota VIkings and San Diego Chargers. Unfortunately for the paying customers, however, No. 28 will remain on the sidelines once the Vikings' penultimate preseason game begins.

Peterson will take part in pre-game warmups, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, but the plan hasn't changed regarding the Vikings' decision to keep him on the sidelines for the final two preseason games of the year.

In addition to reporting on Peterson's expected attire for Friday night, Mortensen also reports that he's expected to take some contact next week.

Peterson will experience contact in practice next wk. No setbacks, he'll go week 1 but Toby Gerhart will get fair share of carries this yr.

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 23, 2012

That should alleviate some concern from those worried that Peterson needed live carries in the preseason, but we're going to assume his teammates might be a bit nicer than those paid by other teams to tackle running backs.

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Chargers Vs. Vikings: No Peterson, But Game Still Important From Minnesota

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