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This Sunday, watching the Vikings flounder once again against the AFC East, all the while remaining in the hunt for a playoff spot, I thought back to a time when the Vikings were playoff contenders because they were good, not just less mediocre than everyone else. The scary thing is, the coach that manned the helm of the Vikings ship at the time is now one of the most disparaged coaches in the league.
I’m talking, of course, about Denny Green.
Surprisingly, he still remains the coach of the Cardinals, despite the best wishes of most of Arizona and the national media. But look at what he has accomplished there. Sure, he hasn’t got as many wins as the Bidwells would like, but he has drafted into his organization the best receiving tandem in the NFC, a quarterback of the future, and attracted a top running back in the league. Forgive him if the defense and offensive line haven’t shaped up quite yet. This is Arizona, which has sucked since they got there. Denny has only been there for a few years. The ship won’t be righted overnight.
People always point to his clock management snafu in the title game against the Falcons back in 1998. Why wasn’t the finger pointed at Gary Anderson, who missed the game winning field goal to the right? Why isn’t it remembered, that, despite the kneel down in the first half, the Vikings were still in a position to win the game? Why do people seem to slip by the fact that, holy crap, Denny Green coached the team to the NFC Championship game? Twice! These are all questions I don’t have answers to. The question I really want answered now, however, is whether or not Denny will be hired anywhere else after he gets the boot in Glendale.
I said in my post on the Vikings-Cardinals contest last month that Green simply outcoached Brad Childress, but didn’t have the horses to run with the Vikings. He’s one of only a few teams to coach nose to nose with Lovie Smith this year, and is pretty much the only one in the NFC to do so. (Besides John Gruden tonight, apparently).
Additionally, in Minnesota, he started the careers of two current head coaches: Brian Billick (Super Bowl) and Tony Dungy (Not too bad himself). It seems as though you would need to be a good coach to recognize good coaching, but what do I know.
So that’s my defense of Denny Green. Even if he seems unhirable for many of the teams looking for a coach this offseason, he should be able to land a position as a GM, given his eye for talent, or as an offensive coordinator, given the fact that wherever he goes, offenses seem to bounce back. Say, hasn’t the Vikings’ offense had a bit of an off year? – Ryan
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