Bevell's stock rises as a head coaching candidate

In his first three years as Vikings coach, Brad Childress had one defensive coordinator leave to become a head coach and another one interview with multiple teams for head coaching vacancies.

Is it now time for teams in need to consider Childress' offensive coordinator as a head coaching candidate?

Why not?

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell's makeup doesn't scream "head coach" the way Mike Tomlin's did before he left for the Steelers after the 2006 season. Nor does it suggest strengths similar to Tony Dungy, the way current defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's does.

But the Vikings' 8-1 record and the success of an offense that ranks seventh in total offense and second in scoring demand that Bevell be taken seriously.

Yeah, Brett Favre is the main reason for the team's turnaround offensively. But how is riding Favre's talent to a head coaching job any different than Tomlin using the talent he had in 2006?

Bevell has made strides in how he handles the attention that comes with being a coordinator. He also calls the plays, which is almost a prerequisite for offensive coordinators being taken seriously. And, of course, it sure won't hurt having a couple of references named Favre and Adrian Peterson.

Bevell, of course, is careful not to publicly long for a head coaching job while his current job is unfinished.

"Honestly, for myself, the one thing I always say that I think can go back a long ways is I just worry about the job that I have," Bevell said. "I feel if I do a good job at what I'm doing and we have success, then all that stuff takes care of itself."

Becoming a head coach is something the 39-year-old Bevell covets.

"I would say it's definitely a goal," he said. "I'm always going to try and improve myself and help myself to get better. I work very hard at what I do and that's definitely a goal. Obviously, my goal here is to do the best job I can."

Road warriors Four teams have 4-0 road records, and each of them is on the road this week. The NFL has never had four teams with 5-0 road records. There's a chance it will happen, too, since the Cardinals are at St. Louis, the Bengals at Oakland, the Saints at Tampa Bay and the Colts at Baltimore.