Zygi Wilf's All-Stars Implode

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWith the firing of coach Brad Childress, the Minnesota Vikings are officially playing for 2011.  Leslie Frazier, the defensive coordinator who took Childress' place, gets the next six games to show fans and management that he deserves more than the 'interim' tag.

So why is this team, touted by many of the so-called football 'experts' to be Super Bowl material, the biggest flop in the National Football League this season with a 3-7 record--and would be the worst in their division if it weren't for the Detroit Lions?  Let us count the ways:

• Brett Favre skips training camp again, and had to be persuaded by some of his teammates (sent by Childress) who showed up at his Mississippi doorstep to come back for another season.
• Favre, at 41 and hobbling, no longer has the magic touch at quarterback.  But he insists on on playing for the sake of records, no matter what the cost to the team.
• The Randy Moss experiment failed.  Big time.
• Injuries and suspensions to key players.
• The defense gives up more points than the offense.

But the last straw for Childress was Sunday's game at the Metrodome, in which the Vikings all but laid down and died against the Green Bay Packers in a 31-3 loss.  Favre threw passes into the wrong hands.  Players bickered on the sidelines.  Fans booed and called for Childress' head.  It became obvious to all that something had to be done.

Did Childress deserve this?  Yes and no.  Yes, he lost control of the team.  Yes, he had an average coaching record of 39-35 over four seasons.  No, he did not get along with either Favre or Moss.  Both of them were foisted on him by owner Zygi Wilf, a man who desperately wanted a championship ring and/or a new stadium.  And the Vikings got to within one game of reaching the first goal.  Oh yes, there was a reason his nickname was "Chilly".

The Vikings face an uncertain future, whether Frazier remains coach or not.  Will this really be Favre's last season?  Is a major housecleaning in the works?  Will Wilf convince a big name former coach or general manager (some of them currently working in TV) to come here?  Can he persuade a Minnesota Legislature now dominated by Republicans to finally give the Vikings a new home?  Heck, will there even be a 2011 season? 

The answers should start coming as soon as this Sunday, when the Vikings go to Washington to play the Redskins.  One thing won't change, though.  Brett Favre is expected to start.