The Hazelweird Auction stretched into over a week of festivities, and so I have to do a little catching up here.
Why I don't trash Brad Childress
Often on this blog I come off as a Brad Childress apologist. It's not that I'm convinced Childress is a great coach; it's that I'm not convinced he's a bad coach. I don't believe one season is enough for us to know that Childress is a failure that cannot turn the Vikings into a winner.
Let's take a look at how some of the NFL's Hall of Fame coaches did in their first seasons. Weeb Ewbank went 3-9. Bud Grant was 3-8-3. Tom Landry went 0-11-1. Marv Levy was 4-12. Greasy Neale was 2-8-1. Chuck Noll was 1-13. Bill Walsh was 2-14.
There are other Hall of Fame coaches that succeeded immediately. But there are enough all-time great coaches that really stunk in their first seasons and went on to great careers. None of these coaches should have been dismissed as failures after one season, and neither should Childress. If the Vikings don't make significant progress in 2007, Childress should be on the proverbial hot seat. If the Vikings don't make the playoffs in 2008, then it would not be unfair if Childress were fired. But one 6-10 season isn't enough for me to abandon all hope in him.
Robert Ferguson is a Viking
Here are some of the stories and reactions:
"Ferguson agrees to terms with Vikings" (ESPN)
"Vikings Add Wide Receiver" (Vikings.com)
"Ferguson Signs" (Viking Update)
"Ferguson's Comments" (Access Vikings)
"Robert Ferguson--An Interlude" (The Ragnarok)
"Vikings Looking to Potentially Waste Roster Spot" (Daily Norseman)
"Ferguson Now a Viking" (The Viking Age)
"Robert Ferguson: Signs with Minnesota, should we care?" (Footballguys)
Michael Vick
Michael Vick is pleading guilty to the charges involving dog fighting (Sports Illustrated). Frankly, I'm irritated by the majority of commentary on the Vick dog fighting story, and I tend to regret ever writing about it. While I have other ideas, I'd prefer to be done with this story for a while.
A good time of year
Real honest to goodness pro football is starting up soon. It makes me realize how empty the off-season football days really are. Right now I can't imagine getting excited about the first day of free agency or the NFL draft. Sitting around reading about players signing contracts? Having no idea whether college prospects will be competent pros, but watching the draft anyway? That's not football. Of course when the off-season is here that all seems really exciting. Right now all I want is some real freaking football games, and that's all I'll accept.
Links
Eli Manning is finding his soul; now he responds to Tiki Barber (Sports Illustrated).
Cold Hard Football Facts always provides data on underrated, critical football stats, like passing yards per attempt.
SML has good things to say about one of my favorite basketball players of all-time, Scottie Pippen (Stop Mike Lupica).
Sports fans are learning what most of us already know: the kids LOVE High School Musical (Sports Media Watch).
Viking fans are definitely getting excited for Adrian Peterson (Complete Sports).
Sad news: former Timberwolf Eddie Griffin has died in a car accident (Sports Illustrated). Dr. Lawyer Indianchief mourns (Free Darko).
Stupid Article - Those coaches didn't take a 9-7 team and make it a LUCKY to be a 6 win 9 loss team. The guy is CLUELESS... He spoo's forth the rhetoric that all the wanna be believers need to hear and you all buy into it.... too bad...
ReplyDeleteFIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
I've got to be honest, I think that the Vikings signing Ferguson was huge. He's been waiting to become a star for a few years now.
ReplyDeleteso has Kaseem Osgood in San D, but he is stuck in that attrocious offense.
ReplyDeleteThat 2005 9-7 team was lucky to be 9-7. It won a game against backups (Chicago), a game on a fluke (New York), a game against a third-string QB (St. Louis). It beat the Packers twice by just a field goal. It also lost games by scores of 37-8, 30-10, 28-3, 38-13, and 18-3. You can mythologize the 2005 Vikings as a good team, and then bash Childress for turning it into a 6-10 team, but you would be wrong. Childress took over a team that got blown out by almost every good team it played, and got lucky to win most of the games it did.
ReplyDeleteChilly does at least deserve this year to show he is Head Coach material.Hopefully he will use the other Coaches to their strengths and not adopt the I am Head Coach theme of last year.
ReplyDeleteAs far as last year out of the 7 games lost 5 of those I believe were lost by 5 points or less.A few more catches,a little more Def against the pass and the whole season changes.
I would have to say the players more then Coaching staff would have to take the blame for last year.
It was difficult last year to determine if it was the play calling or the QB that was conservative. 3rd and 5 and the pass goes to Taylor for a 3 yard gain? Was that just too much checking down by Brad Johnson or was there no where else to throw it because WRs weren't given good routes to run? We didn't have great WR's last year (or this year) but we have a qb that can at least launch it deep if need be.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I'm hopeful about the season. If the running game does open things up for the passing game, then we can see what Tito Jackson can do. The running game opened things up for Brad Johnson, but only to pass for 5 or 6 yards.
Play calling vs. players?
Pacifier: Great illogical logic... the 9-7 team shouldn't have won 9 games BUT the 06 Vikes deserved to win all 6 of those games?? One of the truly moronic statements I have heard in a long time... Like the 06 Carolina victory wasn't a TOTAL fluke?? Keep wishing Chillidiot has a clue... Cripes know something about leadership AND football before continuing such propaganda...
ReplyDeleteFIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!! guy:
ReplyDeleteI actually never said none of the '06 Vikes' wins weren't lucky; you just made that up. I was primarily responding to your claim that the '06 Vikes were lucky to win 6 games by pointing out how lucky the '05 Vikings really were to win 9 games.
But I now see why you usually resort to the same redundant and childish message again and again: when you try to say anything else, you reveal yourself as a fool.
I am not a "wanna be believer" that is "buying into" Childress's rhetoric: all I've said is that I'm not convinced one bad season means Childress is a bad coach, or that he's "CLUELESS" because he couldn't get 37 year old Brad Johnson to lead an offense to more points.
Likely you blame Childress for the two times the Vikings had the game in their control, and fourth quarter Chester Taylor fumbles cost the team wins. Did Childress make Taylor fumble? Did he order it? In what way was he responsible?
But please, keep calling what I write "Stupid," keep calling my statements "truly moronic," keep making up childish nicknames for people, keep implying I don't know anything about football. I really do think somebody who repeatedly types out "FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!" is the kind of person I should be listening to on such matters.
Go ahead and click off the caps lock button, go ahead and stop typing multiple exclamation points (one is rarely necessary, but when it is, one usually does the trick), and please, stop insulting people who don't see things the same way you do. If you wanted to have a reasonable discussion about the merits of Childress, I wouldn't resort to insulting you; I would discuss the matter reasonably. But you resort to childish annoyance and personal insults, making you not really worth my time anymore.
By the way, there is a message for you a few posts down, in case you missed it.
I personally wish that
ReplyDeleteFIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
guy would create a blogger profile so I could understand him. I am interested in his/her take on the Vikings and who we should hire as a coach. I was thinking that he/she might like my 2 year old son to become the new coach.
Of course I am sure he/she is one of the same people who were calling for Todd Bouman to take over for Culpepper back in the day too.
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
Let us also deal with the absurd assertion that an NFL team should fire its head coach on August 22nd, three weeks before the season starts (an assertion anon has made 18 times in this post). What would he/she have the Vikings do? Promote an assistant? Hire whatever unemployed coach is available? Does he/she really think the Vikes have a better chance at immediate and future success by firing the head coach three weeks before the season starts? Is that not a "moronic statement"?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder if Anon can possibly be rooting for the Vikings this season; based on his/her rhetoric, it seems probably he/she is rooting against the team. I will be happy to root for my favorite team and have hope for the upcoming season, thank you very much.
But seriously, I don't want to discourage a regular reader. You have every right to call me a moron; I just wish you'd abandon the immature and annoying repetition. And give us some further advice: we know you think the Vikings should immediately fire their head coach. What would you have them do then?
SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSUPPORT THE TROOPS!!!!!!
SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!!!!!
SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!!!!!
SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!!!!!
SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!!!!!
WTF?
ReplyDeleteA Source close to the situation informs me the the "FIRE CHIULDRESS NOW!!!!!" Guy will actually be having a root canal on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a doped up painful jawwed reptitious annoying creep will be able to keep up his caps lock antics.
Looks like I brought some life to this lifeless blog - You're welcome... Childress is an idiot - look at the facts not your fantasies.....
ReplyDeleteFIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW!!!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!!
This anon person is annoying and very STUPID!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteEven an idiot would have a different phrase on ocasion, even to just pass the time of day.
Go get another root canal and then leave the computer alone for a few months.
I actually really like what Childress is doing. Regardless of how the team performed last year, I think the franchise as a whole is in a lot better shape.
ReplyDeleteLook at the past couple of drafts to see Childress' influence:
2006:
Chad Greenway - certainly looks good here in the preseason.
Ryan Cook - penciled in as starting RT (for better or worse).
Cedric Griffin - looks like a very good young CB.
Tarvaris Jackson - still have to wait and see but I at least am VERY excited about his potential.
Ray Edwards - has looked like an absolute beast thus far this preseason.
Greg Blue - may or may not make the team because of the depth at safety, but is at least a solid special teamer.
2007:
Adrian Peterson - don't have to say anything here.
Sidney Rice - haven't gotten to see a lot but reports are good.
Marcus McCauley - looks like a stud.
Brian Robison - been our 2nd best DE in preseason.
Audrae Allison, Rufus Alexander, Chandler Williams - hard to say what we have. Late round picks.
That's a great haul for 2 drafts, or at least certainly appears to be a great haul. Childress has rebuilt a lot of this team and there is just lots of young talent, which should put the Vikings in a good spot for a while. It might not be this year, but it will happen soon, I think. Is Childress the right guy to coach the talent? We'll see. But you're right, 1 year is WAY WAY WAY too soon to know.
It's easy to be an asshole while hiding behind the anonymous tag.
ReplyDelete