by By Sean Jensen sjensen@pioneerpress.com , St. Paul Pioneer Press

So, has the time come for the Vikings' offense to showcase some new wrinkles?

"We'll see," rookie receiver Percy Harvin said. "We practice a lot of different stuff. Whether we run it, that's up to the head man (coach Brad Childress)."

Harvin said he's not itching to try anything in particular.

"I kind of like it all," he said. "As long as I'm out on the field, helping this team, it's kind of whatever with me. So we'll see if the head man calls it. It will be fun."

One wrinkle could be the Vikings' version of the wildcat offense, which would take the ball out of Brett Favre's hands. The Vikings have used the formation only a few times, although they showed it more during the preseason.

Childress told Detroit-area reporters in a conference call Wednesday that he is wary of putting too much on Harvin's plate.

"We've thrown a lot at him and we just want to make sure that we're getting as much out of him as he can give us, and not too much," Childress said.

During their 7-1 start, the Vikings clearly were focused on getting Favre acclimated to the scheme and personnel. In addition to Harvin, right tackle Phil Loadholt and center John Sullivan were new pieces to the offense, and the team faced five teams that utilized the 3-4 scheme.

Favre noted that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has been mindful of not "really putting me or the team, offensively, in tough situations."

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie said the offense might be ready to show its versatility.

"I think everyone is getting used to the base stuff," he said. "There may be less holding back, and (the coaches) might try to pull out some more stuff and come up with some creative ways to make big plays."

Different man: Favre looks dramatically different to Lions coach Jim Schwartz since the second game of the season.

"The biggest thing is, Brett Favre is growing in the system and is taking a bigger load. He was a little bit more game-managing," Schwartz said in a conference call Wednesday, referring to the Sept. 20 game between the Vikings and Lions. "They weren't leaning a whole lot on Brett Favre. As it's going, they've put more on his shoulders."

Favre completed 23 of 27 passes for 155 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Vikings' victory at Ford Field. Since then, his lowest yardage output is 232 yards in a 38-10 romp over the St. Louis Rams.

The Lions blew a 10-0 lead against the Vikings but rebounded with a 19-14 win over the Washington Redskins the following week. The Lions were tied 21-21 at halftime with the Chicago Bears before losing 48-24.

Detroit has endured a rash of injuries to key players such as rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Calvin Johnson and running back Kevin Smith.

"It definitely set us back," Schwartz said of Stafford's sprained knee. "He was on a good roll."

Return to sender: Childress told Detroit reporters that Harvin could return some punts this season.

"He practices back there every day and I would expect there's a time where he'll emerge there," Childress said.

Schwartz said he's been impressed with Harvin's ascension as an elite kickoff returner.

"We kept him in check in the first game we played. But he was maybe one tackle away from busting a long one," Schwartz said. "When teams choose not to kick to you, it's a sign of respect. Very few people in this league reach that kind of status."

Harvin is second in the NFL with a kickoff return average of 30.7 yards.

Injury update: Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield was again limited in practice Wednesday, along with Favre, linebacker E.J. Henderson and receiver Bernard Berrian.

Winfield has missed the past 2 1/2 games with a fractured right foot, and he appears to be on track to play by the next game or two.

Punt returner Darius Reynaud fully participated in practice Wednesday.

For the Lions, linebackers Larry Foote (knee) and Ernie Sims (hamstring), and defensive end Dewayne White (toe) did not practice Wednesday. Stafford (knee) was limited.

Copyright 2009 St. Paul Pioneer Press All Rights Reserved
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.