MANKATO, Minn. — The right arm of Adrian Peterson took care of the football. The left arm took care of Gerald Hodges.
Peterson shoved his teammate during a rush attempt in Tuesday's night practice. In addition to drawing noise from a lively crowd at Blakeslee Stadium, the action was captured in **slow-mo** by Vikings Entertainment Network.
Peterson had a media session Thursday and was asked how it felt to run over Hodges.
"I did not technically run him over. It could have been worse than that actually," Peterson said. "When I came through the hole, I saw him spin so I wanted to give him more of a shove instead of lowering my shoulder.
"He's been calling me out in one-on-ones, trying to get that lick back," Peterson added.
Hodges didn't care too much for how the play was billed on Twitter, which generated a joking response from @Vikings:
It's OK, Gerald, I've got you. I'll point out that Vikings teammates have been instructed not to hit Peterson in practices. I'll also point out that you batted down two passes at the line of scrimmage in Thursday's practice when the team returned from having Wednesday off.
QB-CENTER EXCHANGE:
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and center John Sullivan have only been teammates for a little more than a year, but they've developed a solid bond, communication skills that help with pass protection systems and athletic chemistry on exchanges.
They had an exchange of a different kind Thursday when Bridgewater congratulated Sullivan on the birth of his first son.
"I'm very excited for him and I wish him nothing but the best," Bridgewater said.
Sullivan said he didn't "think I was prepared for it," but "it's the most amazing thing I've seen in my entire life."
The Sullivan family didn't find out the gender until the birth, which occurred at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, where they've been devoted benefactors and helped provide for sick children.
3 PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS:
1) HANDS TEAM — Kyle Rudolph and Charles Johnson showcased strong hands on separate catches going toward the sidelines.
Rudolph boxed out Harrison Smith and reached for a well-placed ball by Bridgewater, and Johnson reached high and held on near the sideline, despite a challenge by Terence Newman. Those two plays are the kind that can build confidence between a QB and receiving targets.
2) SWAT TEAM — In addition to the two passes batted down by Hodges, Linval Joseph and Justin Trattou each swatted one pass.
3) MOVING POCKET — Rookie Taylor Heinicke showed awareness in the pocket, moved around and fired a strike along the sideline to Isaac Fruechte.
*Reminder: Friday's practice has been moved from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and the walk-through is scheduled for 3 p.m. It's scheduled to be the last public activity before the Vikings open the preseason against the Steelers Sunday.*
