The Facts: Addressing reporters in the team's locker room on Thursday, his first public comments since the injury against Detroit on Oct. 1 , Cook appeared as upbeat as ever. Last week, he ditched his crutches. This week, he resumed weightlifting. He's on track to be at full strength for training camp. "I'm young. I'm going to heal up. I'm going to be back out there with my team as soon as possible," Cook said.

Diehards Line: According to AP sports writer Dave Campbell, Cook has been in good company with the Vikings, whose roster is full of former knee reconstruction patients. They've provided Cook with plenty of advice, encouragement and inspiration. The motivators start with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, whose comeback from a dislocation and multiple ligament tears was even more daunting than the ACL-only recovery Cook has begun. Bridgewater called him daily in the early post-op stage, following the surgery performed on Oct. 9 by Dr. James Andrews in Florida. "He knows what to say. He knows how to say it," Cook said. "So it's great having him in my corner." Sam Bradford, who's been sidelined for all but 1 and a half games this season by residual damage related to ACL tears in 2013 and 2014, has spent many hours in the training room next to Cook over the past several weeks. Being surrounds by players -- and a training staff -- with experience in ACL recoveries has to be a plus.