Vikes, Chilly Working on Contract Extension

by Anthony21 on Oct 20, 2009 6:03 PM CDT in Vikings Comment 47 comments

Hot seat? What hot seat? From Clark Judge:

A contract extension is in the works for Minnesota coach Brad Childress, with a new deal possible within the next two to three weeks.

We knew this was the make-or-break year for Chilly, and it says a lot about Zygi's impression of the team that he would reward Chilly with a contract extension -- perhaps not even before we're halfway done with the season. Judge is getting mixed signals on just how far along the process is between the team and Childress:

Childress is in the fourth year of a five-year contract and was supposed to be under a Win-or-Else ultimatum this season. Well, he's won, and while management does not have to address his situation immediately it appears it will. One source said an extension is so close that an announcement could come early next month, but another indicated that nothing is "imminent."

Judge is right -- the Wilfs would be able to carry their evaluation of Chilly out as long as they'd like, but the report makes it clear that Zygi has seen enough to buy into Childress as this team's coach for the foreseeable future.

More often than not, when you've seen commentary on Brad Childress here at Daily Norseman, the tone has been negative. OK, that might be an understatement. But by now, we've seen that his decision to stick his neck out on the line for Brett Favre has been an excellent one, and you won't see too many people complaining about a coach's performance when his team is 6-0. Still, if Chilly does ink an extension soon, the timing would be interesting.

What say you, Vikings fans?

Poll

Would you like to see the Vikings sign Brad Childress to a contract extension within the next month?

Yes

360 votes

No

746 votes

1106 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Post-season

Wait until after the Vikings season ends (whenever that is) to make a commitment to Childress. He has shown improvement over each of his three seasons, but he needs to do more than go 9-7 and lose in the first round of the playoffs to justify a long-term extension.

I voted no—not because I think Childress is an utter failure, but because he has not proven to me that he is one of the better coaches in the league. This season, with a complete roster and commitment to Favre, should be the one by which Childress is judged, and we won’t know how that turns out for a few months yet.

by Midnight Rambler on Oct 20, 2009 6:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Right on

Childress hasn’t even won a playoff game in 3 previous years here, and he practically single-handedly lost that Baltimore game by his conservative play-calling. I mean, it’s the most important part of the game when the Vikings are on the Ravens 17 and we run the ball three times instead of taking a shot or two at throwing for a first down or touchdown. Why did we get Favre if we aren’t going to give him a chance to make a huge play for us with the game on the line?

Chilli can say what he want about making the other team use their timouts, but the fact remains that the Vikings had to give the ball back to the Ravens with 2 minutes on the clock in a situation where the Ravens only needed a field goal to win. And, oh yeah, our defense wasn’t exactly giving any indication that they could stop the Ravens after giving up 3 touchdowns in 7 or 8 minutes.

by Sheldon on Oct 21, 2009 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's still too-early for an extension. They should make him win a playoff game first.

Even then I’m not too-sure about giving Chilly an extension. I don’t know if it’s Chilly that’s calling the right plays, or is it Favre?

by chaosg on Oct 20, 2009 6:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes.

Year-to-Year improvement, exciting games, full house, stat leaders, merchandise sales, 6-0 friggin’ record…

I BELIEVE...

On the improbable Vikings win against the Ravens...
" OH MY HOLY BALLSACK " - IABerserker1

by ArizonaVikingsFan on Oct 20, 2009 6:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No

I love the Wilfs and I think it’s they and Rick Spielmen that deserve the majority of the credit for going out and signing top talent. And player talent is by far the biggest factor in the Vikings year-over-year improvement since the Wilfs bought the team.

Secondly we have a lot of luck to be thankful for. What are the odds that within a few years of each other both Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin fall to us in the draft? I’ll give Chilli a small amount of credit here, since all the teams before us passed on them, we could have been just one more team to do so. So a big helping of luck and some smarts by Chilli, Studwell and Spielmen.

But you rate coaches by how they coach, and how many times have you watched a game where you’ve said, “Man Chilli really out-coached the other guy!” ?

Also, we were told that Chilli single handedly molded Donovan McNabb from a lump of clay and his own saliva. This was a quarterback developing expert we were getting right here. Well I think Tavaris Jackson has a ton of talent, but can you say he looks well coached? Even Chilli says no to that because he had to go out and get a hall of famer to save his job this season.

You don’t judge coaches based on the talent of their players, you judge them on their ability to get the most out of the areas where they don’t have talent and their ability to overcome adversity (injuries) down the stretch. I have seen neither from Childress.

Fire Childress!

by dwarg on Oct 21, 2009 9:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

nice call dwarg

Your absolutely right. It is way to early to be signing him to an extension. He has proven nothing yet. Chilly does not get alot of love here, but other than his determination to get Favre which is so far turning out to be a great call. I’ll give him props for that. He had no killer instinct in the Raven game. I’ve said this before that if just 1 of 4 second half field goals is a TD then there is no drama at the end. Quality coaches set themselves apart.
Chilly has not done that, at least not yet. I’m not saying no just having a wait and see attitude.

by iowaron on Oct 21, 2009 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You said it yourself...

I love the Wilfs and I think it’s they and Rick Spielmen that deserve the majority of the credit for going out and signing top talent.

They must see something in BC that makes your statement true…
because at the end of the day, it’s their decision not yours or mine.

I BELIEVE...

On the improbable Vikings win against the Ravens...
" OH MY HOLY BALLSACK " - IABerserker1

by ArizonaVikingsFan on Oct 21, 2009 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What they see....

I think the Wilfs looked at Chilly and thought he could bring us the next McNabb. Then it was a matter of needing time. Then it was a steady improvement so that buys more time. Now it’s a 6-0 record but the original need still hasn’t been answered because Favre is a temp answer.

I voted ‘No’, before reading the comments, because with the talent we have now, it’s not at all surprising that the Vikings have done as well as they have. In fact, what’s surprising is that we haven’t done better, closed out games instead of barely slipped out with the win.

Not saying that Childress is a bad coach… although I wonder what the hell he’s chewing on during interviews, kinda cud-like, bad vibe there. But I’m waiting to see evidence that he’s a great coach.

So like the others, I want to see what the end of the Vikings season looks like. If it looks like a Lombardy Trophy, then as far as I’m concerned, Chilly can stay and coach as long as he wants. If it doesn’t, the further from that trophy that we are, the less certain I am about his tenure.

Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!

by DCPurple on Oct 22, 2009 4:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right....

…and you won’t see too many people complaining about a coach’s performance when his team is 6-0.

Not here. For whatever reason, Chilly gets pummeled by Vikings fans on a regular basis whether he’s winning games or not. It’s a constant recurring theme I’ve seen on this blog since I joined.

by Figgs on Oct 20, 2009 6:47 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Maybe after Cleveland and Detroit (heck, I was guilty after the Detroit game), but since then, I honestly haven’t noticed much.

by Anthony21 on Oct 20, 2009 6:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think this past game

Made some Vikings fans real mad at Chilly.

by Figgs on Oct 20, 2009 7:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

NAH

no more than usual. Fans alwasy arm-char quarterback/coach their team.

As BF himself once said, “I woulda double-bagged it.”

by puddnhead on Oct 22, 2009 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A little pressure never hurt...

Waiting would not hurt and may help…If Chilly truly is the professional that Zygi thinks he is, it will not have an adverse affect (waiting), and may help him stay completely focused on making this the year that counts…all in, so to speak…

Chilly can then negotiate for more cash, while Zygi gets more (as in deep playoff run/SB Ring/and maybe even a real chance for a new Stadium)…and we fans get our SB fix (finally!)…

Either way though, now or later, think that (1) we make the playoffs, and (2) Chilly keeps the job, (3) Our year for a SB run/victory (stars are aligning)….

I would rather be IN the Arena than watching from the stands...That is my life!
* Read Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" if you need further explanation...

by vikingfanfrom afar on Oct 20, 2009 7:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I would to see how the Vikes finish the rest of the season first

by Hjorvarthr on Oct 20, 2009 7:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

me too

At least get through 12 games or so…Childress has gotten better yearly and I don’t like the turnstile coaching changes, but if we don’t make the playoffs (my, that would be an epic meltdown at this point) then it’s awful hard to keep him.

Contract talks are fine but I would want to see more progress on the field yet.

by cutlassbob on Oct 20, 2009 7:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ugh

What is the downside of waiting until the end of his deal to negotiate? Losing him?

Ha!

Paying out more money/years?

Yeah, if he wins multiple playoff games.

I don’t see Chili as an irreplaceable (or even a particularly valuable) asset to the organization and his handling of the quarterback position over his entire time here is reason enough to scale back his responsibilities.

Three Viking coordinator wunderkinds have left the organization and won Super Bowls. A fourth went to St Louis and went down in flames. I’d rather roll the dice with another young coordinator than keep riding Chili like Cincy has continued to do with Lewis.

by nani on Oct 20, 2009 7:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow

was surprised by this thought it would be at least 50/50.
imo BC has done a good job…his 2nd year he was in the playoff hunt…3rd year he Won the North…has upgraded the team…cut out the of the field BS…built a strong smash mouthed O and D…has drafted pretty well and signed some very good FA’s in his 3 years…now in his 4th year the team is 6-0…QB’s…yea but there was not much to get until this season…and he got him.
And folks say AP fell in his lap…no there were teams ahead that passed…and…and teams that could have moved up to get him…but they did not…and Chet looked good at RB…but they took AP…how many players that he has cut are still playing at a high level…Sharper…Birk…any others?…he is building a team here folks…The Chin took time to build his and win the Big one…so did the GREAT Bill of the Pats…so did most of them…it takes time…SB’s and great teams are hard to get and keep…Bud never got the SB…had great teams…how many have the Steelers won and with how many coach’s over how long a time? Give the guy credit…dont pull a SMART FIRE with a 14-2 HC to hire the next Norv Turner…enjoy winning and building…you could be a Lion’s Fan!

by vikefan1969 on Oct 20, 2009 8:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Well said + 10

"We Szekelys have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-Bram Stoker

by NMVike on Oct 21, 2009 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I will add

Ziggy is less likely to sell if BC stays…so less chance of a LA Vikings team.

by vikefan1969 on Oct 20, 2009 8:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wait

It is not like he is in his last year of the contract. If you sign him now and the team tanks cause BF gets hurt, and his QB is now in, or just tanks and does not make the play offs then you are stuck. It can happen. The skins were once 8-1 and missed the play-offs. The VIKES have lost the playoffs many a time while having “their dystany in their own hands.” and I do not think the POWER AND GREAT FOOTBALL MIND OF THE GREAT CHILLI will make us immune from than possibility. Wait until he makes the plays offs and makes it to the Superbowl then he can have all the media hype of Superbowl week with a signing. If you sign early and we tank your really stuck. I still think there are a good number of retired hall or famer coaches you could take this team far and know more football than Chilli has ever forgotten, but if BC wins the SB it’s his job for at least 5 years.

by ZygiZag on Oct 20, 2009 9:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

He needs to at least win a playoff game

before we even consider it

From the only TRUE North division

by thewild_viking_twins on Oct 20, 2009 9:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You're too generous, Anthony.

Stuck his neck out for Brett Favre? No. More like he realized that none of the 3 hand-picked QBs on the roster could give the team the level of QB play they deserved, and Favre bailed him out after much begging and grovelling.

Nobody would decide to give an NFL HC an extension as a reward for beating the awful Browns, awful Rams, mediocre Packers and awful Lions, with or without Brett Favre and Greg Lewis bailing out an otherwise poor game vs. a mediocre SF and failing to hold a safe or respectable lead vs. the presumably good Ravens in the 4th. I wonder which coach has an equally easy schedule with similar talent, if any?

The Chiefs were 9-0 once and still didn’t win a playoff game. Why? Because Coach Vermeil was in deep denial about how good some of his players (such as CB Eric Warfield) were, talent-wise, vs. their actual performance on the field and a strong loyalty to some of his assistants no matter how badly their schemes and FA signees and draft picks produced, among other reasons. The parallels between that team and this one are pretty strong except that DV is a Hall of Fame coach who had won a playoff game by the end of year 4.

by KC Viking on Oct 21, 2009 12:07 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Can't compare KC with us

I think our draft picks have panned out pretty well:Chad Greenway, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice. Our FA’s as well: Steve Hutchinson, Bernard Berrian, Ben Leber. Chilly let his good buddy and worst ST coach of all time go to the Lambs. Now we just need to see what happens in the playoffs.

by nmvikesfan on Oct 21, 2009 1:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can't dismiss the similarities between the 2003 Vermeil Chiefs that started out 9-0.

Their FA signees turned out well, too, including a low-profile RB named Priest Holmes who turned into the best player in the game while in a Chiefs uni and WR/RET Dante Hall who returned 2 kickoffs and 2 punts for TDs that year. LT Willie Roaf was a Pro Bowler on a line which was considered one of the very best in the NFL, including future PBers C Casey Weigmann and G Brian Waters and Chiefs draftees John Tait and future HoFer Will Shields on the right side. Eddie Kennison was a great signee for them, too (2nd in receiving yards to TG).

Recent draft picks had been spent on Pro Bowlers Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, and Jerome Woods as well as future Pro Bowl RB Larry Johnson and a few other unspectacular but useful starters like LBs Scott Fujita and Kawika Mitchell, Pro Bowl DE Gary Stills and a few useful reserves like Derrick Blaylock.

To suggest that Ben Leber or Cedric Griffin are good examples compared to that Chiefs team is pure crazytalk. If anything, those guys are the exact weak links (along with both safeties, perhaps) which need to be upgraded in order to defend the pass better against quality opponents and especially in the playoffs.

Here are some fair comparisons to the 2003 Chiefs:
Cedric Griffin = Eric Warfield
Madieu Williams = a less productive Greg Wesley
Ben Leber = not quite as good as Scott Fujita or Shawn Barber
Ray Edwards = not as good as Vonnie Holliday and/or Eric Hicks in their bad seasons

(those are the 4 the coaches are most in denial about)

Sidney Rice = not as immediately productive as Snoop Minnis or Sylvester Morris had been in their rookie seasons before suffering career-ending injuries. Yes, Rice is doing well right now, but will he really be as good as Eddie Kennison?

In the Chiefs’ 2003 playoff loss to the Colts, neither team punted. The 2003 Chiefs could have won that game with slight upgrades over Warfield and/or Wesley and/or at DE/LB, much like a real QB would have helped the 2008 Vikings immensely.

by KC Viking on Oct 23, 2009 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Love what Chilly has done with the team but...

It’s a little early on in the season let’s wait until the last few weeks, maybe week 16 or so and see where we are at then.

by nmvikesfan on Oct 21, 2009 1:01 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Seems like he’s doing his best coaching sitting on the hot seat. Wait until after the Super Bowl :).

by Bodysuit Man on Oct 21, 2009 6:04 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Sign him and move him up

Chilly is a good evaluator of talent, character and how the pieces fit together. Sign him to the extension and move him into the front office. Then bring in a more dynamic head coach. I think Chilly is someone we want part of the organization.

Skol Vikings

by SouthernNorseman on Oct 21, 2009 6:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

he’s done a great job drafting and picking up FA’s however his play callling is giving my nightmares. Heck I’m cool with him being head coach and tossing Bevel out. I hate to say it but when your 6-0 and you have 370 people saying wait on a contract and only 160 people saying pay him something is seriously wrong.

by Grime on Oct 21, 2009 9:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good idea!

That actually makes a lot of sense to me, but only if we’re able to land a really good HC to replace him… let’s not pull a Redskins coaching move and bring in a retired bingo caller.

Shanahan.. Cowher… there’s other possibilities out there. I’m not saying to can Chilly now, he could redeem himself by the end of the Viking’s run this year. But if he doesn’t, it’s worth considering alternatives.

by DCPurple on Oct 22, 2009 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I never was a fan

in fact i wanted him fired 4 games into last season. The whole T-Jack experiment seemed to hold us back a few years. Chilly hit the jackpot when Favre agreed to come here. I am still kind of scared about in-game coaching and clock managament in close games. Alll we have done so far is beat awful teams on the road and got lucky a few times at home. I’m all for an extension but let’s give it a little more time.

by STLVikesFAN on Oct 21, 2009 6:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Speaking as a Packer fan...

… I hope they give him a 10 year contract.

Personally, I don't give a crap about Brett Favre.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Oct 21, 2009 7:14 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

stop hoping speed camp

focus on the problems in GB. Do you know what they are yet???

THOMPSON IS A MORON

by 4 where-ever on Oct 21, 2009 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No.

On defense they don’t even know who they are yet, so I certainly can’t figure it out. Offensively, I think I do know what they are (a one dimensional passing team that can’t protect the quarterback), but I’m working hard to maintain my denial about it.

Personally, I don't give a crap about Brett Favre.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Oct 21, 2009 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for asking, by the way. :)

Personally, I don't give a crap about Brett Favre.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Oct 21, 2009 3:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

On his way to being named coach of the decade (seriously)

Chilly adds two additional wins each of his first three years and leads off to a 6-0 start and some people doubt whether he is a good coach?

Take a look at the drafts and free agents he has picked up these last four years and then try to make an argument that ANY coach in the NFL has done better in that same time span.

Chilly has done a masterful job of bringing together the best possible talent and forming it into a cohesive and effective TEAM.

When Brett Favre says that this is the best team he has ever played on, who do you think deserves the credit for that?

At this stage, the only coach could imagine replacing him with is Tony Dungee and the last I checked, he was not available. Get real folks and start to give the man his proper credit.

by dkerfoot on Oct 21, 2009 8:53 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

There are some great coaches out there in the wings..

Dungy is just one of them and he has coached here before.

by Grime on Oct 21, 2009 9:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

One of the very best is right here. He is “in the wings” which is why we should sign him to an extension now.

by dkerfoot on Oct 21, 2009 9:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why rush???

I think Chilly has done a great job of changing the culture within the organization and improved the on and off field product through careful vetted of draft picks i.e. going to smell Percy’s car, and getting top notch free agents (Anybody missing TJ Housurdaddy yet???). Most fans are not questioning those characteristics.

We question the poor play calling, clock management, the “kick ass offense”, the on again off again development on T-Jack.

Would we even be talking about an extension right now if we didn’t sign Favre and we were sporting a 3-3 record??? Like SouthernNorseman said…move him into the front office and bring in a coach who can get us to that next level. There are some very good coaches that are doing TV right now. 6 coaches with rings on their fingers and 5 are currently TV analysts.

With the way the Wilf family, Chilly and Spielman have turned this organization around from the Love Boat incident, is it unreasonable to think that we couldn’t convince one of the top coaches to come in and turn this team into a dynasty team? The talent is here, the talent is young. There is no reason to think we can’t be a power house team for the next 5 years or beyond. I like our chances better than the gong shows in DC and Dallas!!!

by boomy44 on Oct 21, 2009 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

To sum up my vote in someone else's words...

We question the poor play calling, clock management, the "kick ass offense", the on again off again development on T-Jack.

I haven’t seen any evidence that any of the above have improved. He has been great with personnel (recruitment but his decision to fine a player for attending to a sick relative last year was questionable management), but he seems to be lacking some of the other qualities required of a HC.

I’m 95% convinced that Brett Favre will change from Brett-Favre-“Future-Hall-Of-Famer” to Brett-Favre-“Interception-Record-Holder” around week 11/12 (as in his previous 6 seasons roughly). If he does, will Childress be able to coach around this or will his limitations become more apparent again?

Wait until after the season/post-season – it’s not like the new contract is urgent and I don’t get the sense of a great many teams looking to headhunt him…

by ViolentSilence on Oct 22, 2009 5:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're forgetting

That the Vikings were 9-7 in Tice’s last year, and then we picked up Hutchinson as a free agent with Childress as coach and we dropped 3 wins to 6-10. You can talk all you want about Chili’s improvement year by year, but we could also bring up the fact that he lowered the bar in his first year here, only had a .500 record here in his first three years, and has won one less playoff game than Tice. I am not a Tice apologist by any means, but I wonder if even he would have success with the oodles of pro-Bowl players Childress has had year in and year out.

by Sheldon on Oct 21, 2009 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No hurry

I’m not sure why there are so many Chilly haters out there. I think Chilly has proven to be a good choice. He has remade the roster with loads of talent, put the Vikings on the map, and consistently improved the team in each of his seasons. He’s also shown a knack for finding talent and is something of a risk-taker that’s worked to his advantage (Peterson, Favre, Harvin). Plus, the Vikings have shown an ability to actually finish close games, something they’ve been lacking in the past. That said, I agree that they should wait until the season is over, both so that Childress isn’t distracted and to better evaluate the season as a whole.
As an aside, hope the Vikes are able to hold off against those Steelers. Pittsburgh definitely looks vulnerable, but they’re always that much tougher in Pittsburgh. Go Vikes.

by JJL on Oct 21, 2009 9:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Not Hatin'

Being realistic. Chilly’s done a great job with personnel, and he’s been awesome in transforming the culture from thuggery to decency. He has my gratitude for both.

But as an HC, his play calling is often questionable, and the Vikes have more than enough talent to have made every game we’ve had so far this year, a total blow-out. Instead, they’ve been squeakers, and the Vikes aren’t performing to their capacity. A great coach brings more out of the players than they thought they had, turning a group of people who individually might not be so ‘great’, but as a unit can be awesome. Here we have the opposite; a group of extremely talented players who, coming together, seem to hobble along instead of flying.

by DCPurple on Oct 22, 2009 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The general consensus seems to be to wait after the season

And I couldn’t agree more. We’re only 6 games into the season. Let’s get to the playoffs and do some damage before we start throwing around extensions.

by ericj69 on Oct 21, 2009 11:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

by jianfu on Oct 21, 2009 6:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

If the Vikings extend "Chilly's" Contract, they should include....

an “Iron Clad” agreement, that “Chilly” has to give-up all play calling duties. The same as the Washington Redskins have done to their Head Coach.

“Chilly” cannot call his way out of a “Brown Paper Bag”!

Viking Players should be fined for missed coverages, and bench for penalties called against them that cause the Vikings to turn-over the football, punt or have .settle for a field goal.

Everyone we meet in life give us happiness, some by their arrival, others by their departure!

by Parnelli on Oct 21, 2009 6:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs