The Minnesota Vikings became the first NFL team to hire a new coach for 2006 when they had reached an agreement with Brad Childress to take over the position. The Vikings finished the 2005 season with a 9-7 record under Mike Tice. The club won seven of their last nine games after a disastrous start to the season.
Childress has never been a head coach in the NFL. He spent last year as the Eagles offensive coordinator and has been with Philadelphia as an assistant since 1999. Prior to that, he was an assistant under Barry Alverez at the University of Wisconsin.
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf released a statement after the hiring was announced, saying, 'Coach Childress has the combination of integrity, experience and competitive spirit that were important in our search for a new Vikings coach.'
Despite the winning record, Tice was undermined by off the field incidents and a perception that he did not have full control of the team in the locker room. His light handling of the many distracting antics of Randy Moss hurt the team last season.
Prior to the 2005 season, Tice was fined by the NFL for scalping some of the Super Bowl tickets the league left him which violates NFL bylaws.
Vikings running back Ontarrio Smith was suspended for a full season for violating the league's drug policy shortly after being caught at an airport carrying 'The Original Whizzinator,' an artificial penis used to beat drug tests.
During this regular season, several Vikings players were charged with misdemeanors after allegedly engaging in public sex acts and other rude behavior on a cruise on Lake Minnetonka.
The Vikings were also seriously considering Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Williams. When Williams agreed to remain in Washington, the Vikings acted quickly to secure the services of Childress.
Childress is considered more of a level-headed coach than Tice who more often than not wore his emotions on his sleeve. He will be expected to win immediately in Minnesota and he certainly appears to have the talent to achieve that goal.
