Practice? Practice?

Adrian Peterson wasn't wearing a red no-contact jersey Friday as he and a cast of dozens -- some named, others from parts unknown -- convened at Winter Park for the first day of the team's three-day rookie minicamp.

Day One of the Adrian Peterson Era came off without a hitch.

Amid reports that he would have to have a titanium rod or perhaps a “Gladiator” type breast plate inserted in his collarbone/shoulder region, Peterson took part in the first Vikings rookie minicamp Friday.

Perhaps of biggest interest was how Peterson would respond during receiving drills. While limited in the number of plays in which he was asked to catch passes, he did well in the one-on-one drills, which was a topic of conversation in the media-friendly interview session with Peterson, second-round pick Sidney Rice and head coach Brad Childress.

“It’s definitely something I can handle,” Peterson said of being a receiver, something he was rarely asked to do at the University of Oklahoma. “I’ll continue to work on it. There’s always room for improvement, just staying focused on the little things that are going to bring your game to the next level. Catching the ball is definitely one of the things they like to do with a running back, so I will just keep improving catching the ball and (improve) my overall game.”

SATURDAY NOTES
* Brock Lesnar fans unite! The Vikings of the Childress Administration have outdone the Tice Administration once again. Looking for the “Next Big Thing” from the wrestling fan’s perspective? Look no further. He has arrived and his name is Joe Anoai. One could argue that nobody comes from a more prodigious pro ‘rasslin’ background than the new No. 65 of the Vikings. His father and uncle were the fabled Afa and Seeka – the WWF great tag champs the Wild Somoans on the 1970s. He is cousins with the late Yokozuna, a former WWF heavyweight champion. Another first-cousin was Rikishi, another WWF/WWE star. His brother is Rosey, who made a name for himself as a tag partner with Shane “The Hurricane” Helms. Another cousin is the latest hot heel property of the WWE – a man-beast known as Umaga. Anoai may not be able to get Sable to slide into training camp in a limo, but Lesnar definitely has competition. Expect to see VU the magazine hit this angle hard.
* The Vikings were able field a rather large contingent of players at the first practice of minicamp, but many of them were forced to remain anonymous. Apparently sparing the feelings of those weekend invitees brought to Winter Park for the rookie minicamp, the team declined to name almost half of the players taking part in practice. Who knows? Maybe they would have liked the write-up – or at least keep the roster sheet to prove to friends later that they did actually play (or practice) with a NFL team.
* The disposition of Daunte Culpepper remains up in the air as talks between the Chiefs and Dolphins have resumed in a Trent Green-related trade. Anything Cam Cameron can do to get the focus off the booing and jeering he received for reaching much too high to get a punt returner (a.k.a. Ted Ginn Jr.) with the ninth pick, the better.