Winless start has everyone on edge

Eight months after leading the Vikings to the NFC title game, Brad Childress provided a warning to his players that proves just how fickle life in the NFL can be.

Childress told his 0-2 team last Wednesday that they should be braced for fans at Mall of America Field to be calling for the coach's job during Sunday's game against Detroit.

It wouldn't be the first time that has happened.

Two years ago, the Vikings carried a 2-3 record into their Oct. 12 game against the Lions. Ryan Longwell's 26-yard field goal with nine seconds left gave the Vikings a 12-10 victory, but that did little to placate a fan base that expected a far better performance. A chorus of "Fire Childress" chants filled the Metrodome more than once in the second half.

Childress' job appears safe these days. He signed a contract extension last November that runs through 2013 and will pay between $4 million and $5 million per season. Still, it's not surprising he brought up the 2008 season.

The Vikings also started 0-2 that year but won seven of their final nine games, enabling them to capture the NFC North. One can only assume that Childress has informed his team that it doesn't have the same type of luxury when it comes to time. Green Bay and Chicago already are two games up in the division, and a loss to Detroit would send the Vikings into the bye week with their first 0-3 start since 2002.

The Vikings haven't lost to Detroit at home since 1997, so the Lions would appear to be the perfect elixir for what ails them. If the Vikings were smart, however, their focus last week wasn't so much on their opponent as on themselves.

Williams is normally soft-spoken but has never been afraid to express his feelings when he finds it necessary. His words last Sunday carried the pointed message that if anyone believes the success and accolades of 2009 would be enough to get by in 2010, he had better think again.

"I'm not going to fault [Williams] for saying it," linebacker Ben Leber said. "He could be right. He could be wrong. I don't know. Certain guys have a different feel for the team and the vibe right now. The bottom line is we are just not playing good enough to win. We need to stay focused and keep our head down and know that if we do things right, things are going to turn out for us."

Williams said there were no players-only meetings called this week, but that doesn't mean an important message hasn't been conveyed. "Guys know what's going on," he said. "We need to step it up. You need to play the game. You can't just show up because you've got good talent and win games. Hopefully, everyone gets that."

In fairness, the Vikings have played pretty well on defense. They gave up opening-drive touchdowns to the Saints and Dolphins but besides that have surrendered only one other touchdown.

The offense -- the passing game in particular -- has been another story. Brett Favre arrived last season with the caveat that nearing the age of 40 the wheels could come off at any time. Favre proceeded to have perhaps the best season of his Hall of Fame career. His enthusiasm was that of a 22-year-old, while his decision-making reflected his years of experience.

The general assessment: Favre doesn't look as if he's having much fun.

Last season, for instance, Favre tackled Percy Harvin in the end zone after throwing a touchdown pass to him in Week 1 against Cleveland. This season that type of enthusiasm has been absent, and he moves as if he's about to turn 51 and not 41, partially because he had surgery on his left ankle this offseason.

Questions already are starting to arise about whether Favre wishes he had a mulligan on his decision to return.

Harvin claims behind the scenes the quarterback hasn't changed. "We do nothing but play around outside of meetings," said Harvin, who is almost 19 years Favre's junior. "Once we get in meetings, we're focused, but when we're outside of meetings this team has fun together. Brett is still himself. He jokes around all the time. Nobody's attitude in this locker room has changed."

While that might be true, a victory would probably make everyone's mood in that locker room a whole lot better.