Injured Vikings Return to Practice at Training Camp

At exactly 10:30 this morning — head coach Mike Zimmer runs a tight ship — injured Minnesota Vikings Brian Robison, Captain Munnerlyn, and Phil Loadholt will return to practice, taking part in the team’s first walkthrough since June’s minicamp activities. Their recoveries from a handful of injuries are a positive sign as the Vikings begin training camp in Mankato, Minnesota.

During his press conference yesterday, Mike Zimmer addressed the status of Robinson, who strained his pectoral muscle in May while working out at Winter Park. At the time of his injury, Robison told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press that he’d be “OK”, but fans still worried about the eight-year veteran. At 32-years-old, many have speculated if Robison can continue to be productive on the field, especially after a disappointing 2014 season on it. When asked if Robison will be ready, Zimmer kept it short and sweet, as only Zimmer can:

[quote_center]”I do.”[/quote_center]

Zimmer took the podium before team physicals yesterday, so we’ve yet to see who will start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. But, players know themselves better than anyone, and Captain Munnerlyn believes he’s ready to take his starting job back. When asked by the Star Tribune’s Matt Vensel if he was healthy enough to practice, Munnerlyn sounded confident in his recovery:

[quote_center]“Better be. I’ve been out eight weeks, so I should be ready to roll.”[/quote_center]

The veteran cornerback hasn’t practiced since injuring his right foot on the first day of Vikings OTAs. While Munnerlyn sat on the sidelines in a walking boot, players like Jabari Price and Trae Waynes took reps at nickel cornerback, where Munnerlyn is expected to start if healthy. Now that he’s walking boot-free, Munnerlyn will have his chance to win the position back.

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As Adam wrote yesterday, Anthony Barr is nearly 100 percent recovered from a minor knee injury and will “ease his way into training camp” activities. Veteran right tackle Phil Loadholt missed a chunk of 2014 with a torn pectoral muscle, but the Vikings expect he’ll practice after sitting out all of OTAs.

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