I wonder if all the knucklehead fans who hated Brad Childress are still happy he’s no longer coaching in Minnesota. It was almost a year ago (November 22) that the Vikings fired their coach ─ public enemy No. 1 to much of the fan base.
The record was 3-7 when Childress was fired. The 2011 edition is 2-7 with seven games remaining on the schedule. Childress coached a team with uncertainty at quarterback and failing personnel in other positions. His successor, Leslie Frazier, is reading the same script.
Although Childress wasn’t liked by the masses, his firing hasn’t improved ticket sales. The truth is there are more empty seats at home games this season than last.
Did his dismissal quiet the critics? Hardly. Even the Monday Night TV crew was calling out the Vikings for lack of discipline during Green Bay’s beat down of Minnesota, 45-7.
Until last year Childress coached the Vikings to improved records each season. He was 6-10 in 2006, then 8-8, 10-6 and 12-4. The last two records were good enough to give the franchise its first consecutive division titles since 1977-78. And the 2009 team was within a play or two of qualifying for the Super Bowl.
Less than 12 months after the 2009 NFC championship loss, Childress was fired. Yes, he made a mistake in allowing the toxic Randy Moss on his roster and he should have informed ownership when he decided to dismiss the controversial wide receiver. And, yup, there were locker room problems.
But locker room morale gets fixed over time and the resume of Childress’ work suggests he was capable of the task. He earned a reputation in Philadelphia as a valued assistant and before that was an accomplished college coach. His expertise was offensive football and he knew personnel, too. He had a lot to do with building the Vikings into a winning roster, but then some players grew old and others were injured.
Childress was trying to figure out how to plug the holes when he was fired. Frazier and company are doing the same.