It was reported on Thursday that Vikings coach Brad Childress would travel not to South Bend on Friday for Jimmy Clausen’s Pro Day but to Gainesville for a speaking engagement Friday and a private workout of multiple former Gators on Saturday.
Peter King of SI.com reports that the main attraction was Tim Tebow.
The kicker is that, per King, V.P. of player personnel Rick Spielman attended the session as well. As a media source explained last week, Spielman is the one to watch in these instances. He has acquired plenty of credibility and respect after presiding over solid drafts and trades in the past few years (Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, the Jared Allen trade, John Sullivan, and last year’s five-for-five class of Percy Harvin, Phil Loadholt, Asher Allen, Jasper Brinkley, and Jamarca Sanford). On draft weekend, Spielman has plenty of say regarding the Vikings’ plans.
This one gets more interesting in light of whispers that Spielman isn’t sold on Tebow. Last year, Spielman by all appearances wasn’t sold on Brett Favre, but Childress made it work. Thus, if Tebow is on the board when the Vikings pick at No. 30, Spielman possibly will be inclined to defer to Childress -- if Childress decides that he can do with Tebow that which to date Childress has been unable to do with Tarvaris Jackson.