Dec 9, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave against the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Bears 21-14. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
With the Vikings at 9 wins for the season you can be assured that Leslie Frazier will be returning for 2013. In fact there is even talk of Frazier being up for coach of the year at this point. Lots of people don’t like Frazier, but the truth is, he kept a steady hand on the controls through some pretty turbulent times and now the team is coming back. Frazier will probably get an extension and he probably deserves it considering the mess he inherited after the way things fell apart in 2010.
So don’t worry, Frazier will be back. But that doesn’t mean his whole staff will be back. In fact there are rumblings right now that a shake-up is in order for the Vikings. The man on his way out would be Bill Musgrave. This from Jason La Canfora:
"It’s been a dream season for the Vikings, and running back Adrian Peterson, but Minnesota’s offense has been tough to watch. Quarterback Christian Ponder has not made strides, and with such a powerful running game it’s been shocking to see the lack of explosive plays or vertical play-action threats it should trigger. Head coach Leslie Frazier has been advised by some to find a new coordinator even if AP breaks the rushing record, and I’d be very surprised if Ponder does not have a different voice in his ear come 2013."
As I suggested in an earlier post this year, Musgrave’s survival on this team is clearly tied to Ponder’s growth. And if the organization sees a lack of development from Ponder? The blame will fall firmly on Musgrave. It’s not about his playcalling. I actually think he’s done a decent job keeping the offense chugging despite the personnel issues this year. It’s about Ponder and Ponder only. La Canfora says flat out that Frazier is being told to dump Musgrave. We’ll see if Frazier remains loyal to the man he brought in or takes that advice and seeks a new OC for 2013. I know a lot of fans will be happy if Musgrave gets dumped. Maybe Ponder will be too, who knows?
Like The Viking Age on Facebook.
Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.
Get the all-new FanSided iPhone app.
Want to blog about the Vikings? Fill out the blogger application and join the team. Serious homers, negative types, tape wonks and general wack-jobs all welcome.