Brad Childress Press Conference: Why Brett Favre Needed To Be Called Out
Brad Childress issued his challenge to Brett Favre by boldly calling Favre out for poor play Sunday night.
Now the questions are why, and what will it mean.
Coaches don't often call out their quarterbacks in press conferences, especially seasoned veterans. It's usually the young quarterback with a tenuous hold on the starter's job who gets called out, not a guy with a resume like Favre's.
But Childress decided the gauntlet had to be thrown.
Here are 10 reasons why he did it.
10. Childress Has To Take Control of the Situation
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The Brett Favre drama seems to be spiraling out of control very quickly between his on-field troubles and his off-field problems.
By calling Favre out, Childress is saying he doesn't care about anything else but winning. It's time Favre got reminded of that.
9. In a Way, It Moves the Favre Drama Back onto the Field
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With all the talk about Brett Favre's alleged harassment of Jenn Sterger, Childress had to be tired of off-field distractions taking a toll on his team.
While the drama still is there, Childress now has the story focused on the actual field of play, where he has much more control of the situation.
8. The Team Needed To See Childress Say Something
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If the Vikings head coach is upset about the way his starting quarterback is playing, it's a good bet the players are as well.
So don't think for a moment calling Favre out was just to send a message to Favre—Childress was sending a message to the rest of the team that he isn't just going to sit back and let Favre kill the team with poor play and off-field distractions.
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7. Three Interceptions in a Divisional Game Demand a Callout
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It doesn't matter who you are, when you throw three picks in a divisional game, and the film shows the interceptions were really bad mistakes on the quarterback's part, it's time to get called out.
By bringing this up, Childress is reminding Favre that even though he's headed for the Hall of Fame, he's still a Vikings player, not the owner.
6. Favre Has Played Completely Unfocused
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Name one Vikings game this year where Favre looked like "Brett Favre."
The answer is the Dallas game, where he managed to not throw any interceptions and had a 106.9 QB rating.
But that's it. The best he's been able to do other than the Dallas game was an 85.9 QB rating in the loss to the Jets.
That's unfocused, and that needs a wake-up call from someone.
5. Favre Isn't Thinking
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Instead of playing like a smart veteran quarterback, Favre has been trying to re-invent the wheel, be a hero and make sure his name stays in the headlines.
His name has stayed in the headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. Not thinking will do that.
4. Childress Has To Think About the Future
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If Favre doesn't get Childress fired, Childress will have to coach a post-Favre team, and that means getting Tarvaris Jackson ready to play.
Childress may not actually be on the hot seat, but he's in the same room. He has to take all that into account when dealing with Favre.
If Favre is holding the team back, then Childress had to call out Favre.
3. Adrian Peterson Is Dying a Slow Death
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The Vikings have one of the best offensive weapons in the NFL right now in Adrian Peterson, and if "All Day" isn't getting the touches he should be getting because Favre is changing the plays at the line, there's a problem.
There's no reason Peterson shouldn't be challenging Chris Johnson for most rushing yards in 2010, but Favre has done a good job making sure Peterson isn't getting the carries he should.
2. Vikings Fans Can't Take Another Crippling Loss
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The Vikings fans got killed for years by Favre, and now he's killing them again with poor play. With a stadium issue still unresolved, it would be unwise for the Vikings front office to play with fire by willingly letting Favre torpedo the team.
While I'm sure the stadium issue wasn't tops on Childress' mind when he decided to call Favre out, it's a factor that plays into the whole picture.
A team is nothing without its fans, and if Childress hadn't done something to show the fans he was committed to fixing the problem, then he risked alienating the people who support the business he works for.
1. Favre's Ego Needs a Little Gut Check
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Favre walks around with a huge ego. This isn't a surprise—most starting quarterbacks do. In a way, they should have big egos—it's part of what makes them successful.
But that doesn't mean every now and then their egos don't need a gut check and a little dose of reality.
Favre may have been willing to chalk his performance on Sunday night as "one of those things," but Childress wasn't.
Calling out Favre was the only way to get Favre to do some self-examination.
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