Players saddened, not surprised by Frazier firing

Some Vikings players say they were saddened but not surprised by the team's decision to fire head coach Leslie Frazier, whose tenure was marked by inconsistency.

Many players say they share the blame for the team's disappointing season, in which it won 5 of 16 regular season games.

Hired in 2007 as the team's defensive coordinator, Frazier became interim head coach during the 2010 season after the Vikings fired head coach Brad Childress. During the remainder of that season, the team won three games and lost three, a record that was enough to convince the Wilfs to name Frazier head coach for the 2011 season. But that year was a disaster, as the team only managed to win 3 games.

In 2012, the team improved its record by winning 10 games and making the playoffs. That heightened the expectations among Vikings fans this season, but they were disappointed. In several games, the Vikings led their opponents in the 4th quarter but lost in the last minute.

As Vikings players cleared out their lockers at the team's Winter Park practice facility in Eden Prairie, many said they first heard the news of Frazier's fate at the team's meeting. Veteran players like defensive end Brian Robison say firings are just part of the profession.

"It's the nature of the business we live in," Robison said. "You never want to see someone get fired -- whether it's a player, whether it's a coach, no matter who it is -- you never want to see anyone lose their job. But at the same time, what matters in this league is winning ball games. And that's just as much on the players as it the coaches and everything else. So we got to do a better job of that next year."

The news was harder to accept for 22-year-old rookie Cordarrelle Patterson.

"It's hard for me as a rookie coming in ... head coach gets fired," Patterson said. "Coach Frazier was a heck of a guy."

Patterson said he plans to keep in touch with Frazier, whom he said was like a father to him. However, Patterson, who finished second in the league for kick return yardage this season, will not have to worry about losing his job next season.

Other players, like quarterback Christian Ponder, are uncertain if they'll be Vikings next year. Ponder admitted he didn't play as well as he could this season, when Frazier benched him after several poor starts.

However, his replacements didn't do much better. Veteran Matt Cassell had more wins, but was also erratic in his play. Josh Freeman, who was acquired mid-season from Tampa Bay was sidelined after one losing effort against the New York Giants.

Ponder said poor performance by the team as a whole sealed Frazier's fate.

"Us as players know we could have done better and basically that's the cause of what happened," Ponder said. "Coach Frazier gave me a chance. I'll always be appreciative to him. Now it's kind of a wait-and-see game of who's going to be the next head coach. But we appreciate Coach Frazier and this whole staff for what they did for us. Again, it was just a disappointing year and we could have done more."

The future is also uncertain for other Vikings. Defensive back Chris Cook, who was acquitted of domestic violence charges last year and ejected from a game this year for bumping an official this season, said he'd like to return next year. Cook said Frazier helped him work through some of his troubles.

"I told him yesterday after the game I appreciate him for sticking by me and believing in me and my abilities," Cook said. "And he's a great guy. I love him to death."

Among those who were close to Frazier is all-pro defensive end Jared Allen, signed by the Vikings in 2008, the year after Frazier started as the defensive coordinator. Allen, who is at the end of his contract with the Vikings, doesn't know if he'll be with the team next season. But he said he'll stay in touch with Frazier.

"He helped me so much grow as a human being, that I'll always be thankful for that," Allen said. "I try to hold on to relationships I have off the field versus in the building. So coach Frazier will always be an important part of my life."

Vikings team officials say they will start their search for a new coach next week.