If you recall, this last Wednesday I put out a call for Mail Dump questions. The Mail Dump, for those not in the know, is PJD’s super awesome mail bag where people write in with questions they may have concerning the Vikings, football in general, or how best to approach a scantily clad woman on the beach when she looks like she might only be 17. Well, things didn’t turn out that well this week, but to hell if that means we won’t respect someone’s hard work and respond to a question that WAS posed to us. Also, after the jump, PJD will also ask our readers a question, to help get this whole community-question & answer thing going.
And remember, you can always send more questions, photos, links, stories, rants, Vikings related or otherwise, to us at [email protected] and we’ll share them when appropriate and all have lots of fun laughter together.
On to the questions …
From reader Gideon, who was nice enough to support our Mail Dump request this week, comes the following question:
I’d like to know your bare feelings about Childress’ humanitary/coaching worth. Sometimes he seams like a weaselish pussy, only another level eight vocab word from collapse but, at others gives indication that he trustworthy, diligent and resourceful while retaining respect and a relative grace, mostly unseen by those in coaching clothes. Which is it or where between?
I think you did a fairly decent job of just covering what Coach Childress is about right there. I don’t totally disagree with that assessment. On one hand, you sit there and wonder about his shit-tastic play calling on occasion and his rigidity around his way of doing things and say to yourself, “Why can’t we have Rex Ryan as our coach?” That guy is fucking awesome. On the other hand though, Childress clearly isn’t an idiot and has lightened up a ton since first becoming the head coach in Minnesota. He tries to make jokes, which really ends up just coming off like your Dad trying to be funny, and in candid interviews has shown an acute meta understanding of the perception the fans and media have for him. I feel sometimes that he plays off those perceptions, valid or not, and sometimes just doesn’t give a shit.
And it’s a thin line. As a fan, I’m not super concerned about having a head coach that is a nice guy and who seems like someone I would want to share a Tom Collins with. Belichek isn’t a nice guy and I would have Tom Brady’s babies in order for him to be our head coach. Of course, I would have Brady’s babies anyway, but that’s besides the point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnSiyxQqIPU
As a fan what you want in your coach is someone who can outsmart and out plan the opposing coach who, either as an offensive or defensive guru, can whip up a game plan and call it to perfection. Whenever I think about Childress and try to decide whether or not I’m totally in his corner or not, with all of these factors in mind, I just think back to that Chicago road game last year when we got our ass handed to us in the first half. It was clear that Childress and Favre had a little game going on where, after the previous week in Carolina when they had their little panty fight over play calling, Childress called all the plays in the first half and Favre managed the game in the second half. Well, the first half was a bigger abortion than Octomom would have been had she fallen down the stairs. I can’t forget that, and don’t know if you can really forgive that. That’s pretty damming.
It tells me a couple things. First, it says that Childress as a play caller can shove a remote up his ass. But the rest of his body of work says that Childress as a leader and figure head of a team kind of works out. I get the impression that despite his rigidity that people like playing for him. So I remain on the fence. If the team could have a brilliant offensive coordinator freely call plays underneath him (and no, I don’t mean Bevell) than I might feel totally comfortable with this all. As it stands, I’m still a bit wary on Childress.
So let me ask you, fair reader. What’s your take on Childress at this point? His teams HAVE been better year after year. He’s taken us to the NFCCG (with Favre at the helm, of course). He has lightened up since his first few years. Are we beginning to trust him with the team more or no? I’ll be awaiting your responses, with dick jokes, in the comments.
And come on, keep sending random shit in. It’s way more fun that way.
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