Head Coach – Brad Childress - 2006 – Present. His 3 1/3 year record is 31 – 25 – All of a sudden, he’s become a real strategic genius. Talent will do that for you. Getting a QB who can play will do that for you. It is quite likely that “Chilli” wasn’t as inept as previously thought. I never really thought of him as “inept”, just as I no don’t think of him as the next coming of Vince Lombardi. But seriously, Childress deserves credit for surrounding himself with an excellent and highly competent staff. ** See Below.

He and General Manager Rick Spielman also should be credited with several excellent drafts that have harvested such talent as Sidney Rice, Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Tyrell Johnson, Ray Edwards, Phil Loadholt, and Percy Harvin.

Of course, there were disappointments like Marcus McCauley, Greg Blue, Marcus Johnson, Rufus Alexander, and Ryan Cook. While the jury is out on Tavaris Jackson, Asher Allen and others. Every team has these.

There have also been later round surprises like pass rushing specialist Brian Robison, 4th rounder Ray Edwards, Anthony Herrera and John Sullivan.

I remain critical of the lack of discipline displayed at times by the players. It is a pattern that I see as improving but remains a concern. The bad penalties returned in the Pittsburgh game. But going into this game, the team had the fewest penalties in the NFL.

But Childress above all else, is a man who believes in doing things the right way. The kind of coach you might want to have your son play for ( All Cross-dressing issues aside ).

Long gone are the days of the “Love Boat”. No more “Whizzonators “ , etc. He makes his players accountable for their actions and he has jettisoned the trouble makers and brought in high character free agent players such as Visanthe Shancoe, Chester Taylor, Steve Hutchinson, Ben Liber, Bernard Berrian, Jared Allen, Madeau Williams, Ryan Longwell and yes, even Brett Favre. – B +

Offensive Coordinator – Darrell Bevell - Thank goodness that Brad Childress was big enough to realize that someone else might be better suited to call the offensive plays. Chilli was the “Master” of the predictable. The ”Guru” of conservative giddiness. I’m breaking out in liver spots thinking of “ Peterson right for 1 yard, Peterson off tackle for 1 yard, and on 3rd and 8, a 4 yard pass. Anyways, Enter Bevell. His offense has grown exponentially as his weapons have. Last year he was hamstrung with the play of the QB’s. He wanted to feature Peterson, but the old “8 in the box” forced him to pass the ball…with poor results. Jackson remains a player with more potential then accomplishment. But that was before Favre. Now, is able to mix the run and the pass with equal threat implied. Throw in Percy Harvin, the vastly improved Sidney Rice, and you have the makings of an offensive Juggernaut. Currently the team is second only to New Orleans in points scored with a 30.5 average. Their average time of possession is 31.3 minutes per game and they are 4th in terms of 3rd down conversions at 46.6 %. These are numbers a team can live with.

Other offensive stats include:
- 12th – passing yds. -235.0
- 12th – rushing – 118.8
- Overall 10th in total offense

Favre tied currently 1st in touchdown passes w/ 16, 4th in completion percentage with 67.9 % and is third in the NFL in fewest interceptions by a starter with just 3.

The Vikings are 6th in rushing touchdowns with 10.

- 5th total receptions w/ 178
- 5th in 1st down in air w/ 99

The offensive line has surrendered 18 sacks, and the offense has surrendered 3 defensive touchdowns. But overall, the morale is excellent, the team works seamlessly as a cohesive unit and everyone is buying into Bevell’s system. – A –

Defensive Coordinator – Leslie Frasier – Enjoy the man while you can, because this guy has Head Coach written all over him. The team came into the season with high hopes of being a top 5 unit. Until the Winfield injury, they were playing at nearly that level. But with the tweaking of Antoine’s ankle came the realization that this is a defense that comes with a warning label. The cornerback position has a large gap between the starters and the second tier. That said, Frasier likes to let his front four put pressure on the QB. That allows him to keep the back seven in coverage. He also likes to run a lot of zones such as the infamous cover 2 that works well if you have a strong pass rush. But have you noticed how easily a good Quarterback ( Ben Rothlesberger, Aaron Rogers, Joe Flacco ) can pick it apart if they have time. You simply need to be accurate and patient and have receivers who can recognize the soft spots in the zone ). That’s why less patient QB’s ( Brady Quinn, Marc Bulger, Matt Stafford ) Struggle. Corners come up and knock the receivers off their routes and try to disrupt lanes and stop the quick slants. This makes the receivers take an extra step or two to get into the proper lane. Giving the front four more time to get to the QB. Winfield and Griffin do such a good job at this ( as does Chad Greenway on the tight end) that Jared Allen and company lead the league in sacks.

Frasier also has the luxury of having Pat Williams sitting in the middle which makes running difficult. He also has 3 very effective linebackers who can all plug holes, cover the flats and rush the QB.

Frasier does a good job of mixing in blitz packages and the team disguises stunts in a way that keeps teams off balance. Each of the last 3 games, Frasier has inserted schemes designed to keep offenses guessing. It has been so effective, that the Ravens had 3 points, the Steelers 10 and the Packers 3 points and little else at halftime. That’s coaching ! Now, this is the NFL, and you aren’t going to confuse opposing coaches very long. They are going to figure you out eventually. But to keep teams so off kilter until halftime 3 weeks in a row says something about Frasier’s strategic intellect. But that is precisely why these teams could do nothing for a half, then rip through the defense like Grant took Richmond in the second half.

Leslie Frasier has talent to work with. But Leslie Frasier is an excellent defensive coordinator, who soon will be taking his clipboard to another city to become an excellent head coach. But this is a defense that has no business being ranked 19th overall.

Currently, the Vikings are 7th vs. run at 94.8 per game and 23rd vs. pass 237.9. They have a turnover margin of + 5 and are tied for 2nd in forced fumbles w/ 11. While also being 1st in sacks with 31. ( The closest to them are the Eagles and Broncos with 23 ). – B -

Next – Special Teams