Minnesota Vikings: Brad Childress Stands for Nothing

I have coached at the junior varsity and Pop Warner level. In no way is that the same as coaching in the NFL. I am not pretending it is, however, when I would tell a player to sit on the bench, he sat on the bench.

Of course some would be upset about getting taken out; so would their parents. I did appreciate the competitiveness and desire to play. However, when I made a decision to take a player out I thought it was the right thing for the team and I would stick to my guns.

Does that make me a great coach? No! That is what any coach who values any kind of respect from his players would do.

When I heard the story of how Brad Childress wanted to take Brett Favre out of the game and Favre refused, I was just blown away.

I certainly wasn't surprised that Favre didn't want to come out. I have considered him a selfish jerk for awhile. You will never see me at the front of a line to join a Favre fan club, however, this is not on Favre.

Childress knew what he was getting when he signed Favre. Although he will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, he cares more about himself than the team. His actions on Sunday confirm that. Apparently, this isn't the first time it happened this year.

If you are the head coach of a football team and you feel that taking a player out (no matter who it is) is the best thing for the team, stick to your guns. Giving into that player, kills all the respect you have from the players.

Childress tried to save face the next day by saying he appreciated Favre's desire to keep playing. There are a couple problems with that. His decision wasn't really a sense of benching Favre, but more of keeping him from getting hurt. Favre had been getting hit all night.

Childress could have said, "Brett, I appreciate your competitiveness, but I need you healthy for the playoffs. Go sit down."

The other part that doesn't add up, is that players have said he ripped into Favre after the game. Why would he do that if he really appreciated Favre's desire to keep playing; it just doesn't add up.

Favre may lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl. That will be good for Childress's resume. He had better hope he succeeds this year. That is the only way he can save face with the Vikings. Even still, he would have paid a high price for victory and in the long run, it may be too high of a price.