I completely concur with Vox Day's feelings about Childress getting fired:
I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Green Bay! I have no confidence in Frazier, but I actively disliked Childress from the moment his hiring was announced. I don't even think Andy Reid is a good head coach - he's a great quarterbacks coach, to be sure - so hiring someone who worked under Reid and didn't even call the plays as his offensive coordinator seemed totally inexplicable. The success the Vikings have had was the result of Rick Spielman's work in bringing in good players; literally anyone could have achieved decent results with the talent he brought in.
I too could not abide Childress from the beginning to the ignominious end. And yes, this included last year up to and especially including the NFC Championship game. I think Childress does deserve a measure of credit for working with Spielman and the Wilf's to identify and acquire the talent that the Vikings have been able to field during his tenure. But when it came to managing players or managing games, Childress was in the bottom half of NFL coaches.
Even though they came tantalizingly close last year, the Vikings were never going to win a Super Bowl with him as the head coach (yeah, yeah I know). Even before it began, I figured this was going to be a lost season for the Vikings. With their current team makeup, it's Super Bowl or bust and if you're going to bust anyway, you might as well do it early and spectacularly. This way they can clean house with the coach, start figuring out who will be part of the team's future, and maybe even end up with a decent draft pick.
While I wish Leslie Frazier all the luck in the world and am willing to give him a shot to permanently take over the team, I really hope the Vikings don't circle the wagons and rally behind the new coach. There is no saving this season any more. Bench Favre (and other aging veterans who won't be back next year). Rest Rice to ensure his hip is completely healed. Play the young guys to see if they've got what it takes to hang at this level. But whatever you do, DON'T go on a meaningless and futile run to close the season. Lose hard, lose close, lose with dignity. Just lose baby.
