Peterson Re-Injury Unreported
While NFL teams knew before the draft that Adrian Peterson's collarbone was injured twice, it wasn't until almost three months after the second injury that Adrian Peterson let on that his collarbone was broken twice. In the end, that may have been a blessing in disguise for the Vikings.
The questions that have surrounded the health status of Adrian Peterson got plenty of answers Wednesday at the team press conference that included team medical personnel, leading some to wonder if Adrian Peterson would have been available to the Vikings had he not played in Oklahoma’s Fiesta Bowl loss to upstart Boise State?
Adrian Peterson and OU officials never reported the re-injury following the bowl game, so when team doctors examined him at the Combine, the first impression of many of them was that Adrian Peterson was healing very slowly. Although he had a pre-draft examination and CT scan March 30, in which he admitted that the injury re-occurred just three months earlier, there clearly were enough concerns, especially with teams like the Browns and Cardinals – who had the third and fifth picks, respectively, in the draft – as well as teams that would have needed to give up a lot to move in front of the Vikings to take him.
Six weeks after the last CT scan, the Vikings’ scan done Tuesday showed significant healing to the injury. Had Adrian Peterson not been rushed back so quickly to play in a bowl game that, in the final analysis, meant nothing for Adrian Peterson’s football career, he likely would not have available to the Vikings at the No. 7 pick.
Perhaps the second injury was a blessing in disguise for the Vikings – who clearly got the best offensive playmaker on the board when they went on the clock.
THURSDAY NOTES
* One of the interesting sidelights to come from the Vikings press conference was that, had Adrian Peterson had the surgery that would have inserted a plate in his shoulder to “protect” the collarbone, medical evidence suggests that the procedure is no more successful than allowing the bone to heal naturally and that, with the risk of problems on the operating table and potential post-op infections, Adrian Peterson might actually have been at more risk than had he opted out of the surgery completely.
* The Vikings signed two rookie free agents Wednesday – guard Andy Olemgbe of Texas Southern and defensive back Chad Johnson of Northwestern State.
* Former Viking Kailee Wong, who is the current all-time sack leader for the Texans with just 15 sacks, has said he is retiring after nine years in the NFL.
* After a week filled with accusations, apologies, alleged misquotes and questions regarding the status of Brett Favre with the Packers, it now seems clear that Favre will in fact attend the team’s minicamp this weekend. Favre, who has been quoted as saying he wasn’t going to attend the minicamp in preparation for his daughter’s high school graduation – which is the weekend after the Packers minicamp, has apparently changed his mind and confirmed Wednesday that he will be in Green Bay next weekend. However, he still isn’t expected to see action since he is recovering from ankle surgery to remove bone spurs.
* It has been a busy couple of days for the Bears. On Tuesday, the team signed the first rookie from last month’s draft – third-round running back Garrett Wolfe. On Wednesday, Tank Johnson met with Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his status with the league following a four-month sentence handed down for a gun-related parole violtion. Also on Wednesday, the Bears announced they signed a second draft pick – fifth-round safety Kevin Payne.
* Daunte Culpepper’s future remains cloudy as the Chiefs and quarterback Trent Green wait for one another to blink. Green is said to be pushing the matter with the Chiefs front office, which is said to be looking for a fourth-round pick from the Dolphins as compensation – something Miami is understandably unwilling to do. Green is expected to show up for the team’s OTAs later this month, which is the big concern. A year ago, the Titans banned then-starter Steve McNair from similar OTA workouts, because if he was injured, the Titans would be on the hook for his entire 2006 salary. The same would be true for Green, who is set to make $7.2 million if he remains a Chief.
[More at http://vikings.scout.com]
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