Leslie Frazier fired, MN Vikings make the right call
Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier looks on during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Lions 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Rob Chudzinski was fired by the Cleveland Browns yesterday, and Leslie Frazier is the first man to be claimed by the “Black Monday” firing spree set to happen. Not as many coaches will be fired this year as they were last year, but, if Frazier’s firing is any indication, there will still be just as many rumors and intrigue as there was last year.
The Minnesota Vikings have announced this morning that Leslie Frazier will no longer be coaching the team, and they definitely made the right call with this one, even if players like Adrian Peterson and Kevin Williams gave votes of confidence to Frazier. Those votes of confidence from the players mean absolutely nothing, and they were rather weak statements anyway. Frazier and defensive coordinator Alan Williams have been subtly criticized this season by players for not putting their personnel in the best position to succeed, and Frazier doesn’t offer much on the offensive side of the ball. There are strong rumblings that he is the reason why the Vikings never played Josh Freeman, and it makes logical sense since I doubt Spielman wanted to waste $2 million on a guy who was never going to play.
Frazier did help lead the Vikings to an unlikely playoff berth last season, and there can be logical arguments created to defend Frazier, such as the slim margins of defeat this season. But a team that consistently breaks down at the end of games is usually a poorly coached team, and it could also point to poor clock and game management from the head coach.
Overall, the decision to fire Frazier isn’t a surprising one, and he didn’t really bring much to the table for the Vikings. That said, he isn’t a terrible coach by any means, and he’ll find his footing soon, likely as a great defensive coordinator for somebody. It was time for the Vikings to move on from him, and it will be interesting to see who they zero in on next. With the Wilfs involved, there is no such thing as a dry coaching search in Minnesota.