Jul 14, 2008 2:17 pm US/Central
Childress, In Hawaiian Shirt, Ready For New Season
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
With training camp just around the corner, Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress stopped by
Rosen's Sports Sunday to talk about the forthcoming season.
And he was dressed for success, in a Hawaiian shirt Rosen defined as "Tommy Bahama, Jimmy Buffet"-like. For as open as his shirt was, he said his similarly loose beard, which he's been growing out during the waning period of his summer vacation, will probably be trimmed down to match Twins manager Ron Gardenhire's facial fuzz.
The slightly laidback Childress was immediately asked to put his career as coach of the Vikings into perspective. When asked if he felt like the franchise was where he wanted to see it when he first took on his current position, he replied, "Culturally, we are.
"We've got a good staff of coaches that are great teachers, but it's about accentuating the talents that those guys have," he said.
Childress also felt confident in the abilities of Tarvaris Jackson, citing instinct and flexibility and judgmental growth.
"You don't want robots. There's certain things that there's not a manual for," he said. "There's a system, but that system's going to break down. One of those defensive linemen's going to beat an offensive lineman, and that's where you see his God-given athleticism come out."
Childress also addressed Adrian Peterson on the cusp of his sophomore season with the Vikings.
"Adrian, you're going to see, make a jump in year two. Now whether it's quantifiable by running for more yards than he ran for last year, I don't know. But I just know he's going to be way more comfortable within our system and not be near as robotic," he said.
Jared Allen's personality was another topic of conversation between Childress and Rosen.
"He's got his own unique personality. ... We want guys with character, but we've got some characters, and I like to let them show their personality," said Childress. "He's got a tough-guy mentality; he's got a blue-collar mentality. He grew up with his dad raising horses and jumping on the back of steers and wrestling them down. And we know about the wild boars. ... I'm not sure if we have a Lloyd's of London policy out on him or not."
The Vikings'
training camp begins Friday, July 25.
Their first game in preseason football is
scheduled for Friday, Aug. 8. Their season will open at Green Bay on Monday, Sept. 8.
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