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Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend (Shutdown Corner)

If you were wondering just how well Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee (and how much he sets the pace for the Vikings), it seems that things are going fairly well. At the team's Winter Park facility for the start of this year's offseason team activities in late April, Peterson noticed that his teammates weren't running as hard as he'd like them to. So Peterson, who's supposed to be on the mend and away from huffing it at all, reacted as any real competitor would -- he challenged those same teammates to a footrace. And left them all eating his dust.
"He was off to the side working with our trainer, Eric Sugarman, and he looked out and saw the guys doing their wind sprints," head coach  Leslie Frazier told ESPN Minnesota's Tom Pelissero . "He says, 'You know, I don't think they're running hard enough.' Eric allowed him to go out and run with them, and he passed them four different times. He finished in first four different times." [ Y! Sports Fantasy Minute: Unlucky break for fantasy football star ] Keep in mind -- this is a guy who had major surgery on his left ACL, MCL and meniscus (basically a complete knee reconstruction) just five months ago. We're guessing that Peterson's regenerative properties are fairly unusual, and it's pretty certain that his teammates agree. "I remember [backup quarterback] Joe Webb saying, 'I can't believe it. I just can't believe it,'" Frazier said. "So, he's doing great and we're optimistic that he's going to be ready for that first game. I know that's his goal and we'll just see how he continues to progress, but he's doing great." About the only possible knock on Peterson's amazing game is the fact that he has been somewhat injury-prone. That said, he's missed just seven regular-season games in his five-year career, and missed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground just once. That happened last year, when Peterson missed four games and finished with just 970 yards. He missed three games with a high ankle sprain, and then tore up his knee in the Vikings' 15th game of the season, against the Washington Redskins. Surgery came soon after, at the hands of famed surgeon Dr. James Andrews. At the time, it was feared that Peterson would not be able to go for Week 1 of the 2012 season. Now, at least, things are looking up. Frazier told Pelissero that Peterson hasn't been cutting on the field yet, "but that's the next step. He has to get to the point where he's comfortable cutting. Straight ahead, he's doing great. Now he has to get to the point where he's comfortable being able to go left to right or right to left and stopping and starting. So, one step at a time."

 

2012 NFL Thursday Night Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The 2012 Thursday night football schedule has quite a few exciting games, with many of them consisting of division rivalries. The way that the Thursday night games play out could shape the divisional races, possibly bringing NFL fans a very exciting docket.

 

Union leader says facts prove NFL collusion claim (The Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) NFL players union chief DeMaurice Smith says his group's claim of collusion will stand up in court.

 

Vegas has spoken, NFL season win totals are live (National Football Post)

Four picks to keep an eye on this summer as we approach the start of the 2012 season.

 

Robert Griffin III will be first NFL player with Roman numerals on his jersey (Shutdown Corner)

Hail to the Redskins!/Hail, Victory!/Braves on the warpath!/Make jersey history!!! When Robert Griffin III was introduced at last month's NFL draft, many took note of the fact that the back of his Washington Redskins jersey included the Roman numeral at the end of his surname. According to Paul Lukas of Uni Watch, it's a historic inclusion. Lukas says, as far as he can tell, Griffin will become the first player in major American sports to have a Roman numeral on the back of his jersey. [ Related: Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III reveals his romantic side ] The NFL changed the rule this offseason and it allows Roman numerals and Jr./Sr. distinctions. The III has a special connection to Griffin but is also a killer marketing tool. Lukas thinks it may run deeper than that: And that's not the only kind of branding at work here, because the Roman numeral III can also be viewed as three stripes -- which happens to be the visual signature of adidas, which signed Griffin to a big endorsement contract back in February. In fact, Uni Watch suspects Griffin chose adidas over Nike specifically in large part because of the potential marketing synergies between the Roman numeral and the stripes. If Uni Watch is right -- and when it comes to uniforms, that's almost always the case -- Griffin is even more savvy than advertised. [ Yahoo! Sports Shop: Buy Robert Griffin III gear ]

 

Wednesday's Sports in Brief (The Associated Press)

The players union claimed Wednesday that the NFL imposed a secret salary cap during the uncapped 2010 season that cost the players at least $1 billion.

 

Collusion claim the latest NFL-union feud (The Associated Press)

The lockout was easier than all this.

 

NFL union files suit against league over 2010 cap (The Associated Press)

The players union claimed Wednesday that the NFL imposed a secret salary cap during the uncapped 2010 season that cost the players at least $1 billion.

 

NFL counting on Vincent to get message across to players (The SportsXchange)

ATLANTA -- As a rookie cornerback with the Miami Dolphins in 1992, Troy Vincent recalled that, from Day 1, he had iconic coach Dan Shula screaming at him from one side about how to become a productive player in the league, and veteran linebacker John Offerdahl whispering in his opposite ear about preparing for life after football.

 

NFL players' union charges owners with collusion (AFP)

The National Football League Players Association charged the league, its clubs and team owners with collusion during the 2010 season in a complaint filed on Wednesday.