Childress opens up about Favre, Moss fiasco in Minnesota

Brad Childress has one big regret about the 2010 season, his last as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. But it's not the one that likely comes to everyone's mind first.

Roaming the hallways of the NFL.com and NFL Network offices in Culver City, Calif., on Wednesday, Childress opened up about his unceremonious departure from Minnesota last November.

The Vikings decided to fire Childress 10 games into the season for many reasons. Their 3-7 record, for one. Their embarrassing 31-3 home loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 11, another. But perhaps the biggest reason was Childress' odd jettisoning of Randy Moss -- without telling owner Zygi Wilf first -- just four weeks after the team traded for the receiver.

"I should have gone up the chain," Childress now admits.

Childress said he had no such regrets about bringing back the Vikings' other big headliner, quarterback Brett Favre, for another season. The courting of Favre last August brought vitriol from some corners because of his age (40) and the distraction he created by missing minicamp. But the Vikings were fresh off an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2009, and Favre was the man who took them there. Childress said it was a no-brainer to chase Favre rather than go into 2010 with Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback.

"(Favre) had his best season ever his first year (in Minnesota)," Childress said of Favre's 33-touchdown, seven-interception campaign. "Could you do more with Brett Favre? Absolutely you could."

It's easy to criticize in hindsight, after Favre stumbled through a 24-turnover, injury-marred campaign.

"We made a conscious effort to bring everybody back," Childress said. "What did we get for it? I got fired, and (Favre) got hurt. Did I feel like he was as sharp as he could've been? No."

As for the Moss fiasco, Childress said he wanted to acquire a player who would be a difference-maker for the Vikings after they got off to a disappointing 1-2 start. They needed a player who could stretch the field while Sidney Rice recuperated from an injury.

Enter Moss. He made a difference all right, unfortunately tipping the needle in the wrong direction.

"He called me and said, 'I can't wait, I can't wait. I feel like I'm coming home again,' " Childress recalled.

Despite Moss' reputation for loafing and being a distraction, Childress believed the receiver would be more mature with 12 seasons under his belt. He believed Moss wouldn't be a distraction in the locker room.

Uh, not so much.

"We had good guys, by and large," Childress said, "(but Moss) walked in the locker room and vomited on it."

Childress had tried to develop a better locker room since becoming the Vikings' head coach in 2005. He inherited a team coming off the "Love Boat" scandal and a quarterback (Daunte Culpepper) with a bad knee and not the best work habits.

By 2010, Childress believed he had righted the Vikings ship in the character department and could afford to take on Moss. But instead of augmenting that veteran leadership with another quality veteran, the Vikings got a 1-3 record, 13 receptions and at least as many headaches from Moss' tenure.

Was Childress the perfect coach? No. But he's a smart guy who started his career with a tiny stipend to assist Gary Moeller at Illinois. That was 1979. Childress' first job in the NFL was 26 years ago in Indianapolis with Rod Dowhower. Basically, he's a football lifer.

"Coaching is what I do," he said.

And he has enjoyed much success at it, despite being vilified since Leslie Frazier took over in Minneapolis. People forget how sought after Childress was while being a part of a Philadelphia Eagles staff that went to four consecutive NFC Championship Games. Charley Casserly in Houston called him, Ted Thompson in Green Bay called him and, of course, so did the Vikings. Remember, the failure in Minnesota wasn't solely his fault. He did what so many coaches do tactically, and got a lot further than many doing it.

That might be all he needs to answer for.

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The fans have spoken, but Vikes' Wilf mum on Childress' future

MINNEAPOLIS -- Like voters flocking to the polls, Minnesota Vikings fans loudly called for a change in leadership to save a fast-sinking season that started with Super Bowl aspirations.

The signs said it all -- "Fire Chilly" -- and there were thousands of them being handed out on the streets by grinning entrepreneurs outside the stadium before Sunday's game against Arizona.

Boos came from the crowd as coach Brad Childress emerged from the tunnel leading to the field, and the "Fire Childress!" chants were audible several times throughout the afternoon. Finally, as the Vikings rallied from a two-touchdown deficit late in the fourth quarter and pulled out an overtime victory, the chants changed to "Let's go Vikings!"

"I think they came expecting to see an execution," Childress said. "And it ended up a pretty good football game at the end."

Mired in controversy over his handling of the hasty decision to dump dissatisfied wide receiver Randy Moss, Childress acknowledged this week his expectation of the catcalls from customers frustrated by the 2-5 record.

The majority of the fan base has never warmed up to Childress, and the angst hit an apex this week. Reports emerged about player-coach clashes and owner Zygi Wilf's anger over Childress's failure to tell him his plan to waive Moss after a pattern of disrespect shown by the notoriously moody star.

Childress chalked his heated argument with wide receiver Percy Harvin, who was close to Moss, up to emotional people playing an emotional game. Harvin shrugged it off, too.

"It was about whether I was going to get an MRI or not. It was a little dispute, but we settled it. Me and Coach are fine," Harvin said.

Wilf was at team headquarters this week, closely observing the team and talking to key players about the situation. Before the game, Wilf and Childress shook hands and had a brief conversation on the field during warmups. Wilf gave reporters a brief statement but declined to address the status of his head coach, to whom he gave one year ago a contract extension through the 2013 season.

"Nothing to say about that," Wilf said. "The big thing is getting a win right now. The big thing is to win this game and to be crowned division champions."

Wilf was downright giddy after the game, greeting everyone from Childress to the last guy on the roster as they entered the locker room by exclaiming, "Great heart, fellas! Great heart!"

Still, Childress is in front of the public firing squad, as football coaches often are.

"It's kind of a disaster right now. I think he should've been gone a couple years ago," said Bryan Bergeson, a lifelong Vikings fan from Rockford, Ill., who took part in the pre-game tailgating outside the dome on an unseasonably sunny and warm November day.

Bergeson spoke across the street from an office building where paper taped inside a fifth-floor window spelled out, of course, "Fire Chilly." Bergeson had his own sign in his hand. One woman, seeing a reporter scribbling in a notebook, yelled as she walked by, "Just write 'Fire Childress!'"

One girl wore a purple Moss jersey with red tape crossing out the No. 84, a sign that not all the anger is directed at Childress.

"It's really negative. I don't like the signs. To be honest, a couple weeks ago things were cool. Two losses in a row, and, wow," said Tom O'Neill, who makes regular trips to games with friends from Mason City, Iowa.

His group had a clear message: Cheer the uniforms and not the players or coaches who wear them.

"We love the Vikings," O'Neill said. "We invest a lot of time. Give up a Sunday. I could be home getting my lawn that needs raked right now."

But it was hard to find a lot of opinions that matched his. Most people were plain fed up with the guy in charge, Childress.

"He thinks he knows everything, and he doesn't seem to know that much," said Mike Garrison, from Peoria, Ill.

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Twin Cities natives Darwin and Lisa McQuerter brought red handkerchiefs to signify their protest -- sort of a fan's challenge flag -- of Childress. They proudly said they joined in the "Fire Childress" chants two years ago during a particularly rough game by the offense and planned to do so again on Sunday.

"He's got to go," Darwin said.

Andy Nedoba and Jon Wright were in another contingent from Iowa, and their friend, an Atlanta Falcons fan, wore a "Fire Brad" T-shirt, just to pile on. Nedoba said he didn't think Childress should be fired, but neither he nor his buddies had a positive opinion.

Asked how the season has affected his view of the coach, Wright said, "It's made me not like him."

Fans were trying to stay patient and keep a level head.

"You've got to be realistic about it, too," O'Neill said. "Fire the coach? OK, that'll make Percy Harvin catch the ball. Yeah, fire the coach. That'll make Greg Camarillo add 8 yards to his punt-return average. We have a knee-jerk society. An instant society. We're 2-5: Fire Childress? Not me, man. Not me right now. In January when it's done, then we'll see."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Harvin 'extremely limited' in practice, has words with Childress

Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin is listed as questionable for Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals, leaving Minnesota with just three healthy receivers.

Harvin sprained his left ankle last weekend against the New England Patriots, but he remained in the game and finished with five catches for 65 yards. He missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. Vikings coach Brad Childress said Harvin practiced "on an extremely limited" basis Friday.

Harvin, who also has played after battling migraine headaches, was unavailable for comment Friday.

"You know, he's a tough guy. Let's face it," Childress said. "He injured that foot on his first catch of the game and still was very productive. I would just say that he's tough. Different things respond different ways. Everything goes through your foot and your ankle, so he's got to have his faculties for the game the way he plays it."

Despite that praise, the Star Tribune reported Friday that Harvin and Childress got into a heated argument when the coach questioned the receiver's effort during the practice.

Receiver Sidney Rice came off the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, but Childress said playing next week at Chicago is a "more viable" scenario.

That leaves Brett Favre with just three healthy receivers -- Greg Camarillo, Greg Lewis and Bernard Berrian -- after the Vikings released Randy Moss on Monday. Favre has 10 stitches in his chin and was limited this week with ankle and elbow injuries, but he was listed as probable and is expected to make his 293rd consecutive regular-season start Sunday.

The only other Vikings player listed as questionable is cornerback Frank Walker with a hamstring injury.

The decision to cut Moss, and the way it was handled, has made it another difficult week in Minnesota. Owner Zygi Wilf was in town and spoke to several players, and Childress was short when asked if he still feels he has the support of ownership.

"My sense doesn't make any difference," Childress said. "You'd have to speak to him on that. We've always communicated very well, and I haven't seen any change on that."

Wilf has declined repeated interview requests. The Vikings (2-5) are off to a surprisingly poor start in a year in which they expected to contend for a Super Bowl, and the struggles have not helped Wilf in his pursuit of public funding for a new stadium.

Many fans are upset with Childress. If the team gets off to a slow start against the Cardinals (3-4), he could hear them voice their displeasure.

"I'm not crazy enough to think there won't be catcalls," Childress said. "That's part of the deal. That's every time I walk on and off a field. It's always interesting to hear what the people have to say. That's part of the audience participation thing."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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