MANKATO, Minn. -- At 8:45 a.m., Minnesota Vikings assistant head coach Mike Tice assembled his 13 remaining linemen on a hot, steamy practice field. He said several emotional words to them about their departed comrade, Korey Stringer, and then tried to get them focused on the most difficult task -- moving on.

The game went on for the Vikings on Tuesday, but it wasn't easy. Cris Carter, the spiritual leader of the team, joked around a little with Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper. It was their job as team leaders to try to make the abnormal situation of rebounding from Stringer's tragic death as normal as possible. As he often does, coach Dennis Green took a few minutes to speak to special Vikings fans given access to the field. Later, Carter ran down and spoke to the fans.

	Cris Carter, left, and Randy Moss are trying to lead the Vikings through this tough time.

And for only the second time this summer, the Vikings donned pads and did some hitting. Chris Liwienski moved from left guard to Stringer's spot at right tackle. Corbin Lacina took over Liwienski's left guard position. After practice, the Vikings started assembling a list of veteran linemen who might help out a backup group that includes four rookies and four seldom-used veterans.

"We're still somewhat in mourning," the 321-pound Liwienski said. "There is no doubt about it. We had a quiet moment together and just kind of talked about how we had to get back on track. We needed the work together. We hadn't been in pads since last Tuesday. It was a big day for us. No doubt about it."

Carter, Moss and Culpepper joked about what they thought Stringer would be saying or thinking in the early parts of practice. "Is he looking down at us right now?" Moss said. What "Big K" would have seen Tuesday morning was a team trying to struggle to move on. Fourteen players attended Stringer's funeral, and some joked how the team practiced Monday without them.

The practice was workmanlike. Safeties hit running backs. Defensive linemen banged against offensive linemen. Coaches started to see the type of team they will put on the field against the Saints in San Antonio on Saturday. Overall, the Vikings have not been completely together for five of the 18 full-team sessions scheduled for the short training camp in Mankato. Camp was shorter because for an early school session at Minnesota State at Mankato.

The Vikings missed a team scrimmage. They missed a double-session scrimmage against the Chiefs. They are behind physically. Emotionally, they are a wreck. Moss, only his fourth year and enriched recently by a $75 million contract, contemplated retirement during lonely moments without his friend, Stringer.

"The desire of playing football is really at its low," Moss said. "Thoughts of quitting and laying off crossed my mind a couple of times. But I've always been thinking since Big K left, 'What would he want me to do?' I will do whatever I can to help my team be successful and a champion."

The memories of Stringer's loss will stay with them. The Chiefs are still lamenting the death of Derrick Thomas, who died in 2000 in a car accident. Linebacker Donnie Edwards, for example, sat in the Chiefs' defensive meeting room and remembered the fun that Thomas would bring into that room during those first weekends off in training camp.

"Derrick would come in and say, 'I did this and I did that in Minnesota,' " Edwards said. "He made me laugh. It's going to be a tough year for the Vikings. Psychologically, it's going to take them a long time."

	“	I don't think dedicating the season to Big K would be really true to Big K. We're not talking about football. We're talking about a man's life. This will push us and motivate us so that he can look down on us and see what success that we are having. ”
		— Randy Moss on the late Korey Stringer

Culpepper dined with former Vikings teammate Bubby Brister, now a Chief, on Saturday night.

"Daunte's taking it pretty hard," Brister said. "There is a lot of character on that team. They've got to try to put it behind them. They've got to try to win for Korey. It's going to be tough to do."

Culpepper accepts, though, life won't be normal for the Vikings for a long time.

"It won't be normal," Culpepper said. "To get to be something and to do something, you've got to be able to go through something. Definitely, we've been through a lot in a short period of time. We're just going to build from it.

"You can't forget it. No. 77 is going to be with me the rest of my career."

At lunch time, Culpepper and others had a chance to forget about their problems. The 2002 version of Madden NFL 2002 was brought to the players lounge. Culpepper was able to play Culpepper. Players got into it. They had fun, and for a few minutes, they forget.

The temperature was hotter than a week ago. The highs were near 100 degrees. The humidity was the same. Green cut practice short by more than 45 minutes.

"It's very very hot," Carter said. "Today is one of the hottest days since I've been playing football. It's 100 percent humidity. I think that you have to be smart and do everything. Today was a lot hotter than last Tuesday."

A few players cramped up, but none were dehydrated. A few players were given a little extra rest between plays. But the Vikings survived.

Still, Moss wanted to make one thing clear. The Vikings will always love and remember Stringer, but they know him too well to simply dedicate the season to him.

"I don't think dedicating the season to Big K would be really true to Big K," Moss said. "We're not talking about football. We're talking about a man's life. This will push us and motivate us so that he can look down on us and see what success that we are having."

Big K would have been proud of his team Tuesday.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.