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 The Minnesota Vikings' comeback story was so compelling the team
added Tuesday as an access day so reporters could cover the return
of running back Adrian Peterson, who was on the commissioner's
exempt list and reserve/suspended for all but two games last season.
He played one game and was inactive for the other.
Three quarterbacks also made comebacks of varying degrees at
Tuesday's OTAs, including Sam Bradford practicing with the
Philadelphia Eagles' first team; the Oakland Raiders' Derek Carr
throwing passes for the first time since injuring a finger on his
right hand; and Johnny Manziel working for another shot with the
Cleveland Browns.
Peterson's return was by far the most dramatic after the three-time
All-Pro was the subject of controversy last season when commissioner
Roger Goodell put him on the exempt list when it was learned the
running back punished his son by spanking him with a stick.
Here is a closer look at news from NFL teams with open access during
Tuesday's OTAs.
--Minnesota Vikings: An apologetic Peterson returned to Winter Park
for the Vikings' second week of OTA practices. He was greeted by
open arms and hugs from teammates and coaches. He practiced,
allowing offensive coordinator Norv Turner to fool the defense with
a play-action deep pass on Peterson's first snap since he was exiled
from the team and the NFL when a Houston grand jury handed up an
indictment on child-abuse charges the Friday before the Vikings'
Week 2 game last September.
And then Peterson faced the media for 19 minutes. He is likely to
score even more points with a skeptical and sour fan base for the
remorseful tone he took and for admitting multiple times that, "I
made a mistake" for the injuries he caused when he used a wooden
switch to discipline his 4 1/2-year-old son.
"The first person I apologized to was my son," Peterson said. "That
was right after the situation took place, when I realized what had
happened. I apologized about the mistake that I made. It wasn't my
intentions. And I've been trying to move forward since. I made a
mistake, and I don't take that lightly."
Peterson said he missed last week's OTAs because of a personal
commitment. Head coach Mike Zimmer said the Vikings made no
contractual concessions to get Peterson to show up, but added, "I'll
always fight for my players."
--Oakland Raiders: Carr appears to be making his way back to the
field. The second-year quarterback threw a few short passes to
running backs during drills, but he was a spectator during live team
sessions at OTAs on Tuesday.
Two weeks ago, Carr didn't practice at all, and last week he took a
few snaps but restricted his activities to handoffs and pitchouts.
Carr has an injured right ring finger, according to ESPN, but
neither Carr nor the team has confirmed that. Raiders coach Jack Del
Rio said it is club policy not to discuss injuries during the
offseason with regard to nature, severity or a timetable on when an
athlete might return.
By being unable to throw, Carr has been denied the chance to develop
timing with a new offense that features new receivers in first-round
draft pick Amari Cooper and free agent acquisition Michael Crabtree.
--Philadelphia Eagles: Bradford ran the first-team offense Tuesday
in his continued recovery from ACL surgery and corresponding
assimilation to the starting job with his new team.
Bradford, acquired from the St. Louis Rams in a trade for
quarterback Nick Foles, is recovering from a second surgery in as
many years to repair a torn knee ligament. Wearing a sleeve on his
left knee, Bradford rotated with holdover Mark Sanchez in
seven-on-seven passing drills Tuesday.
"I think he's right on schedule in terms of where he is," coach Chip
Kelly said last week of Bradford's health.
Sanchez said he was promised a chance to compete for the No. 1 job
when he opted to return to the Eagles, signing a two-year deal as an
unrestricted free agent in March.
Tim Tebow, who signed last month, and Matt Barkley, who held the No.
3 job to begin the 2014 season, are competing for the No. 3 spot in
OTAs.
--Cleveland Browns: Contrary to an Internet report that grabbed
headlines last week, the Browns are not ready to give up on Manziel.
The OTA session on Tuesday was the first open to the media since
Manziel threw a water bottle in the direction of a heckling fan
Saturday at a hotel pool in Irving, Texas.
Asked to comment, coach Mike Pettine dismissed the water-bottle
incident as "a non-story." No charges were filed, no one was
arrested, and according to the Irving police, no written police
report was filed.
Pettine also responded to a report on ESPN Cleveland claiming the
Browns are moving on from Manziel with Josh McCown as the
unchallenged starter.
"I don't pay much attention to what's going on outside the building,
but when it potentially can drive a spike between the staff and the
team, I have issues with it," Pettine said.
"To me, to talk about how a team has potentially moved on from a
player or he's not in the plans, it's just irresponsible. We're just
teaching basic offense, and we're going to get to the point where
(when) a certain player is in there, we will tailor a game plan to
match their strengths, so I thought he has done an outstanding job
so far, grasping what we're doing.
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"I thought he made some real nice throws today and he's had his days
where he's struggled, but that's natural. One, learning a new
offense, and two, going against a defense that is significantly
ahead simply due to chemistry and cohesion and knowledge of the
book, so I think we all feel good about where he is."
--Kansas City Chiefs: Footwork is on the mind of quarterback Alex
Smith during the Chiefs' offseason program.
Smith is concentrating on being more consistent in his throwing
mechanics. Even going into his 10th NFL season, the fundamentals
remain a work in progress.
"Footwork is something that never goes away; you are constantly
trying to get better with your feet," Smith said. "For me, it's
about working to be more consistent whether under center or in the
(shotgun). It's something tha when looking at the tape from last
year I was all over the place.
"(Footwork is) really so important to quarterbacks. It's the
foundation of throwing, and I'm working to get to a point where I'm
consistent with that. I think with that you are more balanced, and
over the long haul you are going to complete more balls and throw
better balls. I'm trying to be as efficient as I can."
Over nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Chiefs, Smith has
completed 60.4 percent of his throws, but in his past 41 games, he
improved to 66.7 percent. Last season, he turned in one of the most
successful passing seasons of his career, completing 65.3 percent of
his attempts.
--Pittsburgh Steelers: A key concern in the spring for the Steelers
is to rebuild a defense that fell far from being the dominant force
that characterized the team for decades.
Former linebackers coach Keith Butler replaced longtime defensive
coordinator Dick LeBeau this year, and he will be forced to count on
plenty of youngsters to come through for him, albeit those with
strong college resumes.
They include two first-round draft picks at linebacker, Jarvis Jones
on the right outside and Ryan Shazier on the inside. Both were hurt
last season but showed some promise beforehand. There also is
cornerback Cortez Allen, who signed a five-year, $26 million
contract before last season and then was benched for poor
performance halfway through it.
There is more. Stephon Tuitt will open his second season as the
starting left defensive end. Senquez Golson, a rookie second-round
pick, could wind up playing in the nickel defense. Shamarko Thomas,
entering his third season, will try to replace Troy Polamalu at
safety. The Steelers traded a third-round draft pick in 2014 in
order to draft him in the fourth round in 2013, but he has been hurt
and disappointing so far.
--Green Bay Packers: The Packers jumped back onto one of their
outdoor practice fields Tuesday for the second week of OTAs with
encouraging news.
Defensive back Damarious Randall, the Packers' first-round draft
pick this year, took part in 11-on-11 drills for the first time.
Randall had been relegated to position drills since his arrival in
Green Bay in early May because of an ankle injury.
"It's good to get him in the team stuff and get him past the
individual (work)," coach Mike McCarthy said.
Randall missed most of the team's rookie orientation camp a week
after the draft because of the injury. The Packers' medical staff
also held him back during the opening week of OTAs.
Randall is being converted from a college safety at Arizona State,
where he excelled as an athletic playmaker the last two years, to a
cornerback. Randall projects to contribute initially in the slot,
though he could contend for the starting spot on the perimeter
vacated by the free agent departure of longtime starter Tramon
Williams.
Randall is the only member of Green Bay's eight-player draft class
who is unsigned.
Green Bay's defense also had veteran outside linebacker Julius
Peppers in action Tuesday after he was sidelined last week with an
illness.
Rookie quarterback Brett Hundley, a fifth-round draft pick, made his
first appearance in front of Packers fans Tuesday. Hundley missed
the OTAs last week, as he attended the NFL Players Association's
Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles with new teammate Ty Montgomery, a
wide receiver.
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