| | Associated Press
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Randy Moss awoke Sunday morning sore
but solaced. His shoulder injury isn't serious.
|  | | Randy Moss covered 55 yards before landing awkwardly at the end of this play. |
MRIs revealed the Minnesota Vikings' star receiver has a bruised
left shoulder and bruised ribs, team trainer Chuck Barta said.
Moss was injured in an exhibition loss to New Orleans on
Saturday night when he landed flush on his left shoulder after
hurdling a defender trying to score at the end of a 55-yard gain.
One of the NFL's brightest young stars as he enters his third
season, Moss stayed down momentarily and played one more snap
before leaving the game with five minutes left in the first half.
X-rays were negative on Moss, the NFL's offensive rookie of the
year in 1998 and the most outstanding player of the 2000 Pro Bowl.
But the Vikings sent Moss to a hospital for further medical tests
in the third quarter to make sure there wasn't any damage to the
shoulder capsule.
Moss is day-to-day. Coach Dennis Green said Moss won't play
again until he's 100 percent. It is not known whether Moss will play Friday against the Cardinals.
"It's hard to keep Randy out of the lineup because Randy plays
with a tremendous passion," Green said. "We'll always try to be
real smart when it comes to injuries and make sure that he's
totally healthy."
Moss's injury put a scare into the Vikings and soured Daunte
Culpepper's debut as Minnesota's new starting quarterback.
"I'm definitely concerned," offensive coordinator Sherm Lewis
said as he left the Metrodome after the game. "Any time a player
like Randy gets hurt, you're concerned. ... You don't ever want to
see a guy like him get hurt."
Running back Robert Smith said he was sure Moss and the Vikings would be OK.
"There's a lot of talent on this offense and if Randy's out for
a little bit of time, we'll be fine," Smith said. "We'll just
pick up the slack a little."
Another Pro Bowl player, punter Mitch Berger, might miss up to
two weeks with a thigh bruise on his right (kicking) leg, Green
said.
Berger was injured in the second half when Gerald Vaughn blew
past Jay Humphrey and blocked a punt, smashing into Berger in the
process.
Humphrey is one of three candidates to replace Mike Morris as
the Vikings' long-snapper. Morris, who made fun of Green on the
radio in the off-season, said he wants to return to Minnesota for a
10th season with the Vikings.
"I would like to play for a team that has a shot at a ring or
for the hometown team," Morris said on his radio show Saturday.
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