nfl NFL - NFC Division 2010 Regular Season

quote article

The Minnesota Vikings have relieved Brad Childress of his coaching duties and promoted defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to interim coach for the rest of the season, the team said.

Frazier and Vikings owner Zygi Wilf are scheduled to hold a news conference at 4 p.m. ET at the team's facility.

The Vikings, tabbed as a preseason Super Bowl pick, struggled to a 3-7 record amid dysfunction. Wilf had said he would stick with Childress, but the last straw was apparently the team's humbling 31-3 loss to the archrival Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Childress had three years remaining on his contract.

The 31-3 loss was his most-lopsided home defeat in Childress' five years as Vikings coach, dropping his overall record to 40-37, including 1-2 in the playoffs. Childress' relationship with his players came into question this season, as he had run-ins with quarterback Brett Farvre and wide receiver Percy Harvin.

Childress first came under fire when he waived wide receiver Randy Moss a month after trading a draft pick to acquire him, following Moss' locker room tirade over a post-practice buffet arranged with a local restaurant. At the time, Wilf was reportedly considering firing Childress for not consulting him before deciding to waive Moss.

On Sunday, Favre, who had clashed with Childress over his injuries and his decision making. told ESPN's Ed Werder that he's still stung by Childress' postgame criticism following the Vikings' 28-24 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 7.

"It's a damn shame," Favre told Werder about the game in which he suffered two fractures in his left foot. "What I think about is going to my press conference knowing he had taken some shots at me.''

After the Oct. 24 loss, Childress launched into an angry tirade against Favre, calling out the quarterback's thought process on his three interceptions. Childress also said after that game that he considered benching Favre.

Earlier this month, Childress and Harvin confronted each other during practice over Harvin's injury status and had to be separated, sources said. Childress questioned Harvin's effort and suggested the wide receiver, who had sprained his ankle the previous week, go for more testing. The debate escalated and "was as close to physical as you can get," according to the source.

After the two were separated, according to sources, a teammate told Harvin: "You just did what a lot of us have been wanting to say for years."

Last month, a number of Vikings aired their grievances with Childress anonymously in a Chicago Sun-Times report.

"We know that [Brad] Childress doesn't have our backs, so why should we have his?" one player told the newspaper. "We're playing for us, and we're winning despite him."

Childress, according to the Sun-Times, had criticized his players and questioned their effort. "He has absolutely no people skills," one team source said

quote Mr Matthews

16 teams would only permit more mediocre teams to enter the post-season. 12 is fine.

They just need to take away a team's right to the post-season if they *bleep*ing suck, such as in this case. The idea of a potentially 12-4 Saints team traveling to play a 7-9 NFC West team in the first round of the playoffs is retarded.

Actually on second thought, allow the shitty team to make the post-season but take away their home playoff game. Don't penalize the Saints because they play in a good division. A 12-4 wildcard team deserves a home playoff game over a 7-9/8-8 division winner. At least in my opinion.