Yes, I know how the sunk cost effect and commitment/consistency theory make it difficult for you to pull the plug on Mr. Dead Man Walking (oops, I meant Mr. Childress). But, please have some pity on Mr. I Just Need to Play Better (a.k.a Mr. Tarvaris Jackson) and put a merciful end to their suffering? And, it may just minimize the misery of another lost season for us Vikings fans.
Actually, you know what terrifies me more than a string of losses this year? A string of wins this year. I am dreading the idea of your continued support for a clueless coach (and let’s not forget his “system”) and an incompetent QB instead of stopping the bleeding right now. I worry that you will feed this team some hemorrhaging medicine that results in a few victories in a row so they end up with a spectacular 9-7 season. Then, what if they somehow make the playoffs. Isn’t it going to be so much harder to fire them then? Why not rip the Band-Aid off now and give all of us some shred of hope for next year?
Let’s give credit where it is due. First, I am sure that Mr. Childress DOES have a brilliant offensive “system.” Too bad it is a LOSING SYSTEM. Second, I am sure that Mr. Jackson is the physical prototype of an NFL QB. Too bad that most of his muscle is between his ears. Third, let’s talk about prized free-agent signing, Mr. Bernard Berrian. Yes, I am sure he is fast. Too bad he’s so fast that his right foot managed to trip up his left foot on the one deep pass that poor Mr. Jackson tried to throw. Finally, let’s talk about the other prominent signing recommended by Mr. Childress. Yes, the guy who dropped the eminently catchable pass in the end zone against the Colts. Visanthe … Wait, isn’t his nickname “Vise-Grip” Shiancoe? ‘Nuff said.
Mr. Wilf, you nobly backed coach Childress when he asked you to open up your pocketbook and pay a fortune for big-name free agent signings. Your loyalty was impressive when you trusted coach Childress who claimed that he had the skill to identify and groom a top notch quarterback in Tarvaris Jackson. I saw you smiling and nodding your head when you stood beside the coach as he talked about how improved Jackson was and how ready he is to lead the offense this year.
Sorry to sound pedantic, but attribution theory (see Kelley 1967) suggests that when consistency is high (Childress’ coaching performance is equally incompetent in different game situations and over multiple years), distinctiveness is low (Childress’ displays the same ineptitude in every phase of the game – whether it be offensive pass effectiveness or defensive pass coverage – and against any team he plays), and consensus is low (other teams – even ones that perform pathetically against other teams – look like superstars against a Childress-coached Vikings), it is reasonable to make an internal attribution (the cause of the failure is Childress). Kelley (1967) says that when the information available forms such a pattern, a clear attribution can be made to the “actor” (Childress). My guess is that a simple analysis of the pattern of information relating to Tarvaris Jackson will also allow you to make a clear attribution as to his role in this fiasco. Given coach Childress’ degree in psychology, this research may actually be familiar to him.
Perhaps I can appeal to your sense of outrage to overcome the normal resistance to going back on your “support” for coach Childress. You gave this man everything he wanted in order to build a contending team today. It is clear you opened your pocketbook to buy him all the toys he could demand to make his mysterious “system” work. Given that his system (which seems to basically consist of carefully concealing his mouth so no one steals his electric plays) has been given many opportunities to prove itself and he cannot blame it on a lack of talented players, maybe it is time to question whether the system works. In fact, how about we even question whether there IS a system in the first place. You know what, I suspect the reason coach Childress covered his mouth when relaying plays is because he wanted to hide the fact that he hadn’t come up with a single play yet! I can imagine coach Childress covering his mouth and muttering “Okay, I’ve got my mouth covered, you think anyone knows that I don’t have any brilliant play thought up yet? What can we do? Hey, how about having our superstar speedster Adrian Peterson run up the middle? Make sure you ask him to find the thickest part of the pile up and run straight towards it with his head down?” Poor Adrian probably hasn’t been executing the way he has been asked to execute by the coach.
