Hit the road, Leslie!

[popriveter]

I can't see how the team's failings could possibly result from Frazier's leadership this year. The failing at quarterback was due to talent, not scheme or motivation. On the other hand, the defense got better and better throughout the season. Young players progressed and contributed more and more. Players' comments indicated they stayed onboard and unified despite being buried right away.

They just fired a good coach because they gave him 3 quarterbacks who were not skilled enough to start. This could have been a 10 win team with a good starting quarterback and the same coaching staff.

Bad move, Wilfs. You knew the public would want blood, so you shot us in the foot.

[BuckSutherland]

I can't see how the team's failings could possibly result from Frazier's leadership this year. The failing at quarterback was due to talent, not scheme or motivation. On the other hand, the defense got better and better throughout the season. Young players progressed and contributed more and more. Players' comments indicated they stayed onboard and unified despite being buried right away.

They just fired a good coach because they gave him 3 quarterbacks who were not skilled enough to start. This could have been a 10 win team with a good starting quarterback and the same coaching staff.

Bad move, Wilfs. You knew the public would want blood, so you shot us in the foot.

Some people just cant be helped.

[FISHINGURU]

McNubb and Blunder were not drafted or signed in the past 2 yrs so that really doesn't matter if it worked out when talking about Spielman being a GM. Freeman didn't work out with his what 4 days of being on the team and pushed into a game to throw for 50+ times? Hard to say if Freeman would of worked out or not with 1 start not knowing any plays or any of his team mates, some of the best QB's in the league wouldn't do very well not knowing any plays or with no practice with team mates.

Even if it was a bad move not like every single move a guy makes is going to workout. I didn't agree with the signing of Jennings either but it is what it is.

That's fine Frazier said it was a committee but that doesn't mean it was Spielman telling everyone what to do.

Who's idea was it to start Henderson all year just to find out that 2012 7th round pick Cole (a Spielman guy) was better?

Who couldn't figure out how to use Patterson (a Spielman guy) until 90% of the season was over?

Kalil (alot of people wanted Blackmon here, how's that workin?)

Smith ( best safety on our squad in a long time)

Wright ( the 2nd year pro who mentored Patterson)

Walsh (the 6th round record breaking kicker people said wasted pick)

Cole (2nd yr 7th rounder better then the starter)

Rhodes ( started coming strong)

Patterson (one of the most electric players in the draft)

Locke ( got alot of use out of him this season LMMFAO)

All Spielmans guys just in the past 2 yrs he's been GM. There are others that we haven't even got to see much of yet.

I agree getting rid of all the staff that don't know how to use talent, I see plenty of young talent on the team but it's not being used right (or to late). That doesn't have anything to do with Spielman.

[Scott K]

I think the key to Frasiers firing was at his news conference last night, when he said me and my staff are under contract, and hope the team honors their side of the contract. He lumped himself in with the coordinators, and the rest of the coaches. I could of given Frasier a free pass, but the rest of them needed to go. Frasier hung himself with the comment of "us".

With that, Frasier wasnt going to bring us to a Super Bowl, he may not have been the reason for our bad seasons, but he wasnt going to bring us to the promise land.

[FISHINGURU]

He lumped himself in with the coordinators, and the rest of the coaches. I could of given Frasier a free pass, but the rest of them needed to go. Frasier hung himself with the comment of "us".

Yep, the same guys that made the "committee decisions".

[Snag]

Unbelievable love for a guy who made so many bad coaching decisions.

He was at his best in meaningless games and at his worst in big games. At the end of games, he had to be the worst in the league. We should have won four more games this year.

All the hate for Spielman. How is Percy doing? Why couldn't Patterson get on the field over a guy that should be in jail. There is a reason all the other teams passed on Frazier.

Elite QB's don't become available every day. We had a chance for Luck and won a meaningless game in Washington.

[LABS4ME]

McNubb and Blunder were not drafted or signed in the past 2 yrs so that really doesn't matter if it worked out when talking about Spielman being a GM. Freeman didn't work out with his what 4 days of being on the team and pushed into a game to throw for 50+ times? Hard to say if Freeman would of worked out or not with 1 start not knowing any plays or any of his team mates, some of the best QB's in the league wouldn't do very well not knowing any plays or with no practice with team mates.

2013-2yrs = 2011. Thats the year 'Blunder' and 'McNubb' as you so eloquently called them, joined the Vikings. So I would say they are squarely on Ltl Ricky's shoulders. Freeman is this year. So 3 out of the 4 QBs on staff are his guys, on his GM watch.

I still say your starter for next year is Freeman with Ponder as back-up. My gut tells me that... yes that's my opinion.

In the end, I can really care less about Spielman other than I like to talk football. He just wreaks of a guy with little character from the snippets I hear him talk. He may very well be a stand up guy, just doesn't portray himself as such... We'll see if he can pull the Vikings out of the quagmire they are in. If he does, with 'his' coach and another year's worth of draftees and FAs then I will come on here and crown him king of the NFL GMs. My guess is he too will be gone.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Moonshine]

And Studwell is a moroon too.

I am sitting by the phone waiting for the call if they want me to take Spielman's job.

Here are the QB's drafted by the Vikes during Studwell's tenure as Director of College Scouting.

2006 - TARVARIS JACKSON (64), QB, Alabama State

2007 - TYLER THIGPEN (217), QB, Coastal Carolina

2008 - JOHN DAVID BOOTY (137), QB, Southern California

2010 - JOE WEBB (199), QB, UAB

2011 - CHRISTIAN PONDER (12), QB, Florida State

And add to his credentials excellent scouting on two first round draft picks Troy Williamson and Erasmus James...

[LABS4ME]

2007, 08 and 10 were not drafted to be starters. Every team in the NFL drafts QBs in mid to late rounds that never pan out. They all are looking at maybe getting lucky and developing a starter and/or back up. The Packers had a couple others Qbs drafted in the Farve/Rogers era. Your argument holds for the ones taken in rounds 1 and 2 and thought to be starters. Jackson and Ponder.

I think Travesty was thought to be a starter and was not... and Ponder the same. I think they really reached for Ponder (who knows who was the 'one' to pull that trigger). Jackson in round 2 (last pick in round two) was also a reach but if I remember he was projected as high as a third rounder wasn't he? So the Vikings may not have reached as far in the second on him as they did with Ponder.

Good Luck!

Ken

[thatoneguy]

Ken Whisenhunt should be the next HC of the Vikings. That is all.

[zepman]

Both Ponder AND Jackson were reaches when they were taken.

Ponder was the big reach IMO and Spielman made the HUGE mistake of "crowning" him the day he was drafted. Once Cassel was brought in there should have been an "open" competition for the starting QB duties.

I don't think it's a reach at all to say that the Vikings would have been playing a meaningful game yesterday had Cassel started from Pittsburgh going forward. To me, Fraziers lack of evaluating the talent on his own team is reason enough to give him his walking papers. Many more examples of this same thing through-out the line-up...most of which were painfully obvious to us all as we watched this train-wreck of a season.

Frazier made his own bed.....

[CaptainMusky]

I there Frazier's hands may have been tied a bit but you may never know to what extent. Who brought in Freeman? Who decided go start him one game and with little prep and then never sniff the field again? Who made the decision on ponder? Was Leslie even given any latitude in decisions facing the qb position? Or were they handed down to him?

I don't know the answer but I feel there is more here than we know.

[zepman]

Who cares about Freeman...he played in one game and that was it. It's not our $$$ that was spent.

I don't blame them for taking a flyer on a guy....

[CaptainMusky]

That was just one example I was using to illustrate that I think Frazier's hands were tied. I think it was very obvious in his post game conference when he said "it was a group decision" . To me that means it wasn't his. Had it been he would have taken ownership. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying he did an exemplary job but I think there are things here outside his control.

Its like giving a 12 year old a small bucket and tell them to wash the fleet of fire trucks with the water and soap that's in it.

[zepman]

I agree. His hands were tied from the very beginning. He was, after all, given Ponder as his QB.

NO coach could have won consistantly with Ponder taking the snaps....

And....no coach moving forward will be able to win here unless the QB position is FIXED!!!!

I would cut Ponder TODAY!! He wouldn't even be a consideration for next year and I could care less what his contract is or who the next coach will be.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

Not directing this at you Zep. If I were the Vikings I would have kept Frazier as coach for at least the next two seasons.

Look at the jobs that are open right now. There are better spots to land than the Vikings. In two years they will be opening the new stadium and might have a legit young quarterback to develop. If I'm a top NFL coaching candidate, that situation is much more appealing that spending the next two years in a college stadium with a mess at quarterback and a defense that needs rebuilding.

The only benefit of taking the Viking job right now is possibly having some say in drafting a quarterback this year.

[DrJuice1980]

Ponder, Ponder, Ponder. Yeah he stunk it up but he ain't the only reason we sucked. That defense we had out there was terrible and if I recall Frazier is a defensive minded head coach. LB play sucked big time up until the end and even then it was only slightly better than than marginal, pretty much average.

[hawgchaser]

Rock,

I predict you'll be banned from posting about the Vikings for being too realistic. I don't think there will be many coaching candidates on the Vikings wish list that have any interest in risking their careers here. Little upside for an up and comer...even less for a veteran coach.

[Big Dave2]

Ponder, Ponder, Ponder. Yeah he stunk it up but he ain't the only reason we sucked. That defense we had out there was terrible and if I recall Frazier is a defensive minded head coach. LB play sucked big time up until the end and even then it was only slightly better than than marginal, pretty much average.

You have an unhealthy obsession with linebackers.

Seems funny how the team with the best QB won the division even though they also have a terrible defense.

[zepman]

Ponder, Ponder, Ponder. Yeah he stunk it up but he ain't the only reason we sucked. That defense we had out there was terrible and if I recall Frazier is a defensive minded head coach. LB play sucked big time up until the end and even then it was only slightly better than than marginal, pretty much average.

Frazier even mentioned the lack of a presence at the QB spot at his presser today...

Look at the coaches who were fired today...most are in the same situation we are concerning a QB.

It's pretty black and white....

[Scott K]

yup, black and white. They all need new MLB's

[FISHINGURU]

2013-2yrs = 2011. Thats the year 'Blunder' and 'McNubb' as you so eloquently called them, joined the Vikings. So I would say they are squarely on Ltl Ricky's shoulders. Freeman is this year. So 3 out of the 4 QBs on staff are his guys, on his GM watch.

I still say your starter for next year is Freeman with Ponder as back-up. My gut tells me that... yes that's my opinion.

Ken, Ken, Ken, check your math please, for the last time Spielman became the GM in 2012, that would be 2 yrs, the 2012 and the 2013 season, quit talking about 2011 he wasn't the GM then.

There are already reports that the team is going to go with Cassel and draft a rookie QB then get rid of Ponder and Freeman unless the new coaches think different.

[LABS4ME]

Doh!!!! Nice math... Ha! Better bone up up on them thar rithamatic skills.

Oh well you love Spielman... He's all yours and I'm glad. Hope it all works out for them... He better start locking Cassell down now so he doesn't exercise his player option. Still something rotten in Denmark with Spielman's desire to keep Freeman on the payroll as a non roster player for the entire season when he didn't have to AND he could've taken the portion of the contact they didn't pay him and use it to increase this coming year's cap.... None of that makes sense.

[zepman]

I don't think the Freeman deal has played itself out yet....

Frazier and Spielman both very uncomfortable talking about this situation since he was signed. All signs would indicate he's gone but nobodies said squat in relation to his status on the team moving forward. I wonder if Frazier hated the signing and Spielman still likes the guy...IDK??

I wonder...would we receive any compensation for him at all (draft pick)if he were to sign and play with another team next year??

[FISHINGURU]

I don't love Spielman, I just don't think he should be fired based off his 2 yrs of being GM. The drafts have been solid, none of the QB's have been his doing except Cassel and Freeman. We probably would of won the division if Cassel would of been starter this year. Seems to me this coaching staff had a nack for starting the wrong guys all season.

I think the only reason we signed Freeman is because at that time both Blunder and Cassel were injured. Would of been a nice time to find out what the man with 5 names could do but the organization must of seen enough from that guy to never want to give him a chance.

Maybe if Cassel leaves we roll with Freeman on the cheap while grooming a rookie QB. Who's to say Freeman doesn't turn out to be decent after learning the playbook and a full offseason and training camp? He might end up a pie stain but in reality it only costed the team a couple million, to us that is alot but in football that is peanuts.

We should have a real nice salary cap this season.