Injuries surface for two Vikings starters

While the quarterback switch dominates the news at Winter Park, a couple of key injuries are worth following.

With the news of the change at quarterback dominating the news, a pair of injuries that would have been headline stories in their own right have flown largely under the radar.

Adrian Peterson took part in a limited basis at practice Wednesday with a sore hamstring. There was no discussion following Sunday’s loss as to when A.D. felt the twinge in his hamstring, but the Vikings are being cautious in pushing him during practice. At Wednesday’s practice, Chester Taylor stepped up his practice routine in the event he will be needed to carry more of the offensive load for the Vikings.

Through the first two games of the season, it is clear that the workload isn’t going to be a split as it was early last season when Peterson and Taylor shared carries almost right down the middle. Peterson has 48 carries for 263 yards through two games, while Taylor has just nine carries for 37 yards – placing him third on the team behind Peterson and Tarvaris Jackson.

While Peterson is expected to be able to play Sunday against Carolina, the Vikings may be forced to lighten his load considerably from the 29 carries he had last Sunday.

In other injury news, Darren Sharper was added to the injury report Wednesday with a shoulder injury. The extent of the injury isn’t known, but, based on comments made by Sharper Wednesday about the preparation for the Panthers, it appears as though he will start Sunday.

VU will follow up on both of these potentially key injuries after today’s practice.

THURSDAY NOTES

We will find out later this morning whether the Vikings will receive a 24-hour extension to sell out the game, whether the switch to Gus Frerotte at QB spurred ticket sales or whether a corporate partner or the local FOX TV affiliate stepped up to purchase the remaining tickets to avoid a blackout. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 2,000 tickets remained unsold and the 107-game sellout streak the Vikings currently enjoy could go by the wayside. This story will be updated as news comes on or around the noon deadline.

The Panthers had some key players miss practice Wednesday, including G Travell Wharton (knee), DE Tyler Brayton (ankle), CB Chris Gamble (arm) and LB Na’il Diggs (shoulder).

Another team changing starting QBs this week is the Kansas City Chiefs. Injuries and ineffectiveness have prompted the change to former Viking Tyler Thigpen. The start will be the first of his career, making the matchup between him and Matt Ryan one of the least-experienced quarterback matchups of all time – Ryan will be making just his third NFL start.

Bernard Berrian continues to have problems with his toe and, when asked to give a percentage of health that he has, he said he couldn’t speculate, saying, “It’s as good now as it’s going to be.”

In other wide receiver news, Sidney Rice didn’t practice Wednesday with a strained PCL in his knee and is a question mark for Sunday.

The Seahawks wide receiver woes continue. The team released DE Jason Babin yesterday because, due to injuries, they have eight wide receivers on their roster. The team signed former Viking Koren Robinson this week and has already put him as a starter on the depth chart.

Former Vikings LB Keith Newman is in some serious hot water with authorities, facing multiple felony charges in Tampa. He was arrested and charged Monday and is being held on $10,000 bond with one count of grand theft and four counts of deposit with fraud. Newman is accused of cashing checks from a closed account and the charges carry felony implications.