Vikings: Camp report | 
Judge
1. Watch the team's quarterbacks at practice, and you see them wearing what look like sunglasses. They're something coach Brad Childress called "strobe spectacles," and they're a training device marketed by Nike. "They blink like a like a camera shutter," said Childress, "and it's right in the lens. So you can go like this -- blink, blink, blink -- while you're getting pieces of information. When it's blinking fast you can see almost everything, but when you slow the shutter down you're watching a ball that leaves the quarterback's hand, travels halfway to you, then you're seeing it again. So, basically, it's a distraction. For a quarterback, it's the things he faces when someone swats his helmet." But it's not just the quarterbacks wearing them at camp. Childress has put them on punt returners, defensive backs, wide receivers, tight ends and linebackers to simulate distractions to their vision. With 12 pairs of glasses, someone usually is wearing one -- including veteran Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman, whom Childress outfitted after one practice before tossing him a football. "There are always things going through your vision," said Childress, "so it's all about visual acuity. You're trying to train the eye to be able to get only one glimpse of something."
2. Owner Zygi Wilf is a frequent visitor to practice, and this is what I like about him: Not only is he approachable, he does not draw attention to himself while standing on the sideline. Here's something else I like about him: When a trainer challenged him to field punts one afternoon at practice, insisting he couldn't catch one, Wilf took him up on it -- walking on the field in front of an audience of Vikings fans. He caught three of six. I knew there was a reason I liked this guy.
3. Quarterback Gus Frerotte is perfectly suited to this team as a veteran backup. He still throws a perfect spiral, has a strong arm and can act as a mentor to Tarvaris Jackson. At 37, he's no threat to Jackson but can serve as the voice of experience to guide him through uncertain times. Plus, if Jackson gets hurt -- which is what happened a year ago when he missed four starts -- Frerotte can step in and win. The Vikings tinkered in the offseason with the idea of adding Sage Rosenfels from Houston but seem delighted to have landed Frerotte as Jackson's safety net.
4. A neck injury has safety Madieu Williams sidelined indefinitely, with speculation focusing on five to six weeks. Williams was one of the high-profile free-agent pickups for the team, but his absence could mean rookie Tyrell Johnson -- who played against Seattle last week -- opens the season in Williams' place. Some clubs considered Johnson the best safety in this year's draft, but if the Vikings aren't comfortable with him as an opening-day starter look for them to choose between veteran Michael Boulware and second-year pro Eric Frampton.
5. The passing game has been the center of attention for years in Minnesota, and lately it hasn't been good. The Vikings ranked 28th in passing last season, and there was as much concern about the team's wide receivers as there was its starting quarterback. But the addition of free agent Bernard Berrian from Chicago might change all that, with Berrian the deep-ball threat the club has been missing since Randy Moss left. Coaches have been impressed with his play and believe he will make Jackson a more effective quarterback. "He's been a playmaker," said Childress. "Everyone says, 'Well, he's going to stretch the field and give you the deep-ball threat,' but I found him to be a good underneath runner. He has more than enough speed, make-you-miss ability and good hands. Plus, he's tough." Berrian is part of receiving corps that could go six-deep, with rookie free agent Nate Jones pushing for a spot on the 53-man roster.
