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MINNEAPOLIS -- The calf injury John Sullivan suffered on the second day of training camp appears to have put his starting job in jeopardy, at least when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings' Sept. 9 opener at New Orleans.
Sullivan was a late scratch for Saturday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, leaving Anthony Herrera to start at center and rookie Chris DeGeare to start in Herrera's usual place at right guard.
It was the second consecutive game in which Herrera saw time at center -- he also played the second series last Sunday at San Francisco -- and the Vikings seem to be seriously exploring their options.
"It's a possibility," coach Brad Childress said of Herrera making a more permanent move to center.
"We got a look at it last week. ... You just want to be able to know what standard a guy's going to play if he plays there and what you're going to get if DeGeare's playing right guard."
Herrera took some preseason snaps at center in 2005 but otherwise has been a guard for his entire six-year career. He said veteran left guard Steve Hutchinson has been helping with some of the line calls that usually fall on the center and the biggest challenge has been exercising the discipline needed at the position.
"Playing at center, you can't be aggressive," Herrera said. "You can't be out of your box. You have to stay calm. ... You have to make the calls, you have to make the snaps counts -- all that stuff."
Second-year pro Jon Cooper started the first two preseason games but failed to impress. He entered on Saturday's third series and had a holding penalty in the second quarter.
Ryan Cook was a center in college and worked there extensively in training camp, but he's mostly played guard in the preseason.
Sullivan returned soon after the initial injury, then had a setback and was sidelined for much longer, missing the first two preseason games before finally returning to practice on Tuesday.
"You've got to see if he can get there," Bevell said of Sullivan, the third-year pro from Notre Dame who replaced departed Pro Bowler Matt Birk at center last season.
"I guess probably the biggest thing would be just conditioning-wise and health-wise. Sully's a smart guy. He'll be able to pick up whatever we're doing. He knows the calls. He knows our offense. So, that's not the issue. The issue would probably be his stamina and his strength and some of those things."
DeGeare stood out early in camp and has gotten his share of work with the starters, although he's been up and down in the preseason. Inconsistency was one of the reasons he fell to the fifth round of April's NFL Draft.
Asked if the way the Vikings started on Saturday could be a long-term solution, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said, "We're taking a look at it. That's why we gave him a chance to start in there (Saturday) and try to push Chris DeGeare and get him going and see what he can be able to handle."
