Source: Green to be fired as Vikings' coach

Minnesota&#39;s Dennis Green is expected to be fired even before the team&#39;s final game, a source close to the coach said Friday. <br> <br> The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Vikings were working out details of the termination with Green&#39;s agent, Raymond Anderson. Green is owed about $5 million for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. <br> <br> ESPN reported Friday that Green had already reached a buyout agreement on his contract, and CNN/SI said the Vikings were expected to announce the firing before the end of the day. Both quoted unidentified sources. <br> <br> The Vikings have been struggling through a 5-10 season that also began with the death of offensive tackle Korey Stringer. In addition, star receiver Randy Moss has been inconsistent and acknowledged, ``I play when I feel like it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> On Dec. 11, Red McCombs gave Green a vote of confidence. Asked then if he could say Green will be the Vikings&#39; coach next season, McCombs replied: ``Yeah. Absolutely.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> When Green was hired 10 years ago, he was only the second black NFL coach of the modern era. Art Shell, hired by the Raiders in 1988, was the first. <br> <br> Earlier Friday, Green told Minneapolis radio station WCCO that the media attention given the firing report was disappointing and said he was preparing as usual for Monday&#39;s game with Baltimore. <br> <br> ``I have not talked with Red at all about anything other than, you know, the game that&#39;s taking place,&#39;&#39; Green said. <br> <br> In its initial report on Green on Thursday, ESPN said Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy would be a leading candidate to take over the Vikings. The AP source, however, said Dungy would be unlikely to want the job. <br> <br> McCombs didn&#39;t return calls from the AP, and telephone calls to Anderson were not put through to him by his secretary. <br> <br> This will be the first losing season in Green&#39;s 10-year tenure and the Vikings are out of the playoffs for the first time since 1995. <br> <br> Green and Pittsburgh&#39;s Bill Cowher are the NFL coaches with the longest tenure with the same team, both beginning in 1992. <br> <br> Since that year, the Vikings are 97-62 under Green and have reached two NFC championship games. <br> <br> Last year, however, they lost 41-0 to the New York Giants, and Green was roundly blamed for the defeat. <br> <br> Last year, McCombs signed Green to a two-year contract extension, with an option for a third season that guarantees him about $5 million for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. <br> <br> Green has been under pressure before. In 1996, after the Vikings sustained their fourth straight first-round playoff loss under Green, many fans wanted him replaced. <br> <br> The following year, the Vikings rallied in the second half to upset the New York Giants in a first-round playoff game and had made it past the first round each year since. <br> <br> ``Reports of Denny Green&#39;s death have been premature for years,&#39;&#39; said Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, who coached with Green for 10 season at Stanford and with the Vikings. <br> <br> ``They&#39;ve been reported time and again,&#39;&#39; he said. ``This very scenario has been played out at least a dozen times. I&#39;m not going to concern myself with it. We&#39;re going to have a hell of a game Monday.&#39;&#39;