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          NFL Nation

          BBAO: No damage to Sharrif Floyd's knee

          • Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff WriterAug 12, 2013, 08:15 AM ET
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              Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. You can follow him via Twitter @SeifertESPN.
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          We're Black and Blue All Over:

          A brief wave of concern floated over Minnesota Vikings training camp Sunday when first-round draft choice Shariff Floyd reported increased soreness in his left knee after what was believed to be a minor injury in Friday night's preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

          An MRI was ordered, but according to numerous reports -- including Floyd himself -- the test revealed no serious damage. It's not clear if he will play Friday night against the Buffalo Bills, but the injury is not expected to impact him long-term.

          Eventually, Floyd will resume what is expected to be about a 50-50 rotation with veteran starter Kevin Williams at the "under-tackle" position.

          Continuing around the NFC North:

          • Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder must learn to trust his receivers. Ben Goessling of the St. Paul Pioneer Press explains.

          • Vikings receiver Greg Jennings is continuing to supply veteran support to rookie Cordarrelle Patterson, according to Andrew Krammer of 1500ESPN.com.

          • Mark Craig of the Star Tribune profiles Vikings backup quarterback Matt Cassel.

          • From yours truly: What to know about the two snaps Ponder got Friday night.

          • Did you know that a receiver on the Detroit Lions' roster appeared on the television show "American Ninja Warrior?" I didn't. Kyle Meinke of Mlive.com explains.

          • The Lions were disappointed with their cornerback play in Friday's preseason opener against the New York Jets, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. Coach Jim Schwartz: "There were a couple of plays where we had bad leverage and missed some tackles, and in the secondary that’s critical. You can't do that. There were a couple of plays on third down where they made plays into the strength of our defense. We didn't play physical enough at our corner position when it came to man-to-man coverage."

          • Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press: "It’s beginning to appear more likely that Detroit Lions safety Louis Delmas won’t play during the exhibition season in order to rest his sore left knee. And that might not make much of a difference in how effective the veteran safety is when the regular season arrives."

          • My Lions post from over the weekend: Lions place-kicker Havard Rugland is no gimmick.

          • Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Green Bay Packers place-kicker Giorgio Tavecchio is "more than just a nudge for [Mason] Crosby. He might give the Packers something to think about on roster cutdown day."

          • It's expected that Vince Young will get plenty of practice reps this week to give him a chance to compete for a job. More from Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

          • The Packers are giving Don Barclay a chance to win the right tackle job, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

          • Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune wraps up the Chicago Bears' changes at offensive line, headlined by having two rookies -- Kyle Long and Jordan Mills -- working the right side with the first team.

          • It will be important for rookie receiver Marquess Wilson to find a special-teams niche with the Bears, writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.

          • Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times provides some context for how Bears coach Marc Trestman experiences a game.