The Brad Childress Era in Minnesota is over.
Excerpt:
The team relieved the head coach of his duties Monday morning.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will take over as the interim head coach.
Childress, 54, compiled a 39-35 regular-season record in five seasons in Minnesota, including 3-7 this season. He guided the Vikings to a 1-2 mark in the playoffs.
The team had visions of a Super Bowl berth after quarterback Brett Favre put together perhaps his finest season in 2009 and the Vikings went 12-4.
But things went sour quickly, as the Vikings lost three of their first four games. Then the team acquired embattled receiver Randy Moss, then, only weeks later, Childress released Moss without consulting owner Zygi Wilf. It was then that Childress’ job security appeared at its most tenuous.
The firing comes one day after the Vikings were embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers 31-3, their second loss in a row.
Childress also had a increasingly combative relationship with likely Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who signed with the Vikings as a free agent before the 2009 season.
Vikings fire Childress; should beat writers lose jobs, too?
Excerpt:
The Minnesota Vikings fired head coach Brad Childress today, but what has my Twitter stream fired up is whether the local beat writers should go, too.
The argument goes something like this: the local sportsfolk haven't broken the biggest Vikings stories this year, including Brett Favre's return, the Randy Moss trade, and now, Chili's firing. Depending on how you parse out credit, the scoops belonged to ESPN, the NFL Network and Fox Sports. So why should, say, the Strib have three guys working the Vikings/NFL beat when they can't bring home the biggest stories — especially when less sexy but more important news beats have one or no reporters?
Comment: My own take is that
Favre is a problem and should not be retained. Whoever at the Vikes made the decision to bring back Randy Moss should also be fired. As for Brad. I liked him and considered him a good coach. Since
he just signed a contract extension a year ago, the guy probably will never need to work again. Enjoy your holidays watching the NFL instead of being in the maelstrom and melodrama of the Minnesota Vikings.
From 1 year ago:
The Minnesota Vikings signed Brad Childress to a contract extension that will keep the coach with the team through the 2013 season, a source told ESPN.com Thursday.
Financial terms weren't immediately available but the deal is believed to be between $4 million and $5 million a year, the source said. In 2006, Childress signed a five-year, $10 million contract, which was scheduled to expire after the 2010 season.
"Brad has done a tremendous job leading this football team and we value the positive environment he has created for the Minnesota Vikings on and off the field," Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said in a statement. "He has continued to positively impact this team and create a strong foundation for future success."
A note to Zygi Wilf. I will not pay for your stadium. Move your second rate team to a second tier TV market like Las Vegas!
