"It's hard for me to handicap it," Childress said. "I'm not a doctor. I know you guys are getting tired of [me saying that], but there's another test that has to be administered."

Harvin caught a few passes in individual drills Wednesday. The Vikings practiced Thursday at Mall of America Field at the Metrodome, but Harvin was there in street clothes.

Harvin has gone through parts of only six practices, the last being Aug. 18, since training camp opened, so conditioning definitely will be an issue. Childress said the final test Harvin will go through is "not specific" to migraines but is rather "kind of all-encompassing."

The Vikings worked out in the Metrodome so players could get acclimated to the Shaw Sportexe Momentum 51 turf that has been installed to replace the six-year-old FieldTurf.

"The masses liked it," Childress said. "That's kind of why I wanted to talk to them beforehand. Just if anybody had [concerns about it being] too soft, too hard, too fast. Those kind of things."

The temporary turf pieces covering the baseball sliding pits are gone, meaning players no longer can trip on the seams.

Safety Tyrell Johnson said the surface is "kind of slow." "I think it needs to get settled," he said. "Once you get 30, 40 people running on it for 90 plays a game it will settle down."

Said defensive end Jared Allen: "It could be a little firmer, but I'm just glad we don't have the baseball [sliding pits] popping up anymore. Although we would like a new stadium like the Twins got. I think it's only fair. The Gophers got one. The Twins got one. What, we can't have one? Our locker room is the smallest in the NFL. Thanks, guys. Minneapolis, that's for you."

Allen was laughing as he said the last part, although the Vikings take their push for a new stadium very seriously.