Purple Is The New Green

So it's been a while since I last posted, but given the events of yesterday here in the great state of Minnesota, I thought I should drop in and share a little something.

Below is an entry I sent to the Star Tribune for their "Be A Blogger" competition that they were running. It was written July 23rd:

"As a head coach in the world of professional sports there is one thing you must have, and that is the respect and trust of a locker room full of grown men who in many cases are making millions of dollars more than you. Phil Jackson has it. Joe Torre has it. Mike Tomlin has it. Brad Childress does not.

So for all the talent the Vikings have and all the kick-ass plays he’s drawn up, Childress’ inability to motivate and inspire has been his undoing. That’s not to say the Vikings haven’t played hard, they are after all professionals, but being driven to take that effort to the next level is what separates the good teams from the great ones.

Brought in to steady a franchise that had begun to spiral out of control, Childress has managed to instill accountability and slightly better behavior in his players. But the mishandling of a young quarterback and an inability to adjust on gameday have punched holes in his image as an offensive guru and led to more than a few deflating defeats.

I had a front row seat for year one of the Childress era and in many respects not much has changed. What has changed is the level of talent on a roster that now affords him no second chances. And should a certain veteran quarterback from the south decide to don the purple and gold, nothing short of a Super Bowl appearance will be enough to save his job. "

So I'll admit it's a bit lazy to cut and paste something for my first post in quite some time, but I felt it fit the moment. Either way, I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment.

Cheers