When the Minnesota Vikings entered the month of December, they were starting to be touted as the best team in football.  Now, with two embarrassing losses in three games and a potential budding feud between the head coach and the starting quarterback, those same folks are discounting the Vikings as a post season threat.

  Really?

 This issue is all revolving around a combination of selective Childress idiocy, an over-active, modern day press rushing to report anything, whether it's true or not, and poor offensive line play in those losses.  With the exception of Sully, it's the same line as last year.  I consider Loadholt an upgrade, so Cook isn't part of the equation here, IMHO.  In the 11 wins, they've played, for the most part, pretty well.  In the three losses, they've had their collective asses handed to them. 

I say selective Childress idiocy in that he thought about benching Favre--with a lead, mind you--while the Vikings still had reasonable expectations to win home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  Seriously?!  And he thought Favre would be okay with that?  Really?

ESPN loves to make stories these days instead of report them.  Let's look further at when Childress wanted to bench Favre, according to Kevin Seifert, about the only level-headed guy who's reported on this story so far (and although he's at ESPN now, he's a GREAT guy.  When I got press credentials to training Camp in 2006, he was the beat writer for the Star Tribune and he really helped me out on writing and reporting.  Great dude):

1.  At Green Bay.  He wanted to pull Favre, not for performance, but at the end of the game.  During the Ted Thompson eff you game.  In Green Bay.  Where he played for 16 years and was loved, but was booed mercilessly.  Once again I ask...seriously?!  During THAT game you expected Favre to come out?  See my 'Selective Childress Idiocy' theory one more time.

2.  Nov 15, at home against Detroit.  That would be the game where Adrian Peterson rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns.  And Favre had 344 passing yards.  Again...seriously?!  You're moving the ball up and down the field, and you're pissed off that Favre audibled?  Once again, I refer to 'Selective Childress Idiocy'.

 After a loss, people spout off about stuff because they're pissed off.  ESPN, being the corporate whore that they are, will milk anything into the ground, especially when it involves Brett Favre.  I'm sorry, but I just can't take anything Tim Hasselback or Trent Dilfer say seriously.  They're Tim Hasselback and Trent Dilfer, probably the only two quarterbacks worse than Sean Salisbury.  And they're commenting on Brett Favre.  Really?  And ESPN wouldn't want to promote a juicy, controversial story line about the Vikings for their upcoming Monday Night game against the Bears, would they?  I mean, since the Bears are having such a great season and all.

Finally, and most importantly...It's the line play.  When the offense isn't working, it's because the line play is terrible.  In the three losses, opposing defenses were playing on Minnesota's side of the line of scrimmage.  Running lanes were never opened because the line got penetration from multiple guys, preventing AP from both hitting the hole or making a cutback.  Opponents have been very disciplined and have 'stayed home', which has also prevented AP from getting huge chunks of yardage.  Chilly is as stubborn as a mule, and one of our beefs is that he'll run into a brick wall and use guys as a battering ram, to no avail.  Now we've got a guy that has the ability to see that the called play will fail before it runs, checks into a play that has a better chance of success...and we're pissed off about this? 

I'll be the first to admit nothing was working Sunday night, and there had to be a significant level of frustration, and when you're frustrated you say things in the heat of the moment.  Chilly didn't want to pull Favre because of performance, it's because he was getting pummeled, and although ESPN loves this latest Favre controversy, how would they report this story if Favre got hurt Sunday and missed the playoffs?  Chilly would get crushed for NOT pulling him, so he's in kind of a No Man's Land there.

This is 'Schism Gate II'.  Schism Gate I ended with Favre being elected team captain, so I'm not too worried about that, to be honest.

 I am VERY worried about the o-line play.  That will be the exploding fireball that ruins this season, not Favre or Chilly, because if your o-line can't run block or pass protect, it doesn't matter what you call.