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On January 2nd, Sour Souhan, the embittered pickled puss of the Star Tribune penned the following:

If Wilf had fired Tice at their scheduled meeting this morning, Tice would have been able to break the news to players and coaches himself. He would have handled it with class, would have said all the right things, and an observer would have been able to describe the proceedings as dignified.

On January 3rd, Sour Souhan told us in his own sanctimonious way:

Choosing a new NFL head coach is often a process no more complicated than a knee-jerk reaction.

Sour Souhan can't be blamed for this quote but I imagine he burped this into the ear of a fellow STrib reporter a day later:

We're two days into the Vikings' coaching search, and Team Wilf is already looking like Team Whiff.

On January 6th, after the announcement of Brad Childress as the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings Football Club, Sour Souhan came completely unhinged:

Owners got a coach - but what's the hurry?

Lessee, Sour Souhan has inferred that our guy Zygi is classless, without a clue, and a moron inside of one week. Think Sour Souhan won't be a bitter old man in his retirement years? Let me set some facts straight for you and show you how moronic this STrib columnist is.

What's the hurry? Let me educate you Sour Souhan.

The first part of the 2005 season saw the Vikings get off to a horrible start. There were the off-season issues as well and then the serious season-ending injury to the Poutin’ quarterback. Make no doubt about it, former head coach Mike Tice's standing was in grave doubt. Hell, I even posted a listing of possible replacements back on October 19, 2005. (Yes, Childress was on the list).

And let me make this crystal clear: even then there was widespread gossip that Winter Park was looking at making a play for the Philadelphia Eagles V.P. of player personnel Tom Heckert and offensive coordinator Brad Childress.

Jump ahead to the end of the season with the Vikings finishing 9-7 with the final win coming against the pine-riding players of the Chicago Bears. Wilf shattered the time record by letting Tice know he was canned within an hour after the game against the Bears ended.

Wilf’s first plan of action was to work at Heckert and sign him. However, Wilf was tossed a deadly curve ball when the Eagles gave Heckert a big raise and a elevation to G.M. But Childress remained available, and Wilf made instant arrangements to get him into Winter Park. And here is where Sour Souhan really shows his immaturity as a sports columnist: in not seeing the big picture by waiting for the game to end.

The difference between canning Tice on Sunday night and Monday morning could have been the difference in getting Childress. The Packers, who openly campaigned for Childress, waited until Monday morning to fire Mike Sherman.

But Childress never arrived in Cheese Country. Zygi Wilf influenced Childress to stay put while Wilf interviewed other people. So it really wasn’t a “knee-jerk reaction” that Sour Souhan bitched about. By playing his hand early, Wilf made sure he got to Childress first, interviewed three other candidates, and made his choice. Childress didn't interview with the Packers, canceling the interview as a matter if fact. The upshot was that fewer than four days after the last game was played, Childress was the named as head coach.

Had Wilf hemmed and hawed, like Sour Souhan wanted, the Vikes could have easily lost their top choice on the coaching wish list to another team. To me that screams planning and strategic vision. Now poor Sour Souhan has to work to write some columns in the next few weeks instead of having the Vikings right them for him.

And let me tell you something about the new coach. I’ve been doing my usual diligent research. I have come across a quote uttered by our new coach that will have you downright giddy with delight. During his testimony in the Terrell Owens arbitration hearing in November, our new guy simply said.

The Eagles don't have a lot of patience for assholes.

Childress already has the blessing of Bud Grant, the coach who also did not put up with assholes. I simply can’t wait for the next few seasons of football in Minnesota. The Childress-led Vikings won't be bothering with assholes period exclamation point. Combine this with the obvious talent on the roster, the cap room available, the money in Wilf's pocket, and his pledge to spending it, and who knows? By the time that new stadium is built, there could already be three of four championship banners ready to hang.

So, should we have a sour outlook? Not from me!!! I'll simply be screaming, "How sweet it is!"

VU Polls

Just a reminder about the new Zygi Wilf approval poll that you can see in the left frame. The Tice Approval Poll is now completely wiped from the face of the Viking Underground. If you haven't voted in the Wilf Approval Poll, please take a moment to do so now.

Just below Zygi's poll is a new weekly poll. This one asks if new head coach Brad Childress should have retained Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator of the Vikings. So, place your vote!

VU Podcast Thirty-Eight

This one is a musical podcast. If you will recall, I thought it would be fun to play different artists versions of the same song and let you decide which one is best. Last weeks song was Little Wing and you voted Stevie Ray Vaughan's version the best (66%) over The Corrs (22%) and Sting (11%).

This weeks song is Dreams. The first version you will hear is the orginal by Fleetwood Mac from their "Rumours" CD which is followed by a version performed by The Corrs. Which is better? Head over to the VU Podcast page and give a listen then come back to vote.

Posted by maasx003 at January 9, 2006 01:16 AM