Mankato, Minn. ? The Minnesota Vikings went through practice Wednesday in high heat and humidity conditions eerily similar to those in which Korey Stringer collapsed exactly a year ago.

He died the next day.

Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp attempts to beat the heat. Wednesday was the first day in pads for the Buccaneers at their training camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

It’s impossible for the Vikings to forget what happened and how much they miss the man everyone called “Big K.”

“We’ve got a couple weeks here,” wide receiver Randy Moss said, “so it is going to be very hard to say we’re going to move on. We still have flashes and still reminisce on the good times and also the bad times.

“But of course we’re going to move on and try to win.”

Back at Winter Park, the team’s practice facility in the Twin Cities, a black-and-purple banner bearing Stringer’s No. 77 is draped across the facade in front of the building.

“It’s going to take awhile to get over it,” Moss said.

And there are reminders all over the campus where the team holds training camp:

a Stringer jersey worn by a fan watching practice.

outside Gage Hall, where the players stay, there’s a tree planted last summer in Stringer’s honor.

yellow practice jerseys instead of the hotter purple ones worn in the past, canopies providing shade on the sidelines, the overabundance of water.

“We’ll be sitting in meetings and someone will remember something that Korey said,” said center Matt Birk, who wears No. 78. “It’s unavoidable. Here, the lockers are numerical, so 77 and 78 were right next to each other. This year, (No. 76) Chris Liwienski is next to me.”

Stringer’s widow, Kelci, has filed a $100 million wrongful death suit against the team, alleging negligence. It is scheduled to go to trial in June 2003.

Because of that, many in the Vikings organization, including head coach Mike Tice, won’t talk about the subject. A year ago, Tice was offensive line coach and was as close to Stringer as anyone.

And with a mostly new coaching staff and an overhauled roster, it’s probably healthy for the Vikings to forget the painful 5-11 season that began with Stringer’s death.

There isn’t a player on the team who will talk about Stringer’s death without saying that he thinks about Stringer every day.

“I think by that happening,” Moss said, “some of the guys who’ve been through that tragedy are closer as a family, and now we feel we can help one another.”

Bears

Safety Mike Brown could miss the first two exhibition games with a broken bone in his right hand.

Brown, hurt Tuesday, is expected to return to the practice field next week, but probably won’t play until at least the third preseason game.

Falcons

Talks with first-round pick T.J. Duckett have broken down.

“There’s nothing to report,” said Falcons vice president Ray Anderson, who’s in charge of contract negotiations with the former Michigan State running back. “We’re at an impasse. I can’t even speculate on when we’ll have additional discussions.”

Duckett was the 18th overall selection in the NFL draft. Joel Segal, his agent, did not immediately return telephone messages left at his home and office.

Redskins

The Redskins departed for this weekend’s American Bowl game in Osaka, Japan, against San Francisco with a laundry list of suggestions from the training staff for the flight.

They have been told to drink to avoid dehydration, walk down the aisles a lot, remove contact lenses, and don’t be afraid to put on a pair of compression hose to keep the blood flowing in the legs.

Saints

Defensive tackle Grady Jackson, one of the Saints’ top free-agent acquisitions this spring, practiced with the team for the first time in training camp.

Jackson was a late arrival at camp and was excused from earlier practices because his younger brother was hospitalized after being shot in the back July 20 in Detroit.

Packers

Wide receiver Terry Glenn returned to practice Wednesday after being held out a day by coach Mike Sherman because of a hyperextended knee.

Colts

Safety Cory Bird, a projected starter, joined a growing list of injured Colts when he hurt his hamstring covering a kickoff Wednesday.

That relegated five possible defensive starters linebacker Mike Peterson, defensive tackle Josh Williams, defensive end Chukie Nwokorie, safety Idrees Bashir and Bird to the sidelines.

Giants

First-round draft pick Jeremy Shockey was involved in a dining room fight with linebacker Brandon Short on the tight end’s first night in training camp, New York Giants coach Jim Fassel said Wednesday.

“I’m not overly concerned,” Fassel said after practice. “In fact, I kind of like them feisty. I’d rather calm them down than kick them in the butt.”

The altercation happened during dinner, a little less than three hours after Shockey finished his first practice. Neither player was available for comment late Wednesday.

Bucs

Tampa Bay coach John Gruden is so impressed with the athleticism of defensive tackle Warren Sapp that he plans to use the All-Pro on offense in some situations this season.

The coach declined to discuss specifics, but Sapp said there’s a chance he could be used at several positions on offense. As a rookie in 1995, he lined up as a blocking back for Errict Rhett five times, and Tampa Bay scored three touchdowns.

“It was just something he kind of asked me and I was like: ‘No problem,’ ” Sapp said. “It was fun after I looked at a couple of those routes and blocking assignments.”

Rams

Defensive end Tyoka Jackson will be sidelined 3-to-6 weeks with cartilage damage in his right knee, putting his status for the Rams’ season opener in jeopardy.

Jackson was to undergo arthroscopic surgery. He returned to St. Louis earlier Wednesday for an MRI that revealed the damage. He was injured earlier in the week, but couldn’t pinpoint the source.

Titans

Tennessee’s first-round draft pick, Albert Haynesworth, sprained his right ankle Wednesday on his second day of practice after a five-day contract holdout.

He was injured when he apparently stepped on a teammate’s foot.