Mike Zimmer said he’s heading to his ranch in Kentucky to ride a tractor. As for his ride so far with the Vikings, he said it has been quite smooth.

Zimmer completed his initial session of spring drills as a head coach and said he has no regrets with how it went.

After being hired Jan. 15, Zimmer went through free agency and the draft. After he got on the field with players, he had 10 days of organized team activities, a rookie minicamp and two veteran minicamps, the second having concluded Thursday.

“I feel very secure in everything that we’ve done to this point,” Zimmer said. “I’m not in awe of any aspect that’s happened so far. I think the players have helped a lot in that way, making it easier to step into a new situation.”

Players report for training camp July 24 in Mankato, and it begins the next day. Running back Adrian Peterson is excited about what’s ahead.

“I’m happy with where we are right now,” he said. “I feel like we’re heading in the right direction.”

Before he first stepped on the field with Peterson, Zimmer had indicated in a radio interview in March he needed to show he can be a leader. Judging by what Zimmer said Thursday, Peterson has been successful.

“He’s great,” Zimmer said. “Everything that we’ve asked him to do, he’s done. Even more. He came to me during one of the OTAs and said … ‘I’ve gone pretty hard the last couple days; I might need a little time off today.’ I said, ‘OK, do me a favor. Go onto the field and stretch, and then we’ll hold you out.’

“So I went and told the running backs coach after stretch, ‘Shut him down.’ And he went back to Kirby Wilson and (Wilson) said, ‘You know, he’s feeling pretty good. Can he keep going?’ I said, ‘Sure, let’s go.’ So I think he likes competing.”

Zimmer is finding out Peterson also likes catching the ball. Zimmer has been impressed as offensive coordinator Norv Turner looks to use Peterson more in that area than the previous regime.

“I’m very comfortable (with the offense),” Peterson said. “You ask me two weeks ago and I wouldn’t have replied the same way.”

Spring drills ended with the Vikings moving indoors because of heavy rain. The session included cornerback Josh Robinson being shifted back to the outside from the slot.

Matt Cassel and rookie Teddy Bridgewater have been getting more reps than Christian Ponder, even if Zimmer still calls it a three-way derby to be the starting quarterback. As for when that guy will be named, Zimmer wouldn’t tip his hand.

“I probably have a date in mind, but I’m not going to tell anybody,” he said.

Quarterback might be the only position up for grabs on an offense in which all 11 starters return. On defense, several starting spots need to be settled.

When camp arrives, more will be known about whether outside linebacker Anthony Barr, taken with the No. 9 pick in last month’s draft, is in line to start Week 1.

“I feel better now than I did when I got here,” Barr said after a third straight day on the field. “Things are starting to slow down for me. I’m going to continue to stay in shape and learn my playbook and when I get to camp, hit the ground running.”

Zimmer might feel good about how his tenure has started. But he also still has aspects of his new job to learn after training camp arrives.

“It’s now about game situations and things like that, when to throw the red (challenge) flag, when to call a timeout, the different scenarios that happen,” Zimmer said. “That will start to become my focus on areas that I need to get better at.”

Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson.