Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to the
Views and Personal Photos on the Vikes from the Inaugural Hall of Fame fan.
Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to theAll the local rag pundits are in an uproar over the way Zygi Wilf handled the dismissal of former head coach Mike Tice. And I say former with a lilt in my voice and extra bounce in my step.
Let me tell you exactly why the boys who get paid for writing are all collectively spanking Wilf: because Tice’s mouth was gold for writing stories. Nothing more, nothing less. Stories wrote themselves after a Tice press conference. Need a story on short deadline? The first phone number dialed from a reporter’s phone would be Tice. Don’t let these egomaniacs try and paint a canvas with “think of Tice’s poor family� or “all the players who loved Tice found out via the media� and pass it off as nothing more than a bald-faced lie. These people will miss Tice because their jobs just got more difficult…..now they actually have to come up with a Vikings story on their own.
Wilf did in fact move like greased lightning after a conquest of the NFC North champion Chicago Bears that may well have fashioned local opinion to give Ol’ Pencil Ear another chance.
It was a dazzling action from a proprietor who is unswerving in his endeavor to institute a superlative program that will return the Vikings organization to the top of the pile. Tice was hired by Red the Menace who did everything on the bargain basement priced philosophy of running a professional football team. Wilf, who genuinely liked Tice, had no ties to the former head-coach and had nothing to lose in dismissing him.
So, why allow any hopefulness to be generated over the next 15 hours by talk radio and a public that only recalls the last game….and in this case a win over a bunch of second and third string players which felt more like a preseason game than an season-ending one? Why allow the chance that Tice could return to snowball in such a way that Wilf would have to retain him?
By his actions, Wilf has shown that he wants to take our proud Minnesota Vikings to the next level. He can only do it with someone superior to Tice.
It really is that simple. I believe that Wilf has the Vikings ready for something more than Tice could marshal. So, don’t buy into the local media hype about the story. Oh, they’ll do their friggin’ best to make the timing THE STORY. Your response should be, “I DON’T FRIGGIN’ CARE YOU OVERPAID MEDIA MORONS�!
The timing of the decision should be regarded as a unmistakable message from Wilf to Vikings fans that things will indeed change. And that change starts right friggin' now.
So, what is next? Nothing will happen on the coaching front until the hunt on for a new G.M.-level exec is filled. Don’t you think that new person will have his own list of candidates for the coaching job? Let’s say the Eagles’ Tom Heckert is hired. I’m sure the first person on Heckert’s list would be Brad Childress, the offensive guru with Philadelphia. Although, now that the Cheese has fired Mike Sherman, look for Green Bay to make a play for talent from the Eagles as well.
In any event, this will all play itself out in the coming weeks. Last year I thought, “What the hell will I write about until training camp?� As it turned out, I didn’t have to worry at all. Looks like another off-season repeat with intrigue at head-coach, free agents, and the April draft.
Whoo-hooo!
Dismissal Poll
As you've read, I had no issues with the way Tice was fired. How about you?
Zygi Approval Rating
Now that Tice is gone, we don't need to worry about his approval rating. I'll leave it up for one week and then I'll wipe it from the face of this blog. But I have now started a Zyfi Approval Rating. I'll run one month at a time. Take a moment and vote to the left.
I think Zygi fired Tice on behalf of Daunte. There was a Strib story on, I think, Christmas day about how Daunte was humiliated by the team's performance under Big Bad Brad and he was wasting no time calling Zygi multiple times a week and making sure they were friends. (This while refusing to speak with the other players, as you've noted). In that scenario, it's not hard to imagine that Tice was the scalp to appease Daunte's ego, and it's further not hard to imagine a series of coming decisions that make Denny Green look like Vince Lombardi. If we suddenly cut or trade Brad on lopsided Randy Moss-style terms I will consider that to be proof ;-)
Posted by: Ian S. at January 2, 2006 03:07 PMI gotta agree with you on this one. Zygi handled it fine. Monday probably would have been better, just b/c it would have avoided this meaningless media attention. I especially like how he addressed it in his press conference. I feel like a lot of owners would have tried to pretend it wasn't an issue at all, instead of giving their reasons for the decision.
Posted by: TBird41 at January 2, 2006 10:53 PMLetting people go is never easy but at the end of the day, for the Wilf's, this is a business. A business that they want to succeed in.
So, as a fan, I have to get behind that philosophy. If the ownership are ready to spend some money and bring championship trophies to the display cabinet, then, I am all for it.
I will actually admit to being a Mike Tice fan...not a big fan of his coaching style..but a fan of his class, loyalty, and nose to the grindstone philosophy...I do beleive that he was in over his head as head coach, but think that they could have found a spot that would have been acceptable to him, allowing him to stay with a team that he has so many ties to...there are many players and coaches in the NFL, and it is hard to find loyalty...when you find it you should grab it and hold onto it...but thats just one mans opinion...JAY
Posted by: Jay Viking at January 3, 2006 06:33 AMI agree with Ian on this issue. After his injury, Daunte skipped home games and only attended the Detroit game, with Fowler. And while there, DC declined Tice's request to address the team. That's very disrespectful, if you ask me.
I think the Vikings may need a new QB. Not only due to the possibility DC may not fully recover from his leg injury, but since his attitude may be a concern for potential head coaches who heard these stories, and are concerned that Wilf sided with DC over his head coach. There are likely to be several player defections over this issue. The inmates cannot run the asylum, if there is to be effective leadership.
Wilf restructured DC's contract before the pre-season, but did nothing similar for any player critical to the Vikes success, e.g. Birk's request for a future years' salary guarantee, C.Chavous, or B.Williams... save for Brzezinski, who is not a player.
It seems likely that Fowler knew Wilf's decision was made before the game at Detroit, and told DC while on his private jet. Thus, DC could afford to decline Tice's request to address the team without repurcussions, as well as not return Tice's phone calls after his surgery, while returning the call made by Chuck Barta, the Vikes trainer.
Add it up, and the grand total spells out that the decision to fire Tice was made mid-season. Wilf was probably relieved the Vikes lost against Pitts and at Baltimore so that he could carry through with his earlier decision without looking foolish.
I also think Wilf pondered replacing Tice BEFORE the season, immediately after the sale was approved, but there were no viable, available candidates, due to the timing of the sale.
Potential coaching candidates may view what transpired Sunday night, and all season long, with DC avoiding Tice after he was injured, as a negative if they perceive Wilf favors DC over management and the coaches.
Stay tuned to this Jerry Springer Show/ soap opera in Minnesota....
It's a business and you have to run it like one. I liked Tice also, but he wanted to know "sooner than later". Wow, how about 45 minutes after the game! I like everything that Wilf has done to this point. I'm looking forward to this off season and I'm hoping Wilf is going to spend some of that moldy money that's been laying around. Yes, I'm drinking the purple kool-aid and asking for seconds.
Ian and R. Wilk, you need to come off the ledge. I think your reading way, way too much into the situation. Things aren't that bad. There is no way that a very succesful business man, like Zygi, would pander to one employee or let that person run amok with his investment.
I gotta believe that Minnesota would have to be considered a very attractive coaching destination. We have some skilled players in place and an owner who is willing to spend some money.
Posted by: pa viking at January 4, 2006 11:13 AMPA Viking; you need to open your eyes to the facts on how Daunte handled himself after his operation (e.g. not returning phone calls from Tice, but calling Barta, rejecting Tice's request to speak to the team in the locker room before the Detroit game, etc.), and how he has failed to lead the Vikings anywhere during his career. He was drafted with the pick that the Redskins gave up for Brad Johnson, and hasn't won more than a few playoff games, while Johnson went on to win a SB with Tampa, and an MVP/ Pro Bowl spot or two in Washington. DC also had extended bouts of fumblitis and interceptus, which are fatal to a teams chance of winning a game.
I'm not on a ledge. Sensationalism such as that lacks credibility.
Daunte's career hangs in the balance of recovering from a serious, multiple ligament tear injury. It is not a certainty he will be able to fully recover and be effective.
To rely on DC as QB of the future is too big a risk for a wise businessman like Wilf. Wilf should have a good contingency plan in case Culpepper isn't healing well, or hasn't learned anything from his past numerous mental mistakes.
But, I'd prefer Wilf trade DC, after paying the $6M bonus in March, and draft or sign a top notch QB.
Turnovers are the key to winning or losing games.
If he is any good, the new 'GM', whoever it may be, will likely point out these facts to Wilf.