After an 0-2 start to the season, is it too early to start worrying about Leslie Fraizer's job security? Fraizer was not granted a contract extension during the offseason, so he is in essentially a prove-it year. However, with General Manager Rick Speilman and Fraizer relatively attached at the hip, it seemed unlikely that Fraizer was in anything close to hot water. That was, until Sunday.
The Vikings blew a six point lead on a last second touchdown drive by Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears, and that caused Fraizer to take one for the team in the press. "I could have done some things different," Fraizer said, referring to the Bears' final drive. "I personally have to do a better job...in that sequence." Rightfully or not, Fraizer took the blame for the touchdown drive that sealed the game, even though some of his players were completely out of position on their play-calls. Jamarcus Sanford was in the box on the last play of the game when he should have been covering one half of the end zone. Chris Cook was lined up against two different wide receivers on the final drive because someone didn't know they were supposed to come help him. There's no doubt the game could have been managed better though, as the Vikings had three timeouts to use if they found themselves out of defensive position. Fraizer is also a head coach, and a defensive minded head coach at that, and he needs to make sure his players were prepared for that situation. They clearly were not ready.
Another thing Fraizer has to work to fix this week is getting the right players on the field. After totaling only five snaps in his rookie debut, first round pick Cordarrelle Patterson took the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and was rewarded with...six snaps. Patterson has already shown game breaking ability and has done everything the coaching staff has asked him to do admirably, and it's mind-boggling he is not being rewarded with extended playing time, as he is the future of the franchise when it comes to the receiver position. Quarterback turned receiver Joe Webb somehow had more snaps than Patterson, which Fraizer said will be rectified this week. Fraizer also clearly has a problem with his linebacker situation, as the position group has turned in two bad performances in a row. Free agent linebacker Desmond Bishop was barely put in the game though, despite middle linebacker Erin Henderson's struggle in both run and pass defense in the middle (which is a new position for him). While Bishop should by no means be handed the starting job, he needs to see more time on the field, because it's possible he may be an improvement at the position. The Vikings have been burned up the middle, and when you have a veteran free agent you won a Super Bowl in the middle of a defense, he deserves a shot to try to shore up the position group.
The other interesting decision that was made came at the end of the 4th quarter, with the Vikings up by 3 and deep in Bear territory. At 3rd and 4 from the goal line, the Vikings decided to run right up the gut with Adrian Peterson, which was surprising to no one. Now, it's not hard to understand the logic of the decision. Adrian Peterson is the NFL MVP and solid around the goal line, and running the ball also lets you run out more of the clock (though the clock wasn't really an issue at the time). However, it was an extremely conservative play call that was not likely to work, even with the NFL MVP. It also took the ball out of the hands of Christian Ponder when he was having a great second half, and if he had been able to somehow get in the end zone it would have been huge for his confidence. While it's easy to condemn the play-calling when it ends up not working, Fraizer and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have often leaned conservative in tough game situations, and you need to play to win in the NFL, not play to not lose, as the margin of victory is just too slim to not go all in for victory, as evidenced on Sunday.
Fraizer took some heat Sunday, deservedly so, but he still has plenty of time to get this team on track, just about 14 long weeks of time. It's not as if Fraizer has not handled adversity before, as last year with the team falling to 6-6, Fraizer rallied the troops and the team won out the remainder of their schedule to make the playoffs. Fraizer has done plenty of great things for this team, including that fantastic playoff run, but after calling himself out through the media Sunday he has opened himself up for criticism and his seat has gone from cool to warm. Fraizer needs to build this team back up in time to play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, as an 0-3 hole will start to make his seat boiling hot.
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