Another is unlikely
Chicago Tribune
The firing of Wade Phillips won't start a chain reaction. Phillips' situation was pretty unusual. The Cowboys were the biggest underachievers of the NFL season, and they clearly had stopped playing for their head coach. Even though no owner wants to fire a head coach in-season, Jerry Jones had to do something in order to appease Cowboys fans.
No other team has bottomed out quite like the Cowboys. There has been speculation about Brad Childress, mostly because of the way he handled the Randy Moss situation, but he appears to have weathered that storm. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf been quiet, and Childress has said he has received no assurances about the rest of the season.
But Childress' job security is enhanced by the fact that he signed a contract extension with the Vikings in the offseason.
dpompei@tribune.com
Players may have say
Ken Murray
Baltimore Sun
Firing a coach before the NFL season ends is a pointless move – unless your guy has lost the locker room and/or control of the team, or the fans boycott games. This year is unusual for its potential to have other coaches join Wade Phillips as ex-coaches, though. We offer these candidates for the firing line:
Brad Childress, Vikings: It's not even so much that the players seem to hate him but that he doesn't seem to care.
Mike Singletary, 49ers: No love lost here, either, and the Niners have vastly underachieved this season.
John Fox, Panthers: A run of 30-point losses could take him out earlier than expected.
kmurray@tribune.com
Vikings coach on brink
Sam Farmer
Los Angeles Times
If there's an NFL coach in the on-deck circle to be fired, it's the Vikings' Brad Childress, whose team has been almost as big a disappointment as the Cowboys. When the Vikings erased a 14-point deficit against the Cardinals and came back to win in overtime, they bought Childress a brief stay of execution. But the next game they lose could be the last for their coach, especially with the fan base on the verge of revolt, and Childress bickering with Brett Favre in dueling news conferences.
As bad as the Panthers are, I think John Fox will keep his job. The Browns are turning things around under Eric Mangini, posting consecutive upsets over the Saints and Patriots. The Broncos are probably not going to give up on Josh McDaniels.
And in San Francisco, Mike Singletary probably isn't the long-term answer but somehow has believing team can still make the playoffs.
sfarmer@tribune.com
Childress, possibly soon
Steve Svekis
Sun Sentinel
Brett Favre saved Brad Childress in Minnesota for the moment with a pulsating overtime win against the Cardinals. Still, if the Vikings trip up in Chicago next week before the Packers come to town, the season could come off the rails.
Mike Singletary, with the 2-6 49ers, made it through the bye, so he has cleared a hurdle.
Old-guard stalwarts Ralph Wilson and Jerry Richardson won't cut their coaches (Chan Gailey, John Fox) midseason. Gailey is in his first year with the 0-8 Bills, and the Panthers' Fox has never had a double-digit-loss year. And Josh McDaniels has dismantled the 2-6 Broncos in record time (jettisoning Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Peyton Hillis).
ssvekis@tribune.com