Leslie Frazier
Earlier today, Dallas’ Jason Garrett had his interim label taken away as he was named the Cowboys’ full-time head coach. Now, the Minnesota Vikings have followed suit by naming their permanent coach going forward.
According to ESPN (via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune), Leslie Frazier has agreed to become the Vikings’ full-time head coach. The deal is expected to be formally announced by Tuesday.
Frazier took over for Brad Childress, who was fired on November 21. Minnesota is now 3-3 under Frazier, the team’s former defensive coordinator, which included a shocking upset victory over the Eagles in Week 16. The Vikings lost to the Detroit Lions today to finish their season with a 6-10 record.
Those six games for Frazier didn’t come without drama, however. From Brett Favre’s on again, off again stint as the starting quarterback (not to mention his $50,000 fine in the Jenn Sterger saga), to the Metrodome’s roof collapsing, and injuries to his best players (Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin), it has not been an easy month and a half for Frazier.
Known around the organization as a player-friendly coach, Frazier, much like Garrett in Dallas, finally gets his long-awaited shot to be a long term coach in the NFL. The roster, minus Favre, is expected to remain intact heading into 2011, so he’ll once again have the pieces in place to work with. His only big decision of the offseason will be to decide who the starting quarterback will be, but that’s another story for another day.
Minnesota is a very talented bunch, but it’s up to the coaching staff to get the most out of its players. After reloading in free-agency and the draft, it’ll be very interesting to see if Frazier can get this once highly-touted Vikings squad back to a championship contender.
