Peterson happy to have ditched knee brace
By Dave Campbell | The Associated Press

MANKATO, Minn. — Adrian Peterson is happy to be rid of the brace he wore on his right knee after spraining it last November. He said he might even put it in his trophy case.

Peterson also proudly pointed out Friday the first time he went without the device was during the Pro Bowl in February — when he rushed for two touchdowns and was honored as the game’s most valuable player.
After such a sensational rookie season, Peterson fielded the predictable first-day questions about how many yards he’s expecting for himself in his second year.

“I don’t know. Whatever it takes to help my team win a division title and get to that Super Bowl,” he said. “Any way I can contribute, even if I have 200 yards at the end of the season. As long as we get to that promised land, I’ll be satisfied.”

FORGET FAVRE? The Vikings appeared to move closer Friday to ridding themselves of a twice-annual challenge: Facing Brett Favre.

The latest report on the story of the summer in the NFL claimed Favre was close to reporting to training camp with the Packers, who are in the process of talking about trades for the star quarterback. The New York Jets were named as a potential landing place.

“As long as he’s out of this conference I’m good with that,” receiver Bobby Wade said. “There’s no doubt about that. You don’t want to play against a guy like that all the time.”

Though Favre announced his retirement in March, two of his former teammates who now play for the Vikings didn’t believe it.

“I know that he’s a great competitor and a great warrior so I was surprised to see him retire,” receiver Robert Ferguson said. “But I’m not surprised to see him coming out.”

Safety Darren Sharper said as much, but stopped short of endorsing the removal of Favre — whichever team he might play for — from the schedule.

“I still want to play against him, because I want to beat the best,” Sharper said.

WILLIAMS LIMITED: Defensive tackle Pat Williams, who had elbow surgery in the winter, was limited to individual drills in Friday’s practice.

The team will be cautious, Childress said, until Williams has full strength in the joint. Defensive end Ray Edwards was the only player not in pads.

He shrugged off the severity of his back injury: “Just working it out so I can get back on the field,” he said. ... before taking the field.

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