EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- They call those late-night flights to and from California red-eyes for a reason, and Toby Gerhart found out exactly why this week.
The star running back finished up finals at Stanford on Wednesday, then hopped a red-eye to Minnesota to get there in time for his first full-squad practices with the Minnesota Vikings. He participated in the mandatory minicamp on Friday and Saturday, then went home Saturday night so he could walk in Stanford's graduation on Sunday.
"It really was (good to see him out here). I didn't see much that led me to believe he won't be right up to speed with what is going on when we start in the fall", Vikings coach Brad Childress told reporters Sunday.
After the graduation ceremonies, Gerhart planned to take another red-eye back to Minnesota on Sunday night so he could get some extra work in this week with fellow rookies and younger players on the team.
"As you know he is making an effort to get back here late tonight, provided he doesn't get hurt in that early celebration at Stanford's graduation. It is a little bit crazy there. You can have a tree fall on you or something like that, possibly the Stanford tree," Childress joked.
Coaches say Gerhart has impressed with his grasp of the offense despite his short time with the Vikings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
