Zygi Wilf Goes All in with Brad Childress

Zygi Wilf has decided that he has seen enough this season and has pushed all of his chips to the middle of the table. The AP is reporting that the Minnesota Vikings have signed head coach Brad Childress to a contract extension. The move may be the most interesting made by the team all year.

The Vikings are 8-1 and are in firm control of the NFC North Division with a three-game lead and the tiebreaker over the second place Green Bay Packers. Assuming no rash of major injuries, the only real question appears to be how far the Vikings will advance on their quest for a Super Bowl title.

The question of how far the Vikings will advance in the playoffs is not an insignificant one. Of course for Wilf, the answer to that question is as important on the field as it is off the field.

Wilf is engaged in a game of high stakes poker with the political leaders of Minnesota. He has made it known that he wants a new stadium for his team, and he wants it now.

Recently, Wilf reportedly informed the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission that extending the lease on the Mall of America Dome (formerly Metrodome) for the Vikings was not an option for the team.

On Tuesday, the AP reported that the MSFC voted to provide the Vikings with additional revenue from playoff games held at the Mall of America Dome in exchange for the team signing a two-year extension.

The offer, however, was not all sugar. If Wilf was unwilling to sign, the AP reported that MSFC was going to reinstate a $4 million rent on the Vikings.

Wilf called the bluff of the MSFC. On Wednesday, he sent a letter to the MSFC that stated, in part:

"Your actions yesterday leave us confused and questioning the future of this franchise. As a result, we have instructed our management team to suspend any further engagement with the MSFC unless and until the Commission gets serious about resolving the near-team revenue issues and acting like a partner with us to retain this valued franchise in Minnesota for the next generation of fans. The time for more political games on this issue has expired."

The move was not a surprise to those who have been following the calculated steps of the organization to position the Vikings to get public money for a new stadium.

Wilf has constantly stated that he wants to build a winner in Minnesota and that he is willing to spend money to do so. Zygi has put his money where his mouth is.

Zygi ensured the talent on his team did not leave by signing Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Antoine Winfeld, and Adrian Peterson to sweet deals. Zygi then went out and signed free agents Steve Hutchinson, Jared Allen, and Brett Favre to lucrative contracts.

In January, Wilf was before the Minnesota Legislature with a plan for a new public/private partnership to build a new retractable stadium in downtown Minneapolis. The devil, of course, is in the details of the new partnership, but according to several sources, Wilf publicly pledged to contribute at least $250 million toward the new stadium.

In the last preseason game, Wilf was even able to get Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to cheerlead on his behalf.

Jones chastised Minnesota’s political leaders, stating, “The leadership have got to recognize that you cannot build [a stadium] unless you have contributions. You’ve got to have some help from the public. You’ve got to have some help from your fans. And you’ve got to be willing to make a big commitment financially. The Wilfs are doing that.”

The Minnesota Vikings are winning. The team stands at 8-1 and is poised to make a deep playoff run with an eye toward playing in Miami in February.

This brings us back to why Wilf’s decision to reward Childress with a contract extension at this time is so interesting. Childress has not been the most popular coach in Minnesota Vikings history.

When Childress came into town, he promised fans that he would deliver a “kick-ass” offense. Instead, fans saw a conservative offense that was limited in formations and plays.

Childress indicated that he would turn the Vikings into Super Bowl contenders. In his first two years, Minnesota failed to make the playoffs, and in the third they lost at home to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Many pundits from the outside thought that the main problem with Childress’ approach has been his unwillingness to take the occasional calculated gamble.

Some fans even longed to see the return of Mike Tice. At least Tice occasionally smiled and appeared to have fun enjoying being the coach of the Vikings.

Entering the offseason, some fans hoped that this would be the last year of the Childress regime.

Maybe in the offseason Childress felt that this could be his last year at the helm, because something changed for Childress.

In the offseason, Childress took a calculated gamble in pursuing Favre and asking him to come out of “semi-retirement.” Chasing Allen and Hutchinson were mild bets, as both players were in the prime of their respective careers.

Pursuing Favre was a risk for Childress since Favre was 39 years old at the time the decision was made to attempt to sign him. No quarterback as old as Favre has ever won a Super Bowl.

What's even more troubling is that Favre appeared to be a broken down player given the way his last season ended with the New York Jets.

Childress decided to take the risk and asked the organization for the resources to bring Favre in as its quarterback. The bet has paid off, as Favre has exceeded expectations and is on his way to an MVP type season.

The play calling, which has often been too conservative, has finally opened up and has at times looked...well, kick-ass. Beginning with the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, the Vikings have used multiple formations and plays.

Has the play calling opened up because Favre is leading the team, or is it because Childress is more comfortable in his fourth year? The truth is that is likely a little of both.

Childress has even loosened up on the sideline and smiles have been seen on his face. He even dressed up in drag as a flight attendant on the Vikings charter to Pittsburgh to give everyone a laugh.

Can you imagine the stoic coaching legend Bud Grant dressing up in drag? Moreover, can you imagine Grant letting someone escape with a photo of him in drag as Childress did?

Zygi has seen enough of Childress to want him on his team for several more years. He undoubtedly likes what Childress has done with the Vikings. Who knows, maybe Zygi even liked what he saw in Childress as a stewardess?

If Childress can lead the Vikings to the Promised Land and bring back the Lombardi trophy, Wilf will be able to leverage the goodwill with Minnesota political leaders so that the stadium deal will be a foregone conclusion.

What happens, however, if there is a coaching blunder which results in a first round loss for the Vikings? Fans are incredibly fickle. All of the positive momentum of the season may be lost as fans and voters feel that Childress is unable to lead the team into the playoffs.

Zygi is not worried, as he has seen enough. He has cast his lot with Childress, rewarding him with a contract extension. Wilf is betting that Childress will hand him the Lombardi trophy in Miami. A Super Bowl victory will mean a new stadium for the Vikings.

Zygi is all in with Childress. Of course, when you play poker with a guy with deep pockets like Zygi, he can always buy himself into the next game.

Don’t be surprised if we start hearing more rumors and rumblings about the Vikings possibly moving to Los Angeles.