“Enough,” said the Vikings. Head Coach Leslie Frazier has been fired by the Vikings after going 5-10-1 this season in a Division where 8-7-1 wins it. The Vikings are now again searching for a head coach.
Frazier took over as head coach in 2010, replacing Brad Childress with six games to go. Frazier finished the 2010 season 3-3. In his first full season, the Vikings were 3-13; that included losing Adrian Peterson to knee surgery and the Metrodome’s roof collapse.
In 2012, Frazier led the Vikings to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. Adrian Peterson was the NFL’s MVP, rushing for 2,097 yards. Frazier was 7-2-1 in December the last two years as head coach.
In today’s NFL, the quarterback position is more important than ever. And General Manager Rick Spielman three years ago drafted Christian Ponder with the Vikings’ first pick.
Ponder has failed to prove that he has the consistency and leadership to be a franchise quarterback. I firmly believe
Frazier is out as head coach because he was forced to play a quarterback who was drafted too high and struggled — and as goes your quarterback, so goes your football team.
Minnesota nice sooner or later catches up with you in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. In baseball, the Twins gave longtime Manager Ron Gardenhire a two-year contract extension after his team lost 97 games. In fact, his team has lost 95 games or more three years in a row. Yet Gardenhire, who is White, is given the benefit of the doubt and the Minnesota’s community is okay with it.
Frazier, who is Black, on the other hand is fired. It’s the most unsettling thing about Minnesota. Go back to Gopher basketball last year: Tubby Smith is fired after beating UCLA in the NCAA tournament when the Gophers have rarely qualified for the NCAA in the school’s 100-year history.
The predominant thinking of Minnesota media is the sameness of thinking. You can get a fair overview of the situation only from yours truly.
The Vikings ownership was fined $105 million by a New Jersey judge for violations of fraud and racketeering in their business dealings. It’s my view that this has had a profound effect on the team as well and was a major distraction this season when the facts were revealed.
Frazier did win his last game as coach, the final game ever at Mall of America Field, 14-13 Sunday over the Detroit Lions. It’s my view that the Vikings have fired a good football coach who was trapped in a situation where he was sacked having to play a quarterback, Ponder, who was in over his head.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday-Friday at 12:17 pm and 4:17 pm, and at www.Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.
To see more stories by Larry Fitzgerald stories click HERE
Support Black local news
Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.