EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Less than a week from arthroscopic knee surgery, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway is walking unhindered and said he will be ready for the start of training camp on July 26.
Greenway, 30, had a minor "clean up" surgery on June 12 to ensure he would be ready for training camp after having trouble pop up with his knee during organized team activities. Greenway is rehabbing the injury and not participating in this week's minicamp, but he was walking around the practice fields on Tuesday during the team's mandatory minicamp.
"It was minor and just something that needed to be done," Greenway said. "If I risked going into the season then you miss training camp, miss games and that's not something we wanted to do. Kind of something that popped up out here at OTAs and didn't expect to be doing it. But I don't want to be that guy in training camp or Week 1 saying, 'I got to miss two." That's not my mentality. I'd rather, unfortunately, miss these practices but in order to get ready for the season, felt like it was the right thing to do."
Greenway has led the team in tackles each of the past five seasons, and he was tied for second in the NFL last season with 148 tackles. Greenway said the injury isn't related to the left knee injury he suffered as a rookie when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Greenway said "there's no doubt" in his mind that he will be 100 percent for the start of training camp.
"Organization's done a great job, I feel like, ever since I came in the NFL -- obviously dealing with the medical staff right away in '06 -- of really protecting the guys and doing the right things," Greenway said. "So, when they thought it was the right thing to do, I agreed and said, 'Let's do it" and complete trust in what they had to say. Obviously it's a big credit to Dr. (Joel) Boyd and (head athletic trainer Eric) Sugarman."
Missing from practice: The Vikings have every player present for the mandatory minicamp, but several players are still rehabbing injuries.
Each of the injured players was seen at Tuesday's practice, but sitting out were: Greenway, defensive end Jared Allen ( shoulder), center John Sullivan (knee), cornerback Jacob Lacey (thumb), linebacker Nathan Williams (ankle) and cornerback Greg McCoy (hamstring).
Receiver Greg Childs, recovering from torn patellar tendons in both knees, was participating in individual drills during Tuesday's afternoon practice, running routes and catching passes from the quarterbacks. Childs didn't participate in the team drills.
Rookie linebacker Michael Mauti, still returning from knee surgery, also participated in his first practices with the team and did individual drills as well. He was shadowing middle linebackers Erin Henderson and Audie Cole during defensive drills.
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