Childress talks to A.D. about helmet incident

Vikings coach Brad Childress said he has talked with RB Adrian Peterson about taking off his helmet immediately after plays, a situation that could have cost the Vikings a win on Sunday.

Vikings coach Brad Childress wants star running back Adrian Peterson to keep his head on his shoulders and his helmet on his head when the Vikings are on the field.

Peterson took his helmet off after scoring the game-winning touchdown Sunday against the Green Bay Packers and the post-play activity has been called out as an act that should have been penalized. Had Peterson been penalized, it would have cost the Vikings 15 yards of field position on their kickoff and the Packers could have been in much better field position to start their final drive. Green Bay started on its 41-yard line and eventually settled for a 52-yard field goal attempt that would have given the Packers a 30-28 lead with 26 seconds left had the kick not gone just wide right.

“I wasn’t there. I can’t figure out why anything wasn’t done about that but I will say this: It frustrates me that we didn’t do anything about that,” NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira told Sirius NFL Radio. “You can’t take your helmet off either to argue a call or to celebrate. If you’re in a timeout period or a measurement or a challenge, there are times when you can take your helmet off on the field, or when you’re nearing your team area when you approach the bench. But when you score like that, when you remove your helmet you should be flagged. Or when you take off your helmet to argue with the officials you should be flagged, too, and it frustrates me, quite frankly, that we didn’t do that.”

Childress had a different point of view.

“I thought he was off the field and saying a prayer. I think his helmet got knocked sideways a little bit,” Childress said. “I didn’t think he was demonstrative about it and I thought he was out of bounds as well. I didn’t think it was him celebrating.”

Childress said he has addressed the situation with Peterson and spoke to Pereira on Tuesday.

“I didn’t think he was trying to be ostentatious or anything like that,” Childress said of Peterson. “I understand what the spirit of the rule is. Obviously it was called to his attention.

“Emotion is part of this game with football. At some positions it’s great to be frothing at the mouth – offensive line, defensive line – (but) you still have to be able to think. … Emotion is part of this game. He’s highly competitive already and then he gets his adrenaline going, there is nothing wrong with that, as long as it isn’t a deterrent, where he’s blinded by it. I’m glad he’s an emotional guy, just like I’m glad Gus (Frerotte) is a flat-line guy.”

NOTES

Childress said CB Charles Gordon could have surgery on Wednesday night or Thursday on his broken ankle. He was traveling to Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday to consult with foot specialist Dr. Bob Anderson. Gordon will undergo about a four-month rehabilitation process and should be available by minicamps next year. However, Gordon is scheduled to be a free agent in 2009.

As of noon Wednesday, the Vikings had not made a roster move to fill Gordon’s spot. Gordon was placed on season-ending injured reserve.