Vikings' Childress finds a way to drown out fans

Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress is either:

A. The most focused man on the face of the earth;

B. Extremely hard of hearing;

C. Unable to distinguish the subtle differences in tone between boos and cheers; or

D. Deceiving himself and those around him.

How else to explain how Childress apparently was the only person in the Metrodome last Sunday who didn't hear the cacophony of boos and chants for him to be fired pouring down during the Vikings' thrilling come-from-behind 12-10 victory over hapless Detroit?

"I don't ever hear the boos or the (cheers)," Childress told Startribune.com earlier this week. "I know when the crowd is loud, obviously, because it impacts us or impacts the other team.

"But I'm always worried about the bottom line."

So far, that line has not been a profitable one for the Vikings, whom many picked as the "it" team in the NFC North this year. Had Ryan Longwell missed his 26-yard field goal with 9 seconds left against the Lions, the Vikings would be limping into Soldier Field Sunday sporting a 2-4 record.

"All these games are tough wins and tough losses; it's no different in Chicago," Childress said. "It seems like every week either you're driving the field to beat somebody or somebody's driving the field to beat you."

Think Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Bob Babich were hit hard after last week's debacle in Atlanta? Well, consider that after squeaking past Detroit, 86 percent of Vikings fans responded to an online poll by clicking on the "trade-in Childress" (for another coach) option this week.

"I understand where they're coming from," said former Bears receiver Bernard Berrian. "When you get sloppy play and you're not playing to your potential, then you're going to get boos."

Now here's a closer look at the Vikings (3-3), who invade Soldier Field Sunday tied for the top spot in the NFC North with the Bears and Green Bay Packers.

Not bad: One call Vikings fans can agree on is Childress' decision to replace young quarterback Tarvaris Jackson with veteran Gus Frerotte.

"He's 3-1 as a starter, so if you're always going to measure quarterbacks in terms of wins - then that's what he's brought," Childress said. "He's got a great way about him and he's done it for a long period of time."

But what does the move mean for Jackson?

"This doesn't need to be a death knell for Tarvaris Jackson," Childress said. "It's just a step in the learning process."

Second act: The last time the Vikings were at Soldier Field, running back Adrian Peterson torched them for 224 yards.

Think that will be on the Bears' minds come Sunday?

"He's a known entity," Childress said. "I've never met a defensive coordinator yet who didn't talk about stopping the run - and that's where most people are starting with."

After opening the season with three straight 100-plus yards efforts, Peterson has rushed for 80 yards or less in three of his last four games.

What about me? While Berrian's return to Chicago has garnered all the headlines, another former Bears receiver has been lighting it up for the Vikings. It's Bobby Wade. Remember him? Wade leads Minnesota with 25 catches for 287 yards.

Gonna need a bigger bus: If the Bears think they are going to get off the bus running (can we please retire that phrase?) on Sunday, they're going to have to earn it. Anchored by a pair of Pro Bowlers on the defensive line - tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams - the Vikings have allowed only two 100-yard individual rushing performances in the past 38 games.

The B Team: Play-by-play man Sam Rosen and analyst Tim Ryan will call the game for FOX.