A pragmatic Childress gets an extension one year and fired the next

After another unproductive Brett Favre performance, the Minnesota Vikings finally fired coach Brad Childress. The coach who took them (though it was probably Favre who "took" them) to within a field goal of the Super Bowl (though they didn't get a chance to kick the field goal b/c Favre threw an interception), was fired after signing an extension through 2013. A near hero one year, and 10 weeks later the goat. 

Two years ago I pondered whether or not coaxing Favre out of retirement, the 2nd time, was a 'good' idea; both ethically and pragmatically. I felt like while it wasn't a positively ethical decision (it ignored the hard work of the previously starting QB's), it was pragmatically a good decision: they won. For the pragmatist, if it works, then it is good.

This year, I wondered the same two things when Childress tried to coax Farve out of retirement, for the 3rd time. This time sending players down to Mississippi, while instructing others to lie about their whereabouts. How other Viking players wouldn't find out IMMEDIATELY about the media circus that is Favre is beyond me. 

So Favre came back, skipping training camp again, and has so far led the league in interceptions. Pragmatically the decision was a bad one. It didn't work. Ethically the decision was also a bad one, filled with lies and lack of respect for the quarterbacks in training camp. 

Childress found out about the blessing and curses of pragmatism. He got a 3 year extension because the Favre decision worked last year. But he found the dangers of pragmatism as well; things that work one year don't always work the next year. At least an ethically based decision is right or wrong on the front end, and you don't have to wait till half the season is over before you know if you made the right decision!