Watching the Vikings the past three decades has been like chronicling an ’80s hair band. It’s been all fun and games except for the times the lead singer got busted and the drummer spontaneously combusted.
For a franchise that has been frequently competitive, the Vikings have rarely experienced what felt like sustainable success.
They were once owned by a Gang of 10 that feuded with the general manager, who was replaced by a non-football executive who wore coach’s shorts and a stopwatch.
Their next owner lived in San Antonio, and, once he realized he couldn’t win big or get a stadium built, stripped the team to make it attractive to new buyers.
Red McCombs sold to Zygi Wilf, whose jagged learning curve led to the hiring of Fran “I know New Mexico Football” Foley and Brad Childress.
Jerry Burns was an elderly coach who would have retired even if he had won a Super Bowl. He gave way to Dennis Green, who collected enemies the way a coffee shop message board collects business cards. Green gave way to Mike Tice, who had never been a coordinator at any level before he became a head coach, and eventually Childress, who saved time by burning bridges before he bothered to build them.
Childress gave way to Leslie Frazier, who served as the asbestos quilt that ownership threw over their constant brushfires, then tossed aside once the flames went out.
The Vikings’ best teams since the mid-’80s have been one-offs: The 1987 team that backed into the playoffs, then won two games with Wade Wilson at quarterback. The 1998 team that resurrected Randall Cunningham. The 2000 team that relied on Daunte Culpepper to outscore a shoddy defense. The 2009 team that hired Brett Favre as a temp. The 2012 team that made the playoffs in Christian Ponder’s lone showing of competence.
The past 30 years of Vikings football have felt like annual acts of desperation. That might be changing.
Jim Souhan, “Vikings finally have the makings for long-term success”, Star Tribune, 2015-09-13.
April 4, 2017
QotD: The last 30 years of Vikings football
November 22, 2010
Wilf pulls the trigger, fires Childress
I didn’t expect this, at least not until the end of the season, but the Vikings have fired head coach Brad Childress:
The Vikings fired their head coach late Monday morning, less than 24 hours after an embarrassing 31-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers eliminated whatever remained of the team’s playoff hopes and cast Childress’ job into obvious and imminent jeopardy.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season, the team announced in a three-sentence statement that included no quotes from management.
The Vikings sent a media release a little before 9 a.m. Monday saying Childress would hold his regularly scheduled press conference at 12:30 p.m. So, owner Zygi Wilf presumably informed Childress and team staffers sometime between then and the time Fox’s Jay Glazer broke the story on Twitter around 11 a.m.
A 3 p.m. media conference with Wilf and Frazier was scheduled to discuss the move. It’ll be the first time Wilf — who appeared angry as he hastily left the locker room following Sunday’s loss — has talked directly about the coaching situation in spite of rampant and growing speculation in recent weeks.
Here’s a brief introduction to the interim head coach from Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune:
Frazier joined the Vikings as defensive coordinator in 2007 after Mike Tomlin left to become head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Frazier, who had been an assistant on Tony Dungy’s staff with the Colts for two seasons before being hired by the Vikings, was given the added title of assistant head coach by Childress in March 2008.
Frazier, 51, played for the Chicago Bears from 1981 to ’86 and was a starter at cornerback for the 1985 team that won the Super Bowl. He led Chicago in interceptions in 1983, ’84, ’85 but his career was cut short by a severe knee injury suffered in the Super Bowl.
Frazier began his coaching career at what is now known as Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., in 1988 and remained at the school before moving to the University of Illinois in 1997. Frazier began coaching defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 and served as defensive coordinator for Cincinnati in 2003-04.
Frazier has interviewed for seven head coaching jobs in the past three offseasons, including Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis, Denver, Detroit, Buffalo and Seattle.
Update: Bob Sansevere has some advice for Frazier:
To succeed, Frazier needs to change a few things. The worst thing he could do is keep things status quo. Interim or not, it’s his team now. It’s his call how to run the joint.
The first thing he needs to do is decide what to do with Brett Favre. Here’s a thought: Pull Favre aside and tell him, “Thanks for trying, but we’re 3-7 with you and we both know you’re not coming back in 2011. We need to find out if this franchise has a quarterback for next season, so tell everyone your shoulder is about to fall off and retire for good this time.”
Frazier already should have seen enough of Tarvaris Jackson to know he’s not the future. So like he’s auditioning to be head coach, he should let rookie Joe Webb audition for the quarterback job. Fans would love it and, when you’re 3-7 and your owner wants a new stadium, fans aren’t a bad bunch to have on your side.
It’s be an amazing thing if Frazier put Favre on injured reserve, wouldn’t it? There goes the ironman’s record right there . . .
I’d like to see Joe Webb be given some game time, but I’d be more than astonished if he’s ready to start this soon. Most rookie quarterbacks need at least a full year before they’d have much hope of success. Still, as Sansevere points out, it would engage the fans and isn’t likely to make the final record for this season any worse.
Seventh worst home loss in Vikings history
Has the team given up? I’d suggest that letting your biggest rivals whip you by a score of 31-3 on your home field is pretty strong evidence that the team is no longer viable. I didn’t see the game, but the score was 3-0 Vikings as I left the house. I had no idea that was the high point of the game . . .
It was apparently no party on the sidelines:
As if a 31-3 loss wasn’t bad enough, the Vikings’ tensions boiled to the point that heated exchanges were considered normal on Sunday.
Brett Favre and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell argued after a Favre interception late in the first half.
“We’re fine. I was mad at myself,” Favre said.
Defensive end Ray Edwards barked at rookie cornerback Chris Cook by consistently getting burned on the left side. Cook got benched in favor of Asher Allen, who didn’t fare much better as a facilitator of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ 301 yards and four touchdowns.
The defensive linemen had beef with Cook and Allen giving up several big gains from the sideline on fade routes.
“I never thought we’d get beat on four fade (routes),” defensive tackle Kevin Williams said.
Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield both said they talked with Edwards about keeping such conversations in-house instead of on the sidelines.
To make the soap opera complete, Brett Favre didn’t answer reporters’ questions about whether he’ll finish the season (that is, whether he’s now considering retiring immediately).
If Zygi Wilf was thinking about firing Brad Childress, as the home fans are demanding, yesterday’s game would give him a good reason. I don’t know if the Wilfs are willing to do that, as they’d still owe Childress for millions on his contract, but it would certainly please the fans.
Update: Childress has been fired.
November 18, 2010
“All my Childress”, your Minnesota Vikings soap opera update
Elizabeth Merrill on the 2010 Minnesota Vikings, the NFL’s soap opera team:
There was a happier time, just last year, when the Minnesota Vikings started 6-0 and ate Popeyes chicken for six straight weeks until they finally lost. Now, in the drama capital of the NFL, even the weekly team meal is controversial. Three weeks ago, newly acquired receiver Randy Moss voiced his displeasure over the catering in such an off-putting matter that it drew the ire of coach Brad Childress. Now Moss is gone and dining in Tennessee.
Every week, it seems there’s something new. There’s the story about unnamed players who want Childress fired, the saga over Brett Favre and Jenn Sterger and some racy text messages, and drama over migraines and MRIs and a practice altercation.
“All My Childress.” That’s what the local sports-radio station calls this 2010 football season that has made Minnesota the most fascinating, frustrating and dysfunctional team in the NFL. But are the Vikings dysfunctional because they’re losing, or are they losing because they’re dysfunctional?
“Some of this stuff,” kicker Ryan Longwell said, “you literally cannot make up. It’s so out of left field. I mean, it’s been a circus. It’s been crazy. It’s a credit to our guys that we’ve been resilient and keep fighting for each other.
“We’ve had seasons, obviously, where you had a lot of attention because of your success. But not this kind of random, issue-of-the-day type of things every day. We joke about it. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, there’s tomorrow.”
At 3-6, they’re not quite mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but now every game is a must-win and even if they manage that, they’ll still need back luck to dog the Bears and Packers.
November 8, 2010
Vikings doze for 3/4 of game before waking up
Yesterday’s game started (and continued for most of the regulation time) with the Arizona Cardinals looking like the better team. The Vikings didn’t appear to have any interest in being on the field, with a few notable exceptions like Percy Harvin. After 55 minutes of play, the Cardinals had a two touchdown lead and the game seemed to be pretty much done. As did the season. As did head coach Brad Childress.
Then, something amazing happened — the Vikings finally woke up:
By the fourth quarter, it appeared the prudent thing would have been to ignore Wilf’s advice. Chants of “Fire Childress” had been heard in the stadium, and under-fire coach Brad Childress’ seemingly lifeless Vikings trailed Arizona by 14 points with 4 minutes, 39 seconds left.
So, of course, in a season in which the abnormal has become the norm, a giddy Wilf ended up greeting players at the door to the locker room repeating “Great heart” over and over following the Vikings’ 27-24 overtime victory over the Cardinals.
Brett Favre set a career high with 446 passing yards and tied his career best with 36 completions. Percy Harvin had nine catches for a career-high 126 yards, and a defense that hadn’t had a sack in three games had six against Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson, including two on the opening possession of overtime.
When Ryan Longwell connected on a 35-yard field goal on the Vikings’ first possession of overtime, Childress’ job appeared safe for at least another week. And the Vikings (3-5) pulled out of a last-place tie in the NFC North.
Percy Harvin had a great game, with 214 total yards and moving the chains at key moments, but also had a costly fumble to start the second half. Brett Favre had 446 yards passing, setting a different kind of record: he’s gone nearly 17 years between 400+ yard games.
November 7, 2010
Spiralling out of control?
The Star Tribune writers Judd Zulgad and Chip Scoggins chart the rocky situation facing Vikings coach Brad Childress as the team faces a must-win game at home against the Arizona Cardinals:
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf will hear the fans’ opinion of embattled coach Brad Childress on Sunday at Mall of America Field. And it could be ugly.
Childress was pilloried on sports talk shows, message boards and websites when he cut cult hero Randy Moss on Monday. The move also irked an ownership group that wasn’t consulted. And you can be sure neither the fan base nor management is happy with a 2-5 start for a team expected to be a title contender.
That’s where it all really pivots: the terrible start to the season for a team that was expected to repeat last year’s playoff surge and get to the Superbowl for the first time since 1976. Expectations were so high that anything less than 6-1 at this point would have the fans grumbling. Losing 5 games has left them looking for heads to roll.
The trouble with Moss started long before he berated caterers in the team’s locker room, long before he didn’t attempt to catch a possible touchdown pass after a penalty during the New England game, and long before he criticized Childress in front of ownership and the media.
Moss is a punk. An incredibly talented, self-centred, now aging punk. Childress seems to have completely missed that little detail in the trade. Bill Belichick doesn’t give up players for no reason, but he found the perfect patsy in Brad Childress. Then, to compound the mistake of thinking he could control Moss (in a way no other coach except Belichick has ever done), Childress then waived Moss without clearing it with the owners.
To sum up: hopes raised, hopes dashed, third round pick flushed down the drain, and still no solution for the passing game. Oh, and pissing off the boss into the bargain on top of the already angry fan base.
That’s not to say that Childress was wrong to cut Moss: as I said at the time, I was surprised that he made the decision so quickly. But the one right thing he did couldn’t salvage the wrong decision that brought Moss back in the first place. I welcomed the signing, on the assumption that Childress knew what he was getting — a seriously faulty assumption in hindsight. That fault isn’t on Moss, who was just being his normal prickly, obnoxious self. The fault is on Childress.
Childress, who might have saved himself criticism by consulting with the owners before pulling the plug, instead acted alone. The move stunned and disappointed many players; on Wednesday, Childress refused to divulge much about his decision.
Even the right decision can come back to haunt you if you don’t follow the rules.
Does Childress still have the support of the team?
“I can’t speak for every guy in the locker room, and I’m not going to,” Favre said Wednesday. “But I think ultimately, regardless of scheme, philosophy, each player, the bottom line is you are playing for yourself first. If you don’t play well, you may be out of the league before too long. Secondly, you are playing for your team.”
As the team’s final weekly practice ended Friday, Childress and Harvin got into a heated argument when the coach questioned his injured receiver’s effort, according to sources.
When incidents like that become public, people wonder if the coach has lost the locker room.
I guess we’ll find out today, based on how the Vikings perform in the game at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota is favoured by 9 according to the odds-makers, and anything less than that will be underperformance by the team.
Zulgad and Scoggins seem to think that Childress is still secure in his job until the end of the season (his contract doesn’t have a buy-out clause, so it’d be expensive to fire him). I don’t know if the owners agree. Another loss, especially at home, might well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Update: John Holler thinks this game has to be an epic beating of the Cardinals to save Childress:
If Brad Childress wants to keep his job, he may have to blow out the Cardinals in the Metrodome. The rankings say that might be attainable, as the Cardinals have poor positioning in numerous league rankings.
[. . .]
Only one team has been in the red zone less than the Cardinals offense. Only one team has allowed opponents to get into the red zone more often than Arizona. In their last three road games, they have been outscored 104-27. These are epically bad numbers. How they have a 3-4 record is a mystery, much less posting wins over New Orleans, the Raiders and St. Louis – all teams with .500 or better records. They have found a way to win games, but, when they are bad, they are very bad. And, fortunately for the Vikings, they are very bad on the road.
There have been a lot of questions about the future of Brad Childress. With the Bears and Packers following the Cardinals on the schedule, this is a game that needs to not only be won, but won convincingly. Today’s game needs to be a beating. Any win will be acceptable. A loss to the Cardinals? Childress may be in the market for boxes on Monday. Don’t believe that? Let the numbers do the talking.
November 4, 2010
Uh-oh. This week they both picked Minnesota
“They” being the Two Scotts, of course:
Arizona (plus 9) at Minnesota
Feschuk: Another business-as-usual week for the Vikings, who released their most talented receiver because he didn’t finish his lunch. In other news, I went to a Halloween party last Saturday and at the last minute decided to go as Charlie Sheen’s hotel room. I ripped up some jeans, covered myself in flour (cocaine) and drew a closet door on my shirt pocket, inside which I placed a photograph of a cowering porn star. It came together nicely enough — but that wasn’t my original plan. My intention was to dress as Brad Childress, but the costume store had run out of moustaches and incompetence. Pick: Minnesota.
Reid: It will be interesting to see what fresh bit of shrewd decision-making Brad Childress has planned for this week. Will he hand over a prized draft pick for the rights to Plaxico Burress? Name Adrian Peterson the team’s new place-kicker? Lend money to Randy and Evi Quaid? Of all the people in the NFL having a bad year, Childress deserves to be their Mayor. Even Obama must be thinking: Sucks to be me but at least I’m looking better than that sorry sonofabitch, Chili. He even has to take his marching orders from a guy who sends out pictures of his Jolly Roger. It’s not the most humilating thing in the world. But not everyone can be Charlie Sheen. Pick: Minnesota.
Kevin Seifert offers a “free head exam” to Brad Childress
Brad Childress, already under fire for his bizarre trade-for-then-release actions with Randy Moss, may be edging closer to unemployment, says ESPN’s Kevin Seifert:
It appears Wilf won’t fire Childress for this incident, but Childress’ future doesn’t look promising. Independent of the Moss debacle, he has presided over one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments this season. Wilf is paying out one of the league’s highest payrolls and has two victories in seven games to show for it. So in an extended Free Head Exam format, let’s look at three issues surrounding Childress that merit further examination:
1. Childress has demonstrated what we’ll kindly call a unique relationship with the truth, at least when speaking publicly. All NFL coaches protect information for competitive purposes, but increasingly over time, Childress has clumsily expressed falsehoods that call into question the credibility of most everything he says.
[. . .]
2. I have never been a fan of committee leadership structures in the NFL, but Wilf believes strongly in his and demands that his front office work together to make football decisions. Childress is expected to work hand-in-hand with Rick Spielman, the vice president of player personnel, and Rob Brzezinski, the vice president of football operations. Wilf positions himself to settle any disagreements.
Childress has now run astray of that structure at least twice, and he has on multiple occasions noted that his contract calls for him to have final say over the 53-man roster. His personal relationship with Spielman and Brzezinski is probably irrelevant, but I would suggest that Childress has positioned himself on an island within the front office and would have few allies defending him internally if Wilf considered a coaching change.
[. . .]
3. Childress has done a fine job hiring defensive coordinators during his tenure, starting with Mike Tomlin and continuing with Leslie Frazier. So we note with some irony that Frazier’s presence provides Wilf a legitimate option for an in-season change, one that wouldn’t be realistic with a less established or experienced coordinator.
If there were ever a coordinator capable of taking over a team in November, it’s Frazier. He’s among the NFL’s most prepared men for the job, and Vikings players on both sides of the ball respect him. The potential for disruption would be minimal.
Seifert always seemed a calm and level-headed writer, both when he was with the Star Tribune and now with ESPN. The tone of this article is scathing . . . I can’t recall reading anything Seifert has written that expresses so much barely concealed dislike for the subject.
November 2, 2010
Vikings coach taking heat for throwing away 3rd round pick in Moss trade
When it was first announced, the trade with the New England Patriots for Randy Moss looked like a daring, innovative solution to some of the problems the Vikings were facing this season. They gave up a third-round pick in the draft for a volatile, aging, but still talented wide receiver — a point of weakness this season with Sidney Rice still on the PUP list. A third-rounder seemed like a pretty fair exchange to shore up the weakest link on the team.
Until yesterday, of course, when Brad Childress waived Moss. It’s not clear if he informed the ownership before doing so:
Super Bowl? How about super bizarre?
Less than a month after bringing Randy Moss back to the Minnesota Vikings, coach Brad Childress jettisoned the star wide receiver after four games.
According to an NFL source, Childress did not immediately inform owner Zygi Wilf of his intentions, upsetting the owner, who had just given up a draft choice and committed millions to the mercurial receiver. The apparent lack of communication meant Moss was not put on waivers by the 3 p.m. deadline and the team did not confirm he was gone until issuing a statement Monday night.
A third-round pick for 3/4 of a season of Moss still seemed like the solution to the passing game problems. A third-round pick in exchange for four games now looks like the worst trade in the NFL this season.
If Moss is claimed off waivers, the team that gets him would inherit the final year of a contract that is worth $6.4 million in base salary. But if Moss passes through waivers, the Vikings will owe Moss the remaining $3.888 million on his deal and another team could sign Moss for approximately $450,000.
The Vikings have to hope that someone like the Buffalo Bills or the Seattle Seahawks are willing to pay nearly $4 million to get Moss. Otherwise, they’re out both the draft pick and the rest of Randy’s salary for the year.
November 1, 2010
The other shoe drops: Randy Moss is waived by the Vikings
After Randy Moss spent his post-game “self-interview” blowing kisses to the team that just traded him, he’s now been waived by the Minnesota Vikings:
NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi reports that the Vikings waived Moss on Monday. At his Monday press conference, Vikings coach Brad Childress mentioned that he allowed Moss to stay back in Boston for a few days before re-joining the team. It looks like he can stay there.
We have no reason to believe the story is not true, but PFT can report via a league source that Moss is not yet aware that he’s been released.
Moss would now be subject to leave waiver rules and could be claimed by any team. (To clarify, even veterans are subject to the waiver process after the trading deadline. Think Chris Chambers last year.)
The Bills would have the first crack at him because they have the worst record. Any team claiming Moss would have to pay the rest of his $6.4 million base salary. If Moss goes unclaimed — a distinct possibility we’ll know by 4PM Tuesday — the Vikings owe him the rest of this contract.
That was unexpectedly sudden. I’m not saying it wasn’t the correct move, just that I didn’t think Childress would pull the trigger this fast.
October 29, 2010
The Two Scotts disagree over Vikings-Patriots
Scott Feschuk and Scott Reid each pick the other team in their weekly football column:
Feschuk: Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of the Minnesota Vikings. Welcome to the NFL’s hottest soap opera, where tensions are running so high between Brett Favre and Brad Childress that it’s only a matter of time until they get in a fistfight or start making out. Favre has described his injury as a “broke foot” because he’s from Mississippi and words like “fractured” and “ankle” done got too many dem fancy “syllbulls” in ’em. Will Favre’s ankle be healthy enough for him to play but painful enough that he can limp around engendering our collective sympathy? We sure hope and also know so. Meanwhile, Childress keeps taking shots at his own players — most recently by saying he hopes he that “one of these days” he gets to coach a team as mentally tough as the Patriots. If the Vikings somehow turn this around, Childress may be the first NFL coach to be doused with Gatorade, then sealed inside the empty jug and rolled down a hill onto the interstate. Pick: Minnesota.
Reid: According to some reports, Brett Favre admits to sending suggestive texts to Jenn Sterger but denies he forwarded photographs of his wang chung. This is the beginning of the tried and true male tradition of the ‘half-lie.’ Confess to some sins (it’s generally smart to pick the lesser crimes that will prove to be eventually undeniable anyhow) in an effort to bolster your credibility as you reject the remaining — and usually more damaging — allegations. “Alright honey, I’ll admit: I gave that girl a ride in the car. Frankly, she looked a bit cold and I was already planning on driving by that spot under the bridge so it wasn’t even out of my way. But God as my witness, I did not let her touch me with her feet. She just made that part up to make me look bad in the eyes of my family, friends and law enforcement.” Of course, there are two vital steps to successfully pulling off the half-lie. First, you must volunteer the confession part early in order to pre-empt and create doubt about the really bad stuff. Second, yo, Kim Philby — have you ever heard of hotmail? Pick: New England.
October 25, 2010
Brad Childress to be fined for criticizing game officials?
After last night’s loss at Green Bay, Vikings coach Brad Childress poured some of his frustrations into a possibly expensive criticism of the officials:
Brad Childress was upset by Brett Favre’s decision-making on Sunday night as the now-injured quarterback threw three interceptions in a 28-24 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field, but the Vikings coach reserved the majority of his ire for the officiating job done by referee Scott Green’s crew.
Childress clearly wasn’t happy when he spoke to the media in the postgame news conference, but he was seething during an earlier interview on Vikings flagship station KFAN (1130 AM).
“That’s the worst officiated game I’ve seen,” said Childress, whose team fell to 2-4 after losing four games in the entire 2009 regular season. “That referee came over and apologized to me for not calling a hold on the scramble by [Packers quarterback Aaron] Rodgers. And I’ll tell you what, that’s his job. Protect the quarterback and look at the left tackle. Look at the left tackle hold his tail off.”
As a long-time Vikings fan, I’m used to grousing about how the Vikings don’t get the same benefit of the doubt from the officials that certain other teams seem to get. Last night’s game was a good example, where Green Bay’s second TD catch looked like an incompletion (but was allowed) and Visanthe Shiancoe’s TD catch was disallowed. The Vikings kicked a field goal, but the four point difference was the losing margin at the end of the game.
Of course, if Brett Favre had just taken a sack instead of trying to force the ball, the game result would have been different, too.
October 7, 2010
Feschuk and Reid don’t think adding Moss will help the Vikings
The Two Scotts are rather sniffy about how much, if any, improvement the Vikings will see by adding Randy Moss:
Feschuk: So Randy Moss is back with the Vikings — because nothing inspires a veteran to new heights than returning to the scene of his greatest suckouts, hissy fits and feigned moonings that make Joe Buck cry. Clearly, this is an attempt to appease Brett Favre, which is a waste of time because everyone knows you can’t please old people.
Coach Childress: Hey, Brett, look! I brought you a shiny new deep threat!
Brett: Bah. Nobody visits me and ham doesn’t taste like it used to.
Pick: New York.
Reid: The Moss deal got me to thinking: Mabye we could get traded back to the PMO. Sure, Harper would be a bit different to work for than Martin — there would be fewer free-wheeling debates, more cats and way more waterboarding. But wouldn’t it be nice to tear it up big in the old town again? I guess that’s the nostalgic glow that’s roped Randy Moss back to Prince territory. Here’s a fun party game: Add Randy Moss’ age to the number of seasons Brett Favre has played, then divide by the total touchdown passes that Bernard Berrian has caught this year. If it comes out zero, congratulations. You’re not only correct, you’re Brad Childress — watching your season circle the toilet bowl. I’m not saying this looks desperate but the Vikings may have to change their name to Danny Bonaduce. Pick: New York.
September 23, 2010
Chargers don’t get sweet enough offer for Vincent Jackson
The Minnesota Vikings still don’t have an answer for their wide receiver woes: the San Diego Chargers decided not to accept any of the offers for their disgruntled-but-talented Vincent Jackson. The NFL had set a deadline of 3pm yesterday for a deal to be struck, but San Diego didn’t get what they wanted from the Vikings or other teams, so Jackson will have to serve the full six game suspension and may not play at all this year.
As Judd Zulgad points out, this leaves the Vikings even thinner going in to this weekend’s matchup with the improving Detroit Lions:
The Vikings were hoping to end Wednesday with Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson in tow. Instead, their receiver situation became even more unsettled as Jackson remained a holdout in San Diego and injury issues continued to mount.
Percy Harvin, already battling a hip strain, missed practice after another recurrence of migraines, and Bernard Berrian was limited because of an issue with his knee.
[. . .]
Jackson would not have been an immediate help to the Vikings, but he could have been on the field as early as Oct. 17 against Dallas, if a trade could have been worked out. Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, Jackson was considered a potential short-term replacement for the injured Sidney Rice.
Jackson, who is 6-5, would have given Favre the type of big target that he’s lacking, with the 6-4 Rice expected to miss half the season after having hip surgery.
The Vikings reportedly had agreed to a one-year deal with Jackson’s agents that would have been worth more than $6 million for 12 games of work. There also was believed to be a potential option year in the contract. However, the Vikings, and other teams, were unable to reach an agreement on trade terms with the Chargers by a 3 p.m. deadline Wednesday.
I’m in two minds about the deal: the Vikings are getting desperate enough at wide receiver to suit up Brad Childress or perhaps give Pat Williams a chance, but the Jackson situation had the potential to bring as much trouble to the team off the field as his play might have helped on the field.
With so many of their talented players coming up on the end of their contracts, it would send a terrible signal to reward a player like Jackson for his behaviour. I have to assume that’s why the Vikings didn’t pony up the kind of offer San Diego was looking for, and in the long term, I think it was the right decision. Brett Favre may have a different opinion, however.
August 22, 2010
Patrick Reusse defends Brad Childress
Star-Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse thinks that Vikings coach Brad Childress is being blamed for success:
Legions of Vikings loyalists gave all credit for this tremendous season to Favre, and ignored the four seasons of roster adjustment that had taken place with Childress.
Last week, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports carried the water for an unnamed, disgruntled Viking, including a pair of quotes that were alleged to shine light on the Favre-Childress relationship:
“Brett thinks Childress has no clue about offense,” and “Brett just doesn’t trust him.”
The second quote was part of the anonymous Viking convincing Cole to offer this observation: “Childress’ presence, not Favre’s ankle injury, was one of the biggest reasons Favre was hesitating . . . after Childress visited Favre on July 19, Favre’s desire to return declined.”
Surely, this was sweet music to those vocal Childress critics among the Purple Faithful . . . a group that would insist even after a Vikings Super Bowl victory that it came in spite of the coach.
Childress isn’t the sort of coach who inspires delirious displays of loyalty by either players or fans: he’s not a mediagenic personality, but you (generally) don’t hire a coach because he looks good on TV. Coaches are hired to get the best possible results from their players. Some of the best coaches in NFL history have been less-than-cuddly to both players and reporters . . . others appeared to spend as much time on camera as they did on the practice field with their teams.
On the only chart that matters: the team’s record, Chilly has done pretty well (6-10, 8-8, 10-6, 12-4). Getting to the NFC Championship game is very good . . . losing in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champions shows that the team had what it took, except luck.
