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Williams returns to Vikings practice
Madieu Williams put his helmet on Thursday and noticed it felt a little heavy.
"It's been a while since I've had it on," the Vikings safety said, smiling.
Sidelined since early August because of a neck injury, Williams got clearance from doctors Thursday morning to return to practice. The veteran safety participated in all individual drills and a portion of the team period in his first day back on the field.
Afterward, he said his neck felt good. He would not speculate on when he'll be ready to play in a game, though there are indications it might take several weeks for him to get ready.
"First day I'm trying to knock some of the cobwebs off," he said. "It felt good to be out here with my teammates, running around. I'm just happy to be back out here. ... It's been difficult to watch and not being able to participate. But injuries are a part of the game, and I'm happy to be back practicing again."
The Vikings expected Williams to play a key role on defense after signing him as a free agent this offseason to a six-year, $33 million contract that calls for nearly $13 million in guarantees.
But Williams said he began experiencing constant neck pain early in training camp and was forced to shut down. His injury was believed to be a nerve issue, but he did not reveal the exact nature of it, saying, "It's one of those complicated things."
"I just knew that my neck was constantly sore," he said. "It was one of those things as a precaution they wanted me to stay off it and let it rest."
Williams was seen wearing a neck brace at Winter Park in recent weeks, but he said that was only a precaution.
"They just wanted me to make sure I don't do anything stupid or [have] anybody bump into me and reaggravate anything," he said.
Neck injuries are far from routine, but Williams said he was never overly concerned.
"I wasn't worried at all because I knew what had happened," he said. "The trainers and coaches knew what happened. I knew exactly what needed to be done. I had to shut it down for a little bit. I knew that I was going to be back at some point during the season."
It remains to be seen how his neck reacts to contact. Williams said he's not worried about that, either.
"Not at all," he said. "I feel confident in going out there and sticking my head out there. I think that our training staff and the guys in the training room have done a heck of a job in terms of bringing me along slowly and making sure that I'm good to go."
Williams and Vikings coach Brad Childress would not speculate on when Williams will play his first game. Williams has done conditioning work for weeks, but that's much different from being ready for game speed.
"Just trying to get his sea legs back," Childress said. "He's off the cross-country team and onto the gymnastics team. Stop and start. Football conditioning is way different than cross-country."
Williams said he's not behind on the mental aspects because he's attended every defensive meeting and remained involved in the weekly preparations. Now he just needs to get up to speed physically.
"It's going to be Coach Childress' call," he said. "My thing is to come out here and practice hard to show him that I'm ready to go."
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