Vikings name replacement for Tomlin
Indianapolis Colts defensive assistant Leslie Frazier has been named the new defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, replacing Mike Tomlin, now head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to the Pioneer Press.
At first blush, this appears to be a great hire. It keeps our top defensive line and linebackers coaches in place, and Frazier has been a specialist in coaching defensive backs. Considering that pass defense was the weak point of the Vikings’ defense this past season, Frazier’s expertise could help shore up that weakness. Plus, he coaches the same Cover-2/Tampa-2 scheme that Tomlin installed and that head coach Brad Childress wants to see continued.
Coach Frazier met the local press at a press conference on Thursday, and while he wasn’t exactly given an address plaque for it, he seemed to be a welcomed hire. Frazier, like Tomlin before him, hopes to be a head coach in the NFL someday. If he does well, and Childress continues to annoy folks, Frazier’s opportunity might even come with the purple and gold! Stranger things have happened. Kudos to the Vikings for hiring a top-notch guy, rather than a Denny Green-style, Richard Solomon yes-man type.
