Childress Not Going Anywhere

Most of the time, for a football coach, a vote of confidence from your owner is the kiss of death. But since the Vikings are on what for them passes for a roll, I think we can believe that Zygi Wilf is being totally sincere when he says that Brad Childress’s job is safe through the end of the 2008 season.

Zygi told the assembled media after yesterday’s improbable 41-17 Vikings stomping of the Giants:

"There was never a question [about Childress being safe]. You need time for a team to coalesce and to get together. This is the ultimate team sport, and everyone has to play their part, and it will take some time. And we’re doing it, and everyone is stepping up."

All right, so there’s cause for us to be a tiny bit skeptical of Wilf’s sincerity after all. “There was never a question.” Really Zygi? Not even after the Packers annihilated us 34-0? Not even after the Troy Williamson fiasco? Never for a second, while you were driving all over Minneapolis on one of your post-loss wandering sessions, did the thought pop into your head that firing Childress might be a prudent move?

I guess it’s possible that Wilf really has that much confidence in Childress. Of course Wilf has cause to want Childress to succeed – he hired the man without even interviewing anyone else, so if Childress turns out to be a bust, his own reputation takes a hit. People will say he hired Chilly too fast, didn’t do his due diligence, got sold a bill of goods by Chilly and his agent. No business man wants to be viewed as a chump, which is exactly what people will think Wilf is should Chilly fail to turn around the Vikings’ fortunes.

Of course, news of Wilf’s confidence in Chilly will cause plenty of consternation among the Chilly haters, of which there are many. I myself have sometimes marched with the anti-Childress crowd, but have never gone so far as to declare Childress should be fired (except maybe in jest). Nor have I concocted stories about Wilf’s imminent firing of Childress, citing imaginary sources. I leave that sort of stuff to Vikes Geek.