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Brad Childress: Maybe Coaching Isn't Your Thing
September 10, 2009
As we all know, Brad Childress hasn't been the greatest head coach our Vikings have seen. Granted he's not as bad as say, Norm Van Brocklin or Mike Tice, but he's no Bud Grant, let alone Dennis Green.
Childress's tenure with the Vikings has been a very predictable one on the field, yet very unpredictable off the field.
Childress is probably one of the most conservative coaches in the NFL today. I don't think there's any other team in the NFL that would run on third and 10 on a routine basis and still keep his job.
In just three seasons with the Vikings, Childress has a .500 record, going 24-24 with one playoff loss.
The play calling is what has killed so many Vikings fans. He runs left on first down, right on second down, and then expects the quarterback to make a third and long throw to keep the drive alive.
It's no wonder quarterbacks can't survive here!
Granted, Adrian Peterson is your running back, he's not going to pick up 12 yards on every drive for a first down. Even Peterson gets stuffed for a two-yarder every once in a while.
If things don't go the Vikings way this season, Childress can expect that he won't have a head coaching job in the NFL much longer.
Although that would be great news for Leslie Frazier (who could be a monster head coach if given the chance), Childress would likely be searching for a job for a couple years.
He lost the respect of many players and fans alike by reaching out for Brett Favre after he reportedly claimed he no longer had interest in the future Hall of Famer. To all of you that are still disgruntled, get over it.
If you look what Childress has done for the Vikings the last few seasons, it's evident that he has a tremendous eye for talent. He just can't seem to put the pieces together.
Childress has acquired the likes of proven NFL starters in Brett Favre, Jared Allen, Bernard Berrian, Madieu Williams, Visanthe Shaincoe, Adrian Peterson, Chestor Taylor, Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Steve Hutchinson, and more.
On top of that, he's acquired some potentially great players in Jaymer Johson, Darius Reynaud, Sidney Rice, Brian Robison, John Sullivan, Tyrell Johnson, Percy Harvin, Phil Loadholt, and more.
The guy has drafted very well for the Vikings with his only real bust being Tarvaris Jackson picked in the second round in 2006.
This got me thinking; how can a guy with such a knack for talent be such a mediocre coach?
I've said it for the last year, Childress shouldn't be a head coach. I don't want him off the Vikings altogether though. I want Childress in the Vikings front office.
Let someone else take charge of the team (*cough*...Leslie Frazier...*cough*). All Childress needs to do is look for talent and bring them to the Vikings organization, something I think we can all agree that he is more than capable of doing.
Childress, Ziggy Wilf, and Rick Spielman have created an immensely talented team in Minnesota over the last three seasons. Players are reaching their potential and many are in their primes. The team is ready to go and it's all thanks to these three men.
So here I stand today and proclaim, Brad Childress could be one of the best General Managers the NFL has seen in recent years.
Many fans seem to think the players he picks up are worthless and overpaid (see Visanthe Shiancoe and Bernard Berrian), but soon enough, Chilly proves us all wrong.
Shiancoe broke out last season and is catching absolutely everything that is near him. He outworks every defender en route to the ball and uses his strength to grab the ball away from anyone.
Berrian proved he's the ultimate deep threat, leading the NFL in yards per reception last year with 20.1 average. He added a very quiet seven touchdowns with that, despite not having a solid quarterback leading the offense.
So to all you fans who want Childress out of Minnesota, I say re-think your position. I don't know that you want him out of Minnesota.
You may not want him to be a head coach, but you have to admit that as a general manager, the guy could be great.