Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier had one of the better seasons for NFL coaches in 2012. He took his team from three wins to 10 wins and into the playoffs for the first time in his tenure. Frazier no doubt deserves a lot of the credit, but the truth is that his staff does as well.
The assistant staff got somewhat of a face-lift last spring, adding Alan Williams as defensive coordinator and Brendan Daly as d-line coach, and with Mike Singletary being promoted to a special assistant to the head coach.
All three of these guys helped turn around a poor Minnesota defense from 2011, into one of the most physical defenses in the NFC.
Two of the Vikings’ assistant coaches have been interviewed for head coaching positions as of late. Singletary and special teams coach Mike Priefer both interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy. However, both seem like long-shots to get the job.
Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier recently revealed that he hopes his assistant coaches don’t go anywhere:
“I mentioned earlier that our coaches did a great job getting our players ready to play every week. Barring someone getting a promotion, I’m hoping all our guys are back. They did a terrific job throughout the season.”
I’m with Frazier in that I hope all of the assistants are back next year. The point is that the formula worked almost across the board in Minnesota in 2012. With the exception of the passing game, Minnesota was prepared to go toe-to-toe with any team in the league. A big reason for that was the revamped coaching staff. Keeping all of the assistants together will only continue to benefit the team in 2013.
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