SAD NEWS : minnesota vikings HEAD COACH WAS ASK TO LEAVE BECAUSE OF……

Pete Carroll was on the phone. We had been talking almost daily for weeks, as the Vikings searched for a coach to replace Jerry Burns, who retired at the end of the 1991 season.

To the Vikings’ old guard, Carroll was Burns’ obvious replacement, although Burns himself was thought to favor longtime NFL assistant Tom Moore, who would later become famous as Peyton Manning’s mentor in Indianapolis.

Carroll was a former Vikings assistant and a favorite of Bud Grant’s. Carroll would later become a head coach with the Jets, Patriots and Seahawks, and become the third coach to ever win a college national championship (USC) and a Super Bowl (Seattle).

In early January 1992, Carroll said, “Hey, I appreciate the conversations, but I’m not getting the job.” The Vikings’ new guard, led by team president Roger Headrick, hired Denny Green.

This week brought stunning changes in the world of high-level football coaching. Carroll and Bill Belichick were ousted. Nick Saban retired. Jim Harbaugh won a national title and positioned himself to leave for the NFL. Mike Tomlin produced another playoff team and for the 17th straight year avoided a losing record.

Four coaches with Vikings connections were among those making news, and each makes you wonder if the team has any regrets about these decisions:

Hiring Kevin O’Connell over Jim Harbaugh. Vikings ownership and management grew weary of general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer. Harbaugh went through his interview with the Vikings as if he were about to be offered the job. His presumption turned off the Vikings’ decision-makers. Harbaugh was stunned when the Vikings chose O’Connell, who lacked his head-coaching experience.