McDaniels Can Learn From Childress

The clock is ticking. That’s the only certain in today’s society.

No NFL coach is immune from being fired. When immediate results aren’t produced, recent history almost loses its meaning.

That was the case for former Minnesota Vikings’ head coach, Brad Childress. Less than one year ago, the Vikings were sitting high and mighty playing in the NFC Conference Championship. Today, they’ve got a 3-7 team led by a quarterback in his 40’s that is now a year older and an injury away from ending his career.

Going into the season, many thought the Vikings were in prime position to make another long run into the playoffs. They have great young talent and the confidence/experience that could be carried over from the 2009 season. My, how the tides have changed.

Brad Childress was fired this morning. It’s said that a loss on Sunday can linger for a couple of days. Well, for Childress, the Viking’s loss on Sunday will linger much longer than that. After having disputes with his players which were taken to the public stage, there aren’t going to be many teams that want to hire him as an assistant for a while.

Take note, Josh McDaniels. Your time here in Denver may be one of your only stepping stones in a very competitive coaching market. 

Everyone knows that McDaniels has had his fair share of Childress-like drama. There were the spats with the stars (Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall), the foul language caught on the NFL Network last Thanksgiving, and the exchanged words with Shaun Philips of the Chargers.  

The only thing that can get McDaniels off the perceived “hot-seat” is winning when it counts. The 6-0 start to last season was as delightful as a stocking hanging over the fireplace on Christmas Eve. The mood in Denver was Broncos’ festive, yet the streak came to a crashing halt when the Broncos finished their season 2-6.

To continue on the same track, the Broncos started this season 2-6 before their bye week. Now that the Broncos sit at 3-6, they’re fortunate enough that a streak of wins could propel them into the playoffs.

One thing is certain: If the Broncos don’t improve significantly from here on out, and you hear bubbles at the end of this season, that’s McDaniels going down with his ship.

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