MANKATO — The Vikings did some more extensive 11-on-11 drills Thursday afternoon and rookie wide receiver Greg Childs came up wit the play of the day.

With Joe Webb at quarterback, Childs leaped from behind a defender in the end zone, pinned the ball against his opponent as he fell to the ground and gained possession for a touchdown right in front of the official.

“I have strong and big hands,” Childs said afterward. “I had to pin it against his side; if I didn’t I don’t make the play.

“It’s my job to make the quarterback look good and it’s the quarterback’s job to make me look good. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile to get that done.”

Childs was one of two wide receivers the Vikings drafted from Arkansas this year. The other, Jarius Wright, appeared to moving ahead of Childs the first week of practice, but Childs narrowed the gap with his circus catch.

The fact that Childs is finally getting healthy is also a good sign for the rookie wideout.

“I had a calf strain and didn’t get a chance to do much with the team until now so I just had to mentally prepare,” he said. “I tried to stay ready to go and now I’m just trying to make plays.”

Quarterback Christian Ponder, who watched the play from the sidelines like everybody else, enjoyed the effort as much as anybody.

“That was a heck of a play,” he said. “It will help him, give him confidence. (Greg) is a big time receiver. He has a big body and it’s great to see the young guys making plays.”

Installing the offense

Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave told the media on Thursday that virtually all of the offense was installed during OTA’s this past spring.

“Now we are reviewing it here in the first week to 10 days of camp so we can touch on the things we believe in and also disregard the concepts that don’t fit us well.”

D is Cooking

Third-year defensive back Chris Cook continues to shine in training camp. On the very first play of 7-on-7 drills Thursday, Cook stepped in front of an out pass to the right side, caught it and ran it back for a touchdown.

Cook has made a number of big plays in camp and the Vikings will be counting on him extensively during the season.

Keep on pushing

Quarterback Christian Ponder says the addition of Jerome Simpson to the receiving corps may be making the whole group stronger.

“I think Jerome is pushing Percy (Harvin) a little bit,” he said. “Percy’s gotten a lot better and there’s almost a competition there over who’s a better receiver right now.

“Off the field you can see they get along great but I think they’re making each other better. That can only benefit our offense over the long haul.”

Injuries mounting

Two more reserve players got nicked up in practice Thursday afternoon, adding to the list of sidelined players.

Offensive lineman Pat Brown strained his medial collateral ligament but he is not expected to miss a lot of practice time. Second-year running back Jordan Todman suffered a sprained ankle but he is also expected to be back on the practice fields soon.

Rookie defensive back Josh Robinson has been sidelined with a hamstring injury he suffered the first day of practice. He has returned to the field but has been severely limited in drills. Fellow D-back Robert Blanton also has a hamstring issue and has not suited up for awhile.

Offensive lineman DeMarcus Love (shoulder) is sidelined as is tight end John Carlson (strained MCL). Both could be out for two more weeks.