Childress, meanwhile, said he has "excused" receiver Koren Robinson from team functions after Tuesday's late-night arrest for drunken driving and fleeing police. In one form or another, momentum appears to be building for Robinson's permanent departure from the team.
The Vikings are awaiting word from the NFL, which could suspend Robinson for the season under its substance abuse policy. He could also face jail time if the arrest violated his probation stemming from a 2005 drunken driving incident in Washington's Kirkland County.
"I've kind of left it open-ended," Childress said. "I just thought it was best that he had a little down time."
Robinson currently counts against the Vikings' 84-man roster, and it is possible the Vikings will carry him at least until the Aug. 29 cutdown to 79 players. Final, 53-man rosters will be set Sept. 2.
Childress indicated he is in no rush to make a final decision on Robinson's fate -- perhaps allowing the NFL and/or the legal system to act first.
"I'm still collecting the facts," Childress said. "I don't want to be knee-jerk."
Childress declined to comment on news of a second training camp incident involving Robinson. Mankato police, responding to a complaint from another motorist, cited Robinson for driving without a valid Minnesota license just before midnight on Aug. 9. Curfew for players generally has been 11 p.m., but Childress said he has extended that curfew "a couple of different times" in this camp.
Childress did not say if Aug. 9 was one of those nights.
"That [incident] is really between Koren and myself," Childress said.
Robinson spent 28 days in a South Carolina rehabilitation center last summer to combat alcohol abuse, but Childress said he did not know what Robinson's plans are for the immediate future. Robinson's attorney, Joe Tamburino, would not say if Robinson planned to enter rehab.
"I can't talk about anything like that," Tamburino said. "Hopefully I'll be ready to give some statements in a month."
"We've dealt with two major injuries where we've lost players and now Koren," quarterback Brad Johnson said. "Those things happen, but the heartbeat keeps on moving. That's where we are as a franchise right now, and sometimes another player gets a chance to step up. So we'll see what happens, but we are definitely going to have to have some players step up."
Johnson's receiving corps now consists of two proven veterans, Travis Taylor and Marcus Robinson. Second-year player Troy Williamson, already penciled in as a first-time starter, now will take on a greater load.
Childress downplayed the possibility of trading for a receiver -- Denver's Ashley Lelie and Oakland's Jerry Porter are available -- and said he will not sign a free-agent receiver just to add a body.
"I suppose everything is possible," Childress said. "There are costs involved. You have to decide whether that player is worth that cost. I know the names out there. But you've got to decide if that person is a fit."
