04/18/24
November 22, 2010
Vikings Fire Brad Childress: Only 10 games after he took the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game, head coach Brad Childress has been fired, ESPN is reporting. The Vikings fell to 3-7 Sunday after a 31-3 home loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Towards the beginning of the year, I really thought they would turn things around and the Cowboys would be the ones firing coaches.
Ummm, the 'Boys did fire their coach.
posted by BornIcon at 01:52 PM on November 22, 2010
Let's take a look at the rest of Green Bay's schedule to see what coach is going to be fired next.
posted by bperk at 02:05 PM on November 22, 2010
The strange thing about the Vikings is that they have mostly the same team as last year. They were done in by two big egos: Childress and Favre. (Well, OK, there was Moss, but he was more of a seagull: fly in, crap all over everything, and fly out again.) Now Childress is gone and it remains to be seen if Favre will play much, if any.
At least the Gopher basketball team looks good.
posted by TheQatarian at 02:14 PM on November 22, 2010
Well, OK, there was Moss, but he was more of a seagull: fly in, crap all over everything, and fly out again.
More like icing on the cake. It proved that Childress and Zyggy were not on the same page and the current leadership infrastructure isn't working. Hate to say it, but thanks to this chaos and Favre's refusal to step aside to let another younger QB test his chops has pretty much ruined the Vikings for a few years.
posted by NerfballPro at 02:21 PM on November 22, 2010
...thanks to this chaos and Favre's refusal to step aside to let another younger QB test his chops has pretty much ruined the Vikings for a few years.
Not unless they go after Mike Vick once the season is over.
posted by BornIcon at 02:25 PM on November 22, 2010
Ummm, the 'Boys did fire their coach.
Sorry.....that was in haste......not thinking. Still turned out to be a bigger mess.
posted by kcfan4life at 02:33 PM on November 22, 2010
That's ok KC, I'm still trying to forget this God-awful season that my 'Boys played thus far so I don't blame you.
posted by BornIcon at 02:44 PM on November 22, 2010
has pretty much ruined the Vikings for a few years.
Disagree. Things turn around fast in the NFL. Another star QB could fall into their laps. Joe Webb could be the next Joe Flacco. T-Jack could prove competent enough. It's hard to say in this league. There's still plenty of talent there, both on offense and defense, though neither has played up to what it should this season.
posted by TheQatarian at 02:53 PM on November 22, 2010
They were done in by two big egos: Childress and Favre.
It's not just that: First off, Favre looked oldddddddddddd, even from game 1. I mean, it's like he never recovered from that pounding he took in last season's playoffs. Then consider our #1 WR, Sidney Rice, opted not to get hip surgery during the offseason causing him to miss all the current games. SR opened up the field greatly for the current #1- Percy Harvin, who's a true #2 slot receiver which he excelled at. Plus, Harvin missed a lot of practice due to migraines preventing the offense from ever getting in sync. That's not to excuse Childress and I'm fine with him being fired, but a cascade of events happened causing the Offense to sputter as a whole. And because the offense was so out of sync and basically sucking, the opposing offense was able to run the ball while ahead way too much, killing our D's main strength- passing the rusher and getting sacks or turnovers.
posted by jmd82 at 03:03 PM on November 22, 2010
As a Cowboys fan who has little to cheer about, I'm glad to see the football gods have punished Run-Up-The-Score Childress so quickly.
posted by rcade at 03:06 PM on November 22, 2010
That's not to excuse Childress and I'm fine with him being fired, but a cascade of events happened causing the Offense to sputter as a whole.
With all due respect, they attempted to address Rice's absence with the acquisition of Randy Moss. We all know how THAT turned out. The bottom line is, every team gets injuries through the course of the season. It's the nature of the beast. The job of team leadership is to get the rest of the guys to step up and get the job done. But with the chaos surrounding Favre and Childress and who was dictating to whom, leadership in general was very much in question, let alone having the ability to truly lead a team that had the tools to go all the way. Rice's impact may have given them one or two more wins, but that would've merely prolonged Childress's agony.
Things turn around fast in the NFL. Another star QB could fall into their laps.
I concede to TheQatarian on this one. Everyone thought the Falcons were done for a long time when Vick went to jail. Although, it WILL be interesting to see what quality QB would want to play for them considering what a mess the Vikings are, and if Favre will finally get a clue and step aside to let somebody else get that chance.
posted by NerfballPro at 03:16 PM on November 22, 2010
This was long overdue. Next on the list for dismissal needs to be Mike Singletary in San Francisco. He like Childress has lost all control of the team and should not be allowed to finish the season. I would have fired both these guys a few weeks ago. But, better late than never. Wade Phillips, Brad Childress and Mike Singletary, never have three coaches accomplished so little with so much talent. Oh possibly Norv Turner in San Diego needs to be added to the list.
posted by Atheist at 03:18 PM on November 22, 2010
Well, here's hoping that Farve will be facing charges and a year or two suspension from the league for sexting his old man junk to female employees. then maybe the next head coach will be able to establish control over the entire team again.
posted by irunfromclones at 03:24 PM on November 22, 2010
As a Packers fan, I just have to snicker silently over here in the corner while we watch the Vikings implode. We warned you guys that Favre was not the answer to all your prayers. Too bad Childress and the rest of the kool-aid drinkers didn't pay attention.
posted by evixir at 03:29 PM on November 22, 2010
To be fair, Favre did look like the answer to all of their problems not too many months ago. It's simplistic and unrealistic to blame the total collapse of the Vikings on him alone. He's been crap, sure, that's undeniable.
But find one player on that team who has played as well as well as last year. Maybe Longwell. When a team is that systematically terrible, I have to believe coaching has something to do with it.
Plus, I've been telling everyone Childress is an idiot for years, so I feel vindicated.
posted by fabulon7 at 03:36 PM on November 22, 2010
I'm glad to see the football gods have punished Run-Up-The-Score Childress so quickly.
So what did they punish the Cowboys for? Telemanjaro? Jerry Jones' face lift? Wade Phillips? Or maybe their inability to stop Favre and the Vikings.
It was obvious that the Favre story would end badly. He was simply unwilling to walk away. I just didn't think it would be this quickly and this ugly. Not that I'm not enjoying it.
And once they get rid of Favre, I don't see any reason why the Vikings can't turn this around right away, especially now that Childress is gone.
Their strong defense and AP could win ten games alone. They get some good QB play and who knows?
posted by cjets at 03:36 PM on November 22, 2010
So what did they punish the Cowboys for?
Providing a roof to close the hole in the Taj Mahal Jones Memorial Stadium so God could not watch his team all the time.
posted by graymatters at 04:02 PM on November 22, 2010
Disagree. Things turn around fast in the NFL. Another star QB could fall into their laps. Joe Webb could be the next Joe Flacco.
Yeah, like Aaron Rodgers could have been the next Joe Flacco!
Oh, wait...nevermind.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:38 PM on November 22, 2010
T-Jack could prove competent enough.
I fear you may be a little too optimistic.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:55 PM on November 22, 2010
How much overlap did Tarvaris Jackson as starter and Adrian Peterson have? I never thought Tarvaris Jackson was that bad. And, he has a couple years of sitting on the bench learning at this point. It's not like there are so many better options available.
posted by bperk at 05:04 PM on November 22, 2010
As a hometown fan, I've had to endure Childress for several years. I'm glad he's gone. I never believed that he was a good NFL head coach. He has football smarts, but that didn't make him a head coach.
I've always believed that the best head coaches aren't the ones that put the best lines on the blackboard. They're the ones who get all of their guys working together for the same goals. Some use their willpower and demand respect (which they've earned) or they work to build mutual respect amongst the players and coaches and get them working together. Childress did neither.
The Vikings are a team that has a lot of veteran talent on both sides of the ball. Not just Favre. Steve Hutchinson has been around for a long time, for example. The defense has several veterans as well. A smart coach will work with these guys and let them help build the team. He'll get their feedback and make it a part of the game plan, or explain why they'll go in a different direction sometimes.
I feel bad for the Redskins this weekend. A bunch of guys got what they wanted, and now they have something to prove. Just like Dallas, the Vikings are going to show up for the rest of the season and they may surprise a bunch of people. Whether they make the playoffs will depend on whether the right things happen to help them, but I won't count them out.
posted by jjohn24680 at 05:05 PM on November 22, 2010
It was obvious that the Favre story would end badly. He was simply unwilling to walk away. I just didn't think it would be this quickly and this ugly.
I've come to realize that when it comes to narcissistic, ego driven stars that drive me crazy (favre, clemens...) I only have to wait them out. Eventually they destroy themselves. It's a wonderful thing and gives me hope.
posted by justgary at 05:08 PM on November 22, 2010
Their strong defense and AP could win ten games alone
Agreed. Give TJ a shot playing QB, he's more likely to be a manager and actually execute the plays as they are called a la Flacco. Realize AP is their meal ticket on offense. Quit forcing the defence into situations where they start playing in their own end of the field after yet another bad read or forced throw.
the Vikes turned out to be a bigger mess than Dallas this year
Unlike Dallas, Childress was allowed to make player decisions and sealed his own fate by special treatment of star players. The Cowboys collectively quit on Wade Phillips; Vikings had 2 (now 1) key players on offense with their own agenda destroying the team.
posted by cixelsyd at 05:11 PM on November 22, 2010
Favre looked like the answer to all their problems because they were focusing in the wrong direction. One of my biggest beefs about the Vikings over the past two years (aside from their legion of bandwagon fans, which was baffling to witness season after season in Minneapolis) has been how quickly they rallied around Favre as the second-coming, how his mere presence would guarantee them the Superbowl ring. Granted, they came closer last year than they have in a long time, but pinning all your hopes on an aging quarterback who's demonstrated how unwilling he is to fully commit to a team until it's totally convenient for him to do so... especially after the heaps of derision they'd pile upon him all those years he played for Green Bay... it still boggles the mind, I have to say.
Rally around Adrian Peterson, give Tavaris Jackson a chance, focus on someone other than the Waffle King for a change and you can actually build a program instead of cobbling things together year after year. Here's hoping they get someone who's interested in building towards the future and not just the here-and-now.
posted by evixir at 05:11 PM on November 22, 2010
The team did get better every year chilly was there until this year, & Favre wasn't always there during his tenure. So I don't think we can quantify who is more at fault for this year. I say 33.3-33.3-33.3 chilly/favre/Wilf (who let Favre dictate to chilly).
I can't help but feel that in the media obsessive drive to clear favre of any wrong-doing they contributed too. The narrative 4 weeks ago became "should Wilf fire favre" & not "when will the oft-injured, self-centered, 40 year-old qb get benched? Why won't the Wilf let chilly do it?"
Instead of pointing out the deeper structural dysfunction w/in the Vikes organization, just blame it all on chilly-great job media. That way our blessed #4 is blame-free.
Don't get me wrong, chilly had done a poor job this year, & I can understand the firing. But when you aren't allowed to make decisions you think are vital to a team's success, how much of it is really your fault?
posted by brainofdtrain at 05:13 PM on November 22, 2010
I've always believed that the best head coaches aren't the ones that put the best lines on the blackboard. They're the ones who get all of their guys working together for the same goals. Some use their willpower and demand respect (which they've earned) or they work to build mutual respect amongst the players and coaches and get them working together. Childress did neither.
That's a 2 way street though jjohn. Management has to bring in players who are not only talented but also want to cooperate & work together. Name a time when Favre has shown any interest in working with chilly for the good of the team. It has always been about a super bowl (for him).
Most people have a special dislike for the Pats, but this is why they have been a competitive team for over a decade now. They have been willing to part with people who can't work with the coaches, even if they are top notch players (Moss, Seymour, etc).
Like I already said, chilly had done a poor job, but the general vibe i'm getting so far is that this is primarily chilly's fault for the poor season. I disagree with that. If you have a organizational culture that allows a key player to be more important than the team it erodes everything. You can't discount that.
It amazes me that in the wake of a cruise boat scandal a coach that improved the team's record every year is believed to be the primary problem with all the ridiculousness Favre has brought with him this year.
posted by brainofdtrain at 05:25 PM on November 22, 2010
Before we get too carried away kicking Childress' ass over the Favre signing, if he had run on that last play against the Saints, he gets enough yardage to give Ryan Longwell a chance to kick a 47-yarder with around 15 seconds left to put the Vikings in the Super Bowl.
Instead, Favre throws a dumb pick. I still think fans should be happy with what they got out of his signing, as much as I thought it would blow up in their face last year.
posted by rcade at 05:36 PM on November 22, 2010
So what did they punish the Cowboys for?
I will let you know the answer when the gods are done punishing them.
posted by rcade at 05:37 PM on November 22, 2010
Love this site, just have to say that.
So, I've been on the Favre bandwagon all along, and I still say that he makes the team more fun to watch than T-jack would. Though I have to admit that now it's time to see what T has for us. The season is lost, why torment ourselves?
As to Chilly, he has to go. He lost the team, and it really matters little who's to blame. Can't fire all the players, can't fire the owners, so who's left to fall on their sword? Like Wade in Dallas, he's well compensated for his public firing, and he did make some brutal mistakes along the way.
Living here in Dallas, I get to see the media building up Garrett as the return of Christ, because he won a fairly lousy game against Detroit at home. NFL coaches get way too much credit, and take way too much blame, for the team's performance.
posted by dviking at 07:34 PM on November 22, 2010
Dammit as a guy who defended Favre's right to play every year until nobody would have him, it sucks to see him end his career like this.
posted by vito90 at 08:48 PM on November 22, 2010
Vikings had 2 (now 1) key players on offense with their own agenda destroying the team.
I don't think you can say that Randy Moss was destroying the team. By the time he became a Viking they were already in a bad state. They were not a good fit for Moss and it showed. That debacle was as much due to Childress and the Vikings as it was due to Moss.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:15 AM on November 23, 2010
Instead, Favre throws a dumb pick. I still think fans should be happy with what they got out of his signing, as much as I thought it would blow up in their face last year.
That play has to be one of the most important in recent history. Changed the course of two NFL teams and was the watershed moment in the careers of Favre and Childress. So many consequences for that one awful, awful decision.
posted by tron7 at 11:44 AM on November 23, 2010
Childress picked up Favre from the airport when he arrived for his (shortened) training camp.
Does the new coach push Favre back into the car and drive him to the airport?
posted by grum@work at 12:36 PM on November 23, 2010
That play has to be one of the most important in recent history. Changed the course of two NFL teams and was the watershed moment in the careers of Favre and Childress. So many consequences for that one awful, awful decision.
Three teams: I think Indianapolis would have beaten Minnesota in the Super Bowl.
posted by grum@work at 12:37 PM on November 23, 2010
Six teams: As a Packer in 2007-08, Favre similarly helped boost the Giants into the SB against the Pats with an ill-advised throw.
Favre's history has multiple Whack a Mole moments. It is hard to declare one of them the ultimate.
posted by beaverboard at 02:37 PM on November 23, 2010
I wonder if the Vikings as a organization would consider releasing Favre. It may sound difficult to imagine to some, but what point is there to keep him? He's a physical wreck. He has no place in the team's plans after this season. Leslie Frazier may only be the coach for the remainder of the season, so he really has no choice, on his own, as to whether he should play Favre or go a different direction. He needs to focus on winning, period, and it's possible Favre still give them the best chance to do that. But Favre's "streak" is still being held over the coach's head, and that's too bad. The only thing I don't know is how much money they are on the line for with him, and how that factors into any decision.
posted by dyams at 04:07 PM on November 23, 2010
Streak? Farve's Streaking? Where? I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I'll say my Mea culpas now.
posted by yzelda4045 at 04:52 PM on November 23, 2010
Before we get too carried away kicking Childress' ass over the Favre signing, if he had run on that last play against the Saints, he gets enough yardage to give Ryan Longwell a chance to kick a 47-yarder with around 15 seconds left to put the Vikings in the Super Bowl.
But he wouldn't have needed the yardage if Childress hadn't had twelve men on the field coming out of a timeout.
posted by kirkaracha at 05:04 PM on November 23, 2010
Losing streak, yzelda4045. Losing streak.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 05:05 PM on November 23, 2010
I've never been excited by Childress, but I appreciate what he's done for the Vikings. Up until this season he increased their record by 2 wins a season, and he's brought some great players to the team (Peterson and Harvin).
However, the offense about as conventional and predictable as you can imagine. There's no excuse for such a vanilla offense with the array of offensive weapons the Vikings have, and I blame Childress for that.
Childress failed this season. The Vikings had some injuries, but nothing compared to the Packers, who are doing great this season thanks to good coaching that makes the best use of the available players. The Vikings were in must-win territory for at least three games, and Childress failed to get the team prepared. They almost lost to the Cardinals, and only won because they played the last four minutes like they played most of last season. Then they came out flat against the Bears and gave up 150 return yards to Devin Hester, again due to terrible coaching.
The second loss to the Packers was the last straw. They were more evenly matched when they played a couple of weeks ago, and the Vikings would've won except for shady calls that gave the Packers a touchdown (which Childress didn't challenge) and took a touchdown away from the Vikings (Shaincoe's). To get blown out at home was pathetic.
posted by kirkaracha at 05:17 PM on November 23, 2010
Man, the Vikes turned out to be a bigger mess than Dallas this year. Towards the beginning of the year, I really thought they would turn things around and the Cowboys would be the ones firing coaches.