Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Childress Lives on as the Worst NFL Coach... For Now.

Sunday dawned brightly, as bright as was expected for fans of the Minnesota Vikings. News of the Randy Moss waiver, not supported by Zigi Wolf, had filtered to the four corners of the state, and Percy Harvin's blowup was progressing likewise. Everything seemed to be placing Brad Childress closer and closer to the edge of a plank he has been walking for sometime now. Everything came down to Sunday.

Chili had to win or he was done.

I had the privilege to be at the game on Sunday, and this was how it appeared from my view (a view from a Viking fan, an anti-Childress supporter, a Randy Moss aficionado and a Brett Favre rooter). Noon game. The offense struggled badly getting the ball down field, but executed well in giving the Cardinals the ball. Percy Harvin was so distracted from the Childress drama, he managed to give Arizona another touchdown off a fumbled kick-off return. The Vikings offense couldn't execute a pass if their lives depended on it, or if Childress' life depended on it... which it did. And the icing on that vanilla butter cream cake? There were around 100 or so signs sporting "Fire Chilly" being aimed at the coaching staff, cameras and even beer vendors in hopes of causing a domino-effect disbursement of beer to the agonizing fans. I saw it myself.

Fans around the stadium were thinking to the future, thinking of their unborn grandchildren. "I was there when ol' Brad Childress coached his last game." Me? Naahhh... I would probably tell that to my friends' grandkids. I am in no mental shape to handle any bouncing baby. No sir. Some fans just up and left all together in hopes of avoiding traffic. Ironically, due to the high volume that thought this, those who left early actually hit the traffic whereas those who stayed... didn't.

For those who are still mourning the death of Randy Moss as a Viking (ME), you couldn't help but smirk when it seemed glaringly apparent the Vikes were in store for another loss. Revenge seemed to be oh so sweet. Almost as sweet as those unforgettable over the head catches via the man of last hour, The Freak himself. You were posed with your palm open and inviting as you prepared to high-five Deanna Favre as you saw Childress-Favre Co. self implode. You chalked it up as a loss record-wise, but a win for your soul... a soul that thrives on the potential superbowl for next season when the current season seems more toasted than a kabob.

Oh. So. Wrong.

Could it be? Yes. Your favorite team, the only team that can pull off the complementary colors of purple and yellow, managed to score enough points in the last four minutes of play to tie the game. Then proceeded to win in overtime? You checked your time-machine mileage. Nope, you didn't misstep back in to 2009. Deja vu was your next option. Arizona, the immigrant fighters that they are, were hardly the liberal victim San Francisco 49ers of last years last-minute victory by the Vikes. This was reality, an unfamiliar reality of the 2010 season. Jared Allen even remembered it was ok to hit the quarterback. Bliss.

The Vikings pulled some strings, cashed in a few favors and managed to steal a win right out from under the Cardinals' beaks. When it had seemed the Vikings were going to take a page out of Moss' book, and quit, the Vikes prevailed! Even Brett managed to throw for a career-high 446 yards (maybe he has been laying off the ladies?). Percy Harvin, found a way to catch 9 passes for 126 yards without Randy Moss opening up underneath routes. Against all odds. Even Shiancoe, who has requested at least 5 alternative name pronunciations, caught a TD pass. Hell froze over on Sunday, and true to Minnesotan form, we liked it.

Perhaps the only downfall of the day was the salvation of our opposition. The Lord Voldemort to our Harry Potter, the Hitler to our Jew, the hurricane to our New Orleans will be around for at least another week. This guy is basically responsible for the development of Al-Qaeda, the catastrophic oil spill in the gulf (which he blamed effectively on BP), and the alarming economic downturn (pawned off on the Fed). Not to mention, the dismissal of Randy Moss (blamed the catering crew). And he lives on. I leave it up to you to weigh the pros and cons.

Until next time, just keep walking that plank like the pirate you are.

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