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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- I joined a number of reporters Wednesday afternoon at the Minnesota Vikings' practice facility, where tailback Adrian Petersonwas scheduled to discuss the rehabilitation of his surgically-repaired left knee. On cue, Peterson popped his head through the door. With athletic trainer Eric Sugarman at his side, Peterson motioned for us to join him at the far end of the practice field.

For the next 15 minutes, Peterson demonstrated the extent of his progress by running two sets of sideline-to-sideline sprints. He performed a series of box jumps, moved laterally to catch a rolling soccer ball and ran tight circles around a wide hula hoop.

The scene was impressive for a player 19 weeks removed from tearing two ligaments in his knee. As he caught his breath afterwards, Peterson reiterated his intent to be ready for the Vikings' Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, by far the early side of the typical range for injuries as significant as his.

"People can say what they want to say," he said. "I've got my goals."

I felt conflicted watching Peterson work out and listening to his optimism. Part of me admired his intense desire to return ahead of schedule. The other part kept flashing back to the end of "Fargo."

And for what?

If it wasn't clear before, it should be obvious now. The Vikings have launched a full-scale roster rebuild that should better position them for the long-term but will almost certainly sacrifice the short-term to do it. The latest evidence was this week's decision to jettison still-reliable place-kicker Ryan Longwell for rookie Blair Walsh, perhaps the most extreme example of the team's systematic effort to make its roster younger.

A cynic might say the Vikings know they won't compete for an NFC North title in 2012, making this season as good of a time as any to break in a new place-kicker. Here's what general manager Rick Spielman said Wednesday:

"I think our emphasis has always been trying to get our team better, get it younger, and that's the direction we kind of went. It just fits in with everything else we’re kind of honed in on this offseason."

It's hard to argue with that approach after a 9-23 record over the past two seasons. But as we first discussed last fall, it threatens to nullify the prime of one of the NFL's best players.

Peterson is 27 and has taken the pounding of five professional seasons. By the standards of NFL running backs, at least, the clock on his career is already ticking. It's more than reasonable to wonder what type of performer he will be when the Vikings see the fruit of their rebuilding project.

I asked Peterson what he thought of the Vikings' offseason approach, and he focused mostly on praising Spielman's draft. Peterson also admitted that "the biggest part of my motivation" to return in Week 1 is because "I know how much I mean to this organization." He added: "I want to be out there helping my team and organization accomplish the ultimate goal."

Even with Peterson in the starting lineup, the Vikings figure to have new starters at 11 positions in 2012 in addition to an unproven second-year quarterback in Christian Ponder. In all likelihood, it will be a year measured by progress, not playoff contention.

I'm not going to suggest the Vikings should hold Peterson out of the lineup once he's medically cleared. But in the big picture, there seems to be every reason to take it as slow as possible. If Peterson can avoid some wear and tear during a rebuilding season, wouldn't that help the Vikings in the long-term?

That's a cold and calculated analysis that isn't likely to apply in this case. Neither the Vikings nor Peterson should time his rehabilitation progress based on the projected competitiveness of the team. NFL teams are expected to compete with all available resources at all times. It's not for Peterson to "save" himself for future seasons. The timing is what it is.

The best thing Peterson can do in the short-term is help this team squeeze out a few more victories than it appears capable of while imposing his fanatical work ethic on others. He seems to understand that as well. During rehabilitation a few weeks ago, Peterson noticed some teammates running sprints. Sugarman gave him permission to join them. He wiped out the field.

"Those guys got an understanding of 'Hey, he's really pushing hard to get back out to a level better than he played at before' and it was even more motivation for those guys," Peterson said. "It was like, 'Hey he's out here four months and he's beating us.' Maybe we need to do something different."

Knowing Adrian Peterson, he'll do everything he can to will the Vikings to more success than expected in 2012. It's reasonable to question whether it will be enough, and to wonder how long it will take the rest of this roster to catch up. Will Adrian Peterson be this generation's Barry Sanders? Is he a Hall of Fame player whose career window doesn't match up with his team's window for winning? That's what it feels like at the moment.

Minnesota Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson appeared in public Friday for the first time since suffering a significant left knee injury Dec. 24. The big takeaway: Peterson has set a personal goal of recovering in time to play in the first game of the 2012 season.

Peterson, of course, is only two weeks removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament; he also tore the medial collateral ligament. That puts us awfully early in the process toward projecting his return, and athletic trainer Eric Sugarman told reporters: "We're not in a race. We're not going to rush him."

Whenever he returns, Peterson pledged to be stronger than ever.

"I know that anything I put my mind to," Peterson said, "I'm going to be able to accomplish. I feel like I'm going to come back better than before. I know people might laugh at that or think otherwise. But you know what? It doesn't matter what they think or how they feel about it."

Video of the entire 23-minute news conference is available on the Vikings' web site.

In news conferences Monday, Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman both expressed hope that tailback Adrian Peterson can return from a serious knee injury sometime early in the 2012 season. It's an optimistic timetable given Peterson's position and his injury, which includes two torn ligaments and some other damage, but the Vikings believe his history of quick recoveries and work ethic gives him a legitimate chance to hit that goal.

Whether Peterson returns in Week 1 or Week 4 or at midseason in 2012, the question most fans have is what type of player he will be at that point. We obviously can't begin to assess that question, not with surgery still a week or more away and with many, many interim points of progress to hit first.

What we can do, however, is recognize that Peterson has already begun an evolution from the rare breakaway threat he was as a rookie to a more traditional between-the-tackles runner. That's not at all surprising for an NFL running back after nearly five years of wear and tear, and in a perverse way it offers hope for his future production levels.

Check out the chart accompanying this post. Peterson had 31 rushes of 20 or more yards in his first two seasons. Over the next three, he has 28. Obviously his carries have decreased in every year as well, but generally speaking that's not a surprising trend.

So what does this mean? If you're worried that this injury will rob Peterson of his breakaway speed, well, the fact is he has been going down that road already for the past few years and has still been a highly productive runner. The real concern is if Peterson will regain the strength he needs to be the power runner he was already becoming. Take that for what it's worth.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Imagine this: If all goes as planned, at least one NFC North training camp will be underway one month from today.

The Chicago Bears are scheduled to begin practice at Olivet Nazarene University on July 23, and the rest of the division would open camps by the end of the following week. It's all contingent, of course, on the NFL agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players soon and the lockout being lifted by early July. It would be a tight timetable but would probably allow for a week or so of free agency before the Bears report to camp.

Two NFL teams, the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, have already canceled plans for off-site training camps because of lockout uncertainty. The Bears apparently face no deadlines along those lines, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

The Minnesota Vikings, the other NFC North team with an off-site training camp, have said they will inform Minnesota State University, Mankato, of their plans by July 15.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune profiles Ed McCaskey, 24, grandson of the former Bears chairman and a media relations manager for an independent league baseball team.
• Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy will speak at a Fayetteville, N.C., sports banquet Monday at the request of longtime NFL assistant Jimmy Raye. Earl Vaughn Jr. of the Fayetteville Observer has more.
• Packers fans are rallying around former player Fuzzy Thurston, who is selling his Super Bowl II ring to pay back taxes. Scott Venci of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has the story.
• Detroit Lions guard Rob Sims is talking playoffs, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press: "I agree. I think it's time. I don't think it's premature. I think we put the work in last year and went through the bumps. We took the licks that we needed to take last year. It is time for us to think that way. It's time for us to get ready to play that way. Attitude is everything. If you set those goals high, you can reach those goals."
• Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder will wrap up his work at the IMG Academy this week, notes Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune.
• Michael Rand of the Star Tribune profiles Matt Mitrione, a former Vikings player who is now a prominent mixed martial arts fighter.
• Vikings athletic trainer Eric Sugarman is a member of the Hazleton (Pa.) Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Just returned from my third and final trip to the field at TCF Bank Stadium. A few observations:

• Quarterback Brett Favre took the field shortly after 6 p.m. ET to begin lightly throwing and testing the sprained SC joint near his right shoulder. Favre threw at intervals of 10 and 15 yards, throwing harder than he did 10 days ago in his last practice appearance but not nearly as hard as he would need to for a game. Athletic trainer Eric Sugarman, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers were all in attendance. If Favre plays Monday night, it won’t be based on the throwing session I watched.
• There are absolutely some icy parts of the field. As I watched Favre, several members of the grounds crew were using sledgehammers to try to break up a patch of ice about five yards away from the sideline.
• The field itself is not frozen but is definitely hard. I’m not sure what this means, but snowplows are kicking up the rubber portions of the Field Turf that are in place to soften the material. The snow piles surrounding the perimeter of the field have turned gray because they have so many rubber bits embedded in them.
• The Vikings will have to declare Favre’s status around 7 p.m. ET.
• Entrance of fans into the stadium has been orderly. From what I can see, the bleacher seats have several inches of snow piled on them.

Yes, it's true that the Minnesota Vikings upgraded quarterback Brett Favre from "out" to "questionable" for Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears.

Yes, I was mistaken on Twitter early Monday. There is no NFL rule preventing teams from classifying a player as out -- which, by definition means they have zero percent chance of playing two days before kickoff -- and then adjusting the dial to questionable on game day. The NFL's communications office has straightened me out on that one. The ability to make that kind of move further undermines what is already a shaky system for reporting injuries, but that's for another day.

Now, to the issue at hand. Could Favre really play in this game? Is this a last-minute decision to manufacture some kind of competitive advantage over the Bears? Or, more sinisterly, is it an avenue for the Vikings to give Favre a career sendoff with some kind of ceremonial snap before giving way to rookie Joe Webb?

Here are the facts:

1. Favre hasn't thrown since spraining his SC joint Dec. 5 against the Buffalo Bills. In a number of media interviews, Favre -- the man who refused to sit for 297 consecutive games over 18 years-- strongly suggested his career was over.
2. Favre attempted to throw before Saturday's practice, but coach Leslie Frazier said: "That shoulder and arm is not quite where it needs to be, so he definitely won't participate on Monday night." Frazier said there was some lessening in the numbness in Favre's right hand, but that his condition was "just not enough where you could put him out to play."
3. In a carefully orchestrated series of events, the Vikings notified several media outlets that Favre had been upgraded. In a statement posted at about the same time on the team website, athletic trainer Eric Sugarman made this claim: "Brett Favre attempted to throw the football two days ago and was unable to, due to pain in the SC joint and residual numbness from a brachial plexus injury. He declared himself out at that time. He woke up this morning feeling much improved. His symptoms and function have improved dramatically over the past 24 hours. In fairness to him and his team, he would like to be given the opportunity to play tonight if physically able."
4. The Vikings also announced they had promoted practice squad quarterback R.J. Archer to the active roster and placed guard Steve Hutchinson on injured reserve. That means the Vikings have four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster for Monday night's game.
5. Favre is expected to throw about 2 1/2 hours before game time to gauge how much progress has been made, according to the Vikings.

I freely admit this turn of events has left me nearly at a loss for words.

It's hard to believe that any NFL franchise, even one that has been caught on the wrong side of the truth-o-meter several times this season, would find it worth its time to orchestrate a charade of this magnitude. The Vikings have been caught up in nostalgia this week as they celebrate their 50th anniversary, but a ceremonial farewell that impacts the actual game and roster management is almost unheard-of in the NFL.

Frazier has proved to be an honest and dignified man during his tenure as a head coach. Remember, just two days ago, Frazier said: "He definitely won't participate on Monday night." There was no ambiguity in those words. I really want to take Frazier at his word.

But on the other hand, it's no less difficult to believe that even Favre -- the bionic man of football -- could have made such a quick physical and mental turnaround over the past 24 hours. And if the Vikings thought there was a realistic chance of him playing, why would they promote a fourth quarterback onto their roster?

I will be heading shortly to TCF Bank Stadium. We can only hope that everything here is on the up and up. If not, this episode will cement the Vikings as the laughingstock of the entire NFL this season.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

We've reached the midpoint of the preseason, which means we're coming up on the two-week mark before the NFL's real season begins. Bit by bit, we're learning more about each NFC North team. It's still early to start drawing many conclusions, but as we sit here on Aug. 23, I think we can establish the following four facts. Hopefully you use your knowledge wisely as you embark upon this Monday:

1. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (154.0 passer rating) is a beast.
2. The preseason is filled with ups and downs, but to this point, the Chicago Bears haven't done anything well yet.
3. Behind quarterback Matthew Stafford (72.4 completion percentage, one interception in 29 attempts), the Detroit Lions are going to score some points this season.
4. For all of the talk about the offensive line in Chicago, the Minnesota Vikings have quietly developed a mini-crisis there as well. Sunday night's shift of right guard Anthony Herrera to center was a warning sign.

We'll develop these themes and others throughout the week. For now, a quick spin around the division:

• Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune examines the state of the Bears' offensive line: "Growing pains were expected. They've moved to a new offense that calls for more seven-step drops than they've used previously, and new line coach Mike Tice has been charged with reshuffling the deck. But left tackle Chris Williams, the 14th pick of the 2008 draft, was supposed to be one of the sure things."
• Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times offers some Bears perspective: "In the 2006 preseason, the Bears' offense was impotent, but the team played in the Super Bowl. In the 2007 preseason, the Bears acquired Darwin Walker to replace Tank Johnson, a good move at the time, and they seemed to have one of the best rosters in the league. They finished 7-9."
• The Bears' defense needs to improve on third-and-long, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.
• The Detroit Lions used defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh at right end Saturday night for two plays as an experiment to alleviate double teams, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
• Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com: "The Lions still are trying to figure out the situation at right tackle. Jon Jansen started and played most of the first half with Gosder Cherilus also getting some reps with the No. 1 offense."
• The Lions' secondary is "living down to expectations," writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
• The Green Bay Packers found out Saturday night what it's like to play without cornerback Charles Woodson, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Roughly three weeks before the Packers open the regular season, [coach Mike] McCarthy and his offensive staff probably know about as much about their running attack as they did the day training camp opened. In two exhibition games, starting running back Ryan Grant has carried the ball eight times, two fewer than the team's three quarterbacks."
• Packers tight end Tom Crabtree is making a push to make the team, writes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• We'll have more on the Vikings' 15-10 loss at San Francisco a bit later, but now is the best time to point out Andrea Kremer's piece on receiver Percy Harvin over on MSNBC.com. Vikings athletic trainer Eric Sugarman told Kremer that Harvin did not collapse last week as a direct result of migraine headaches "but rather as a complication of other factors, which may include an adverse reaction to medication, dehydration and low blood pressure."

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Minnesota receiver Bernard Berrian is on the field getting stretched by Minnesota athletic trainer Eric Sugarman. Berrian’s playing status is a game-time decision because of a hamstring injury, and it’s getting about time to make that call.

Berrian is also running routes under the watchful eyes of Sugarman, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and receivers coach George Stewart. We expect the Vikings to announce their decision sometime around 2:45 p.m. ET.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

MANKATO, Minn. -- I'm set to head north and continue the NFC North training camp crawl, but I stuck around Minnesota State University, Mankato, on Tuesday morning to see if anything changed with the condition of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.

	AP Photo/Jim Mone
	Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has been sidelined for five practices with a sprained knee.

Jackson has missed five practices after spraining his left knee. Wearing a custom brace, Jackson threw and ran with athletic trainer Eric Sugarman and afterward stopped to talk to a few reporters about his recovery. Jackson said he is not concerned about the impact of another injury on his reputation and is certain he will be back in time for the Vikings' first preseason game Aug. 14 at Indianapolis.

Here's the majority of Jackson's interview session:

How are you feeling and do you have a goal for returning?

Tarvaris Jackson: Not a certain goal but as soon as possible. I feel a lot better the last couple of days. I was in there with [Sugarman] doing whatever they tell me to do and just trying to get back out there.

How frustrating was it to get hurt so early in camp?

TJ: I didn't want it to happen, but I didn't let it get to me like that. I just took it as another thing that is testing my mental toughness. I just took it like that and tried to stay strong and stay focused.

Are you starting to get concerned about the number of knee injuries you've had?

TJ: Not really. I feel like just fluke stuff has happened. Every injury I've had, I've felt that it was just fluke injuries. I avoided injuries pretty much throughout my whole career until I got here. I guess it's just catching up to me, getting my share like every other guy. It happens to everybody. It's a contact sport. You try to avoid it as much as possible by training and everything but it's going to happen.

Fluke or not, do you worry that the injuries will impact the Vikings' judgment of you and/or their confidence in you staying on the field?

TJ: No. I don't worry about that. If they do, then that's just the way they operate. But no, I don't think so.

Do you feel like you're losing time to Sage Rosenfels?

TJ: No, not really. Obviously the other guys are getting a lot more reps and they are getting more familiar with the offense and everything. But I'm still in the meeting room studying every day. I'm still in there watching film, watching the things they do pretty good, and just watch what they're doing. I'm not able to do it physically right now. But I'm still tuned in mentally.

How does this compare to your sprained knee last year?

TJ: It was a lot worse last year. I've recovered a lot faster this time. Last year, two or three days after my injury, I wasn't doing as much as I was now.

Are you confident this will be behind you in time for the first preseason game?

TJ: Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure I'll be back out there by then at 100 percent. I'm just taking it day by day right now.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

Hello and hope everyone is having a great weekend. Just popping in to make sure you saw Ed Werder's latest update on the status of quarterback Brett Favre.

According to the report, Minnesota offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell workout out Favre last week in Hattiesburg, Miss., about the same time as athletic trainer Eric Sugarman visited. Favre, according to Werder, wants to play for Minnesota but still isn't ready to commit because of lingering soreness in his right shoulder. Favre apparently warned the Vikings he might not make a decision until shortly before their July 29 reporting date for training camp.

I know there has been a lot of speculation that a deal could be announced this week, in part to give the Vikings a publicity surge for when they start selling individual game tickets July 20. My feeling all along is that Favre hardly considers ticket sales his top priority and that this thing will come down to the final moments.

It's always possible that something could occur sooner. But there's no reason to believe Favre will make a commitment before he has to.

Now, get back to the Entourage premiere.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

I'm guessing I'm not the only one who got sucked into "There's Something About Mary" on the tube Wednesday night. I've seen it at least 512 times, but it's been a while and I had to laugh when I saw Brett Favre (circa 1998) enter stage left.

It brought to mind a funny, but possibly apocryphal, story that emerged in the wake of Favre's somewhat stiff performance. ("You know I'll always be true to you, Mary.") Responding to some good-natured grief from teammates, Favre eventually said something like, Hey, how many movies have you stunk in?

Indeed. Words to live by.

Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune reports Favre was visited by Minnesota athletic trainer Eric Sugarman on Wednesday. The timing makes sense given Favre's ongoing rehabilitation from surgery to release a partially torn right biceps. But it doesn't really give a clue about the timing of Favre's ultimate decision.

I guess it's possible the Vikings could make an announcement sometime in the next two or three weeks. But I'd be really surprised if Favre makes a public appearance in Minnesota before the start of training camp July 29. I'm not sure he has much incentive to travel north for a press conference and then head back to his home in Mississippi to await training camp. Just my own two bits of speculation.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• As the media battle for Favre tidbits heats up, Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the Vikings have customized 40 percent of their playbook for Favre's arrival. (Wait, I thought Favre knew the Vikings' offense so well he could "teach it"?)
• Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean talks to Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler about his friendship with former Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair. According to Cutler, McNair helped prep him for the 2006 Senior Bowl by teaching him the Titans' offense.
• Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago takes a look at the free-agent safeties still available should the Bears decide their depth is lacking. The list includes Will Demps and Dwight Smith.
• Despite indications that Jason Spitz will be Green Bay's new center, Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin says that veteran Scott Wells will have a chance to win that job. Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette spoke with Philbin.
• Detroit rookie running back Aaron Brown, a sixth-round pick, showed some explosiveness in offseason practices, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

MINNEAPOLIS -- I'm watching Minnesota nose tackle Pat Williams do some mild contact drills under the watchful eye of Vikings athletic trainer Eric Sugarman.

Williams fractured his scapula three weeks ago and is hoping to be active and have some role Sunday against the Eagles. Williams didn't do much during his workout and so, one way or the other, it seems a decision has been made.

The fact that Williams is wearing typical pregame attire, as opposed to the warm-ups most inactive players wear, suggests he will be in uniform. We'll have the inactive list soon.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Just got upstairs from a stroll on Lambeau Field. From a weather perspective, this is about as perfect as you could ask for a football game. There hasn't been any rain, and the temperature is hovering around 60 degrees. It feels pretty good down there.

One note to pass along: During pre-game warmups, Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was wearing a brace on his right knee. (He sprained his medial collateral ligament three weeks ago.) Jackson, however, didn't have his uniform pulled over the brace -- suggesting he still hasn't decided whether to wear it for this game.

It's at least a mildly relevant issue; Jackson isn't a running quarterback but generally feels more comfortable when he has full mobility. No matter how minor the brace, it's going to hinder him to some extent. The teams just went back into their locker rooms, where Jackson and athletic trainer Eric Sugarman will make a final decision on whether he wears the brace.