EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - The Minnesota Vikings have ruled Christian Ponder out for Sundays game at Baltimore, because the quarterback has not yet passed all of his post-concussion tests. Coach Leslie Frazier said Friday that Ponder will not suit up against the Ravens, with Matt Cassel starting and Josh Freeman backing him up per the plan set at the beginning of the week. This is Ponders third significant injury of the season. He had a broken rib that paved the way for Cassel to start against Pittsburgh on Sept. 29, and dislocated his shoulder at the end of the third quarter against Washington on Nov. 7. Ponder took a hit to the head late in the second quarter last week against Chicago. Running back Adrian Peterson returned to practice Friday after taking the last two days off to rest his sore groin, following the pattern that has developed in the second half of the season to keep him fresh. "No real need to burst or go 100 miles per hour today, but just something to make him feel comfortable about Sunday," Frazier said. Peterson was listed as questionable on the injury report, but theres no indication of doubt about the NFLs leading rushers participation in Baltimore. He has 1,208 yards through 12 games. Safety Harrison Smith is still on injured reserve because of the turf toe injury he suffered nearly two months ago, but he practiced all week and is on track to return to the active roster and play Dec. 15 against Philadelphia. Also, wide receiver Greg Childs, working his way back from bilateral patellar tendon tears, took part in consecutive practices this week for the first time. Frazier said hes "really improved." Childs is on the physically unable to perform list, and the Vikings must decide by Monday whether to place him on the active roster, put him on injured reserve or cut him. NMD R1 Primeknit Australia . Groves signed with Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent last year after a season with Arizona. He was in the linebacker rotation and had a sack in the season opener against Miami. NMD Online Australia . -- San Francisco 49ers offensive co-ordinator Greg Roman is a finalist to replace Joe Paterno at Penn State, his agent said Monday. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/superstar-shoes-australia/white.html . Adam LaRoche will take that. "I like our position in the standings and I like how our team is playing," LaRoche said after Washington swept a day-night doubleheader from the Cubs on Saturday. NMD Australia Sale . -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians says there "were obviously very, very many problems" with the officiating in the Cardinals 24-21 loss at Philadelphia. NMD Human Race Australia . The triple gold medallist from the 2010 Paralympics tweeted on Tuesday: "Woke up with a virus yesterday. Timing couldnt be much worse. Not the ideal prep for the .TORONTO - Logan Couture doesnt have to look far to be reminded of the San Jose Sharks playoff collapse against the Los Angeles Kings. His surgically repaired right hand still has scars from last months surgery, and the recovery has been slow. He expects the hand, injured in a fight with Kings centre Mike Richards, to be OK by training camp. And Couture works out with Kings defenceman Drew Doughty, who was set to have his day with the Stanley Cup on Friday. Doughty doesnt chirp his good friend, but that doesnt stop Couture from thinking about the painful first-round series loss. "I think every time I see hockey on TV or read about it in the paper," he said. The Sharks were in command of the series, up three games to none. But they proceeded to become the just the fourth team in NHL history to blow that lead. The Kings won the Cup, and the Sharks were left to wonder what went wrong. Couture doesnt ponder what he and his teammates couldve done differently. The thoughts are more simple than that. "I just think about how much it hurts," he said Thursday night at Dominic Moores Smashfest charity event. "The feelings arent going to go away — probably never. Its just something that sticks with you for a long time." In time, Couture thinks the collapse should serve as motivation for the Sharks who remain. For now, at least, that includes captain Joe Thornton and veteran winger Patrick Marleau, whose new contracts start next season and include full no-move clauses. San Jose general manager Doug Wilson has talked about rebuilding and going younger. In the process the Sharks traded 38-year-old defenceman Dan Boyles free-agent rights, traded 34-year-old defenceman Brad Stuart and bought out 33-year-old winger Marty Havlat. In free agency, the Shaarks signed enforcer John Scott in an effort to "act as a deterrent and help keep teams and opposing players honest," according to Wilson.ddddddddddddThe vast majority of the roster looks similar to the one that finished the playoffs, though San Jose hopes to have defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic back after his injury and will move Brent Burns back to the blue-line. "We knew something was going to happen. Every year changes happen," Couture said. "Well see what happens going forward. Some things may happen, some things may not, so well see." One thing that may happen in the not-too-distant future is Couture becoming the captain. The Sharks took the "C" off Marleau four years ago and he has continued to play and produce, so that concept isnt far-fetched for Thornton, as well. Couture, who served as captain of the OHLs Ottawa 67s, has had conversations with Wilson this summer but said he had not been specifically asked to increase his leadership role. "I think its just expected," the 25-year-old Guelph, Ont., native said. "I think each year you play more with an organization youre expected to take on more of that role. Those are kind of the things that dont have to be said." Couture will begin his new US$30-million, five-year contract this season and hopes that his tenure in San Jose is a long one. With that, he anticipates a larger role in the locker-room and on the ice. "I think I learned a lot from the leaders on our team in San Jose the last couple of years and taking small things from them and try to be a leader as much as I can with our team with our young guys," Couture said. "Weve got a lot of leaders on that team, a lot of veteran players, so I think well be fine." --- Follow @SWhyno on Twitter ' ' '