Childress Thoughts

After thinking and writing about Sug and Pug. I have finally decided to toss out my thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings head coaching career of Brad Childress. I don't think that I have ever been as conflicted with any other Vikings coach. Except for the one year disaster that was Les Steckel's Vikings career, I have never been able to be adamantly against the presence of any current coach. It seems easy for some fans. Some regularly demand the ouster of the current coach. That always struck me as rather counterproductive. Why would I would ever wish for a Vikings coach to fail. His success equals Vikings success equals happy me.

A few years ago after Gregg Williams was fired as the Buffalo Bills coach, he said that his biggest mistake was coaching how he thought others wanted him to coach. I often wonder how many coaches do the same. All coaches should have a vision on how a team can and should be successful. If they don't have that vision, they should probably remain an assistant coach helping someone else follow their vision. As with all endeavors, adapting to challenges and changes is critical to achieving any goal. I think that Brad Childress had a clear vision. I'm also quite sure that he never made the mistake that Gregg Williams made. He coached his way the whole way. Childress' season records for the Vikings were 6-10, 8-8, 10-6, 12-4 and then the disastrous 2010 season. It is impossible to complain about a yearly two win gain. Steady improvement is usually a pretty good indication of solid coaching. The Vikings have a somewhat unique coach-vice president personnel decision making structure. Most teams have a coach or general manager that makes the final decisions. The Vikings talent level is as high as I have ever seen. Childress and vice president Rick Spielman have done an excellent job building the Vikings since 2006. They have smoothly used the draft, free agency and trades to build. I'd like to think that it was a partnership. All accounts indicate that it was. The one mistake has been at QB. Unfortunately, that is the one position that allows little room for error. Childress might still be coaching if he had ever found that one QB. The failure to obtain and develop that franchise QB led to old man Favre. That one great season showed what solid QB play could bring with this team. Childress' failure was due to his unwillingness to change, adapt, and maybe even listen. Childress came in saying that the Vikings would run a west coast offense and cover-2 defense. He didn't seem to let defensive coordinators Mike Tomlin or Leslie Frazier bring any of their own ideas to the table. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell only seemed to be the coordinator in title. Childress really did all of the offensive coordinating. Bevell didn't call plays until the third year, and even then the plays ran through Childress. Both Brad Johnson and Gus Frerotte complained of not being able to change plays at the line. Favre had his differences with Childress as well, but I doubt that anyone could tell Favre that he couldn't change calls. Both Johnson and Frerotte had enough experience to know when a called play might not work. It was foolish to handcuff them like that. Everything seems to indicate that Childress gave people titles but little of the duties, especially on offense. He was often abrasive with the Minneapolis media. I can actually understand that. Those people are idiots.

Looking back on Childress' 4.5 years as head coach, I have more negative thoughts than positive. I find that troubling. If I keep my thoughts strictly on the obvious: Improvement each season, increased talent level, even improved personal team conduct. Everything seems to indicate a job well done. 2010 was a difficult season to shake. It was an absolute disaster from beginning to end. There were far too many distractions outside of football to even seem real. I have never seen anything like it. I never would have imagined anything like it. Even throwing out 2010, I just can't reconcile the good that Childress brought with the bad. I am excited that Leslie Frazier is the coach, but for some reason I am also disappointed that Childress isn't.