As essential as a winning record, the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings figures to be hired every bit as much for his winning personality, which is a critical component for an owner practiced in local backroom politics and who requires a sideline boss with a better public relations veneer than the deposed Dennis Green possessed.

If owner Red McCombs is to become more than just an accidental traveler through the NFL -- and if the Vikings are to succeed in one of the league's smaller markets and with a stadium that cannot produce the kind of in-house revenues that now drive other franchises -- then the club sorely needs a new facility in the near future. Toward that end, the Vikings will need a coach who is comfortable not only with high-fivin' his players, but also adept at pressing the flesh of the fans and politicians who will ultimately decide whether an inch of dirt is moved for a new facility.

	Texas head coach Mack Brown is a good friend of Vikings owner Red McCombs.

While he took the Vikings to eight playoff spots in 10 seasons, a remarkable feat that should not be diminished by the inability to ever gain a Super Bowl berth, Green was never a popular figure with the Twin Cities media and fans. Beyond the perceived lack of discipline, both his own and that of his players, it was that dearth of popularity that helped prove Green's undoing.

Minneapolis-St. Paul is a decidedly Midwest tandem, with its shared and deep-rooted value system flanking the Mississippi River and the populace wary of outsiders. And there was Dennis Green, the slick-talkin' coach who never stopped referring to his hustling, Harrisburg, Pa., rearing -- a coach whose success over a decade provided him the clout to purge anyone or anything that did not fall into lockstep with whatever loosely defined mores he embraced.

Green was the consummate interloper in virtually every way imaginable -- race, demeanor, speech pattern, lifestyle, loyalties -- but his success granted him the luxury of figuratively rubbing the noses of his staunchest detractors in the off-field muck.

Said one veteran Vikings player, who wept when informed Green was leaving but who is also aware of the coach's liabilities: "Every year Dennis was here, he was like a burr under the saddle of the city. But the bottom line was, he was a winner, so what could they do to him?"

Eventually club management decided exactly what it could do to him and, when the bottom line in the ledger became more critical than the bottom line of the wins-losses column, Green was deemed excess baggage and on Friday tossed overboard. The resulting lack of ballast might now permit McCombs to float his stadium agenda, and whoever succeeds Green will have to be equal parts coach and pitchman.

One obvious candidate is University of Texas coach Mack Brown, a better recruiter than he is a football strategist and, more importantly, a McCombs buddy. The two speak frequently -- McCombs was on the sideline for the Big 12 championship game last month -- and Brown has explored in recent years just what it takes to work at the NFL level. On the field, some skeptics contend his teams have underachieved in Austin, but he has another terrific recruiting class coming aboard and is fairly comfortable with his present lifestyle. How accommodating Brown would be if McCombs takes advantage of their friendship remains to be seen.

	“	There are so many ways they (the Vikings) can go, lots of scenarios, and they aren't close to anything yet. Over the next week or so, McCombs and his people will sit down and kind of compile a model of what they are looking for. ”
		— Anonymous league source

Another obvious prospect is current Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, the onetime defensive coordinator of the Vikings and a former star quarterback at the University of Minnesota. For a black man in a mostly-white city, Dungy enjoys rare entrée, and his squeaky-clean reputation and perspective as a family man would play well. There are persistent rumblings Dungy will be fired by the Bucs if the team doesn't advance to the NFC championship game, but for now, he has a team in the playoffs and isn't available. And there is this as well: Dungy is represented by Ray Anderson, also the agent for Green, and he might advise his client to ignore the opening.

Current offensive line assistant Mike Tice, known as overly ambitious and sometimes way too blatant in his ardor for a head coaching position, will serve as interim coach for the Monday night regular-season finale and will lobby hard for the permanent job. Tice may be popular with some of the players, and McCombs as well, but he was the offensive line coach when Korey Stringer died on the practice field. Like other Vikings officials, Tice almost certainly will be named in the lawsuit soon to be filed by Stringer's widow. So ask yourself: Do you want your new head coach tied up in depositions, perhaps having to defend himself in a high-profile case? Probably not.

The chances are good that McCombs and his hierarchy will look at current coordinators like Marvin Lewis (Ravens), John Fox (Giants), Mike McCarthy (Saints), Gary Kubiak (Broncos) and Ed Donatell (Packers). But possibly near the top of the list of league coordinators could be Steelers offensive boss Mike Mularkey, a former Vikings tight end who knows the city well and is a good guy.

One other scenario could have McCombs hiring a general manager -- the name of Charley Armey of the Rams has already surfaced and the Vikings owner is tight with his brother, congressman Dick Armey -- and allow the new front office man to select a coach.

Said one league source: "There are so many ways they can go, lots of scenarios, and they aren't close to anything yet. Over the next week or so, McCombs and his people will sit down and kind of compile a model of what they are looking for."

Make no mistake about this: Near the top of the list will be the ability to make friends and to influence people.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.