Vikings coach Leslie Frazier lost a little power Tuesday when the team made Rick Spielman their new general manager.
In a press conference to announce the move Tuesday, Frazier supported the move enthusiastically.
He said the clear structure will “enhance” Frazier’s job “tremendously.” The Vikings made it clear Spielman will have final say in all roster and personnel decisions. Frazier retains control of his coaching staff.
Spielman didn’t have final say in the past, but he made it clear that he was 100% behind taking Christian Ponder. Frazer said that Ponder will enter next season as the starting quarterback. (As we said earlier, Spielman’s promotion was great news for Ponder.)
The theme of the day was consistency. The Vikings talked about a “clear organizational structure” with “accountability and consistency.”
There were reports that Frazier and Spielman disagreed on some key personnel maters, notably Donovan McNabb. Spielman makes those calls now.
Frazier will decide what to do to fix his defense. He sounded lukewarm about transitioning to a 3-4 defense and didn’t want to “jump on the bandwagon” if it didn’t fit his roster. But he wouldn’t rule out the possibility.
Tuesday’s announcement was just the start of changes in Minnesota. We expect much of the defensive staff to change.
When you go 3-13, there are always going to be a lot of changes.