The NFL Network announced moments ago that the Minnesota Vikings have dismissed head coach Brad Childress.
The Vikings fell to 3-7 after the Green Bay Packers spanked them 31-3. The Vikings were expected to defend their division title and mount another challenge for the Super Bowl. Childress went so far as to fly to Mississippi to persuade Brett Favre to return for another run this year. When that did not work, the Vikings dispatched three players to Favre’s home to appeal to his sense of teamwork.
It’s gone horribly wrong for Minnesota. The Vikings post-season hopes are essentially done. Facing an issue with healthy receivers, the Vikings traded their 2011 third round draft pick to New England for prodigal player Randy Moss. Childress released him after three weeks without informing team owner Ziggy Wilf.
Bosses hate surprises. Wilf nearly fired Childress on the spot. Instead, he waited to see if there was an addition by subtraction effect to waiving Moss.
Minnesota succumbed to two ugly losses to division rivals Chicago and Green Bay, now tied at 7-3 for the NFC North division lead. That sealed Childress fate.
Childress led the Vikings to two division titles. His regular season record is 39-35.
The Vikings named defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier interim head coach.
Minnesota is due to visit the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field this Sunday, November 28.
You never know what team shows up when a coach gets fired. Will it be the poorly playing team that got the coach fired, or a newly inspired team that plays over its head?
The Dallas Cowboys are 2-0 since firing Wade Phillips three weeks ago. The Redskins fell victim to the winless St. Louis Rams in 2008 after they named Jim Haslett interim head coach. The Rams 19-17 win was one of only two victories that year.
The Redskins never beat a team quarterbacked by Brett Favre. This might have been the year to do it. Favre has thrown 17 interceptions to 10 touchdowns and has a measly 69.8 quarterback rating. The dysfunctional relationship between Favre and Childress had a corrosive effect on a team facing adversity.
Couldn’t Wilf have waited one more week to make this move?
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