After watching his team continue their shocking implosion from within today against Green Bay, Vikings owner Zygi Wylf is undoubtedly mulling over the future of head coach Brad Childress as I write this, and despite the assurances he’s given to Childress throughout the season, the second mid-season dismissal of a head coach is close to coming to fruition.
The Vikings have been embarrassed more often than not this season and today’s contest was no different, as they were humiliated by their division rivals 31-3, in front of their home town fans, no less. Much of the blame for that has fallen at the feet of Childress, who has clearly lost whatever control he had over his players and showed little to no ability to make the adjustments needed to right the ship earlier in the season, when the team still had a chance to get back into the playoff discussion.
Whether or not Childress will finish out the season as the head coach is still up in the air, but there is no doubt whatsoever that he will be removed from his position by the end of the year at the very latest, with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier the clear cut favorite to step up into that role when the axe finally drops.
That move isn’t likely to translate into wins down the stretch, especially with the way Brett Favre is playing right now, but with nothing to lose, a decision to dump Childress now makes more sense than staying with the status quo and losing fans by the hundreds in the process. With Frazier comes excitement and some level of buzz around the team once again, keeping the Vikings stadium push on the front burner, which is easily the biggest issue Wylf is facing right now.
Given that the season is over in almost every respect, the smart play for Wylf is to pull the plug now and see what he has in Frazier, salvaging what little respect remains in Minnesota’s locker room and giving the fans a product worth watching through the remainder of the season.
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Written by Chris Kolb
Topics: Minnesota Vikings, NFC North