Quite frankly, I don't care what the Vikings do, on or off the field. I don't bleed purple, nor do I root for the downfall of the Favre-led
media darlings as do Bears and Packers fans across campus, across Wisconsin, across the country.
But I did get a good laugh out of Brad Childress' recent decision to waive Randy Moss less than a month after diving into the fray to grab the seven-time pro bowler. So you give up a third-round pick to solve all your problems and then waive that messiah because he didn't love the food he was served?
What's even more ironic is that this one outburst by Moss was immediately greeted with a harsh response while the on and off field
troubles of one Brett Favre have done nothing to even put his starting job in jeopardy.
I realize that Brett Favre is an 11-time Pro Bowler, a 7-time All-Pro selection, and holds the ridiculously long (and overly drawn out)
record for consecutive games played. So you can argue that Favre's career justifies his being given leeway for a scandal or two here and there, but why not Moss?
Randy Moss, for all his recent struggles, is a 7-time Pro Bowl Selection, a 4-time All-Pro receiver who has caught over 150 touchdowns and is creeping up on 15,000 yards and 1,000 receptions in his 13-year career. Oh, and Randy Moss isn't yet a grandfather so perhaps his long term prospects might be a bit better than Papa Favre.
That said, I do understand the Vikings not wanting Randy Moss around. But really I never understood why they wanted him in the first place. Brad Childress now admits that the trade was not a smart move and that admission alone should really be translated into a simple ""fire me, please.""
But more than just mishandling Moss, Childress has mishandled the entire team, particularly in terms of the quarterback situation. By
allowing Brett Favre to dictate what he does and does not want to do in terms of training camp, practice and game starts, 'Coach' Childress has come off more like a babysitter than an NFL coach.
Favre has the record to uphold, I get it. But all records need to come to a close at some point. Cal Ripken understood this concept, voluntarily sitting out before his game went into decline and ensuring his manager wouldn't be in a situation where the record stood in the way of team performance on the field.
Statistics aside, Brett Favre is a menace to the long-term growth the Vikings organization. He may have led them to within one penalty
of a Super Bowl last year, but in doing so halted yet another year of maturity for Tarvaris Jackson. Now, with the Vikings at 2-5 and
seemingly out of the playoff race, Favre is still pushing Brad Childress (and common sense) aside and insisting that his individual
record come before what is best for the Vikings organization. With Favre's authority seemingly superceding that of his head coach,
it seems that Brad Childress has lost this team, a fact the Moss debacle only confirms.
