National Football League

Break already? Bye comes early for Vikings

Published Sep. 28, 2010 12:09 a.m. ET

foxsports

Injuries and absences have created a choppy start to this season for the Minnesota Vikings.

Now it's being chopped up again.

The Vikings earned their first victory on Sunday after a pair of frustrating losses, but Brett Favre and his wide receivers are still trying to find their groove without Pro Bowl pick Sidney Rice. Following a film review of the win over Detroit, players scattered on Monday afternoon as the annual bye week began. Their next game isn't until Oct. 11, a Monday night matchup with the New York Jets.

Two starters in particular, center John Sullivan and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, sustained unspecified leg injuries against the Lions. Favre's soon-to-be-41-year-old body can always use a rest, and receiver-returner Percy Harvin has been bothered by a hip problem. So the break isn't all bad. Still, the timing of this year's bye for Minnesota makes sustaining whatever rhythm emerged from the weekend a more challenging objective.

''I don't think, ultimately, we'd love to have the bye right now,'' linebacker Ben Leber said.

Why not?

''You've got that good feeling. I think we've got a lot of good things going right now,'' Leber said. ''So it's that little momentum that we're kind of looking for. You'd love to just keep playing right now and then maybe get the bye. A perfect situation would be Week 8, Week 9. But we've got to deal with it, and just move on.''

For a veteran team coming off an NFC runner-up finish with the same coaching staff and starting lineup in place, the Vikings appear to be in need of more work together. That's mostly because Favre waited until mid-August to commit to another season, and Rice had hip surgery the week after that.

Harvin has missed a lot of time, too, and newcomers Greg Camarillo and Hank Baskett are continuing to catch up to speed with the playbook and with Favre. Injuries to Sullivan, Shiancoe and running back Toby Gerhart have hindered offensive progress, too.

Favre described a pregame conversation he had with Gerhart on Sunday about where he wants the rookie to go on third downs after his chip-blocking assignment.

''I'm like, 'Boy, I kind of hope he's on the same page as me,''' Favre said. ''That's kind of where we are right now offensively, if you look at the big picture.''

Favre said he planned to stay in town through Friday and study video, hoping for teammates to join him. Coach Brad Childress downplayed any concern about the latest interruption of practice time further hurting the redevelopment of this passing attack that was one of the NFL's most potent last year.

''I don't think it will gather rust or anything like that,'' Childress said. ''I think it probably serves us better. I've always believed during the bye week you don't beat up the players and you don't beat up the coaches. I know you can say, 'Couldn't you refine? Couldn't you get better?' ... I think we can move it as much as we can move in that time.''

Harvin also shrugged off any concern about the receivers and their rhythm with Favre.

''Defenses are playing us a little different than they did last year, but our timing is fine. We'll get going, and we'll be good,'' he said, adding: ''Just waiting patiently, and this offense will get going. It's going to be fun.''

The running game, at least, is in sync. Left guard Steve Hutchinson said the offensive line and running back Adrian Peterson ''weren't on the same page a lot of the time'' last year. He credited Peterson for reviewing his performance and increasing his patience.

Peterson pointed to an offseason conversation with now-retired running back Jamal Anderson and an offseason film study devised by running backs coach Eric Bieniemy as aids in the process.

''There were times that I was not patient, just pressing it and doing my own thing,'' Peterson said. ''I was able to study myself again and slow my tempo down and really give those guys up front the opportunity to lock up on those linebackers.''

NOTES: Childress on Sullivan and Shiancoe: ''I think they are going to live, both of them.'' ... Ryan Cook's emergency fill-in for Sullivan was widely praised, despite a couple of false-start penalties pinned on the new cadence that comes with a new center. ''He really did a great job. You didn't see any downturn or anything,'' Childress said.