Vikings Expected To Make Coaching Staff Announcements Today Or Tomorrow

There have been a few stories coming out of Minnesota about the Vikings coaching staff in the past few days, both in terms of potential departures and impending arrivals. Grandpa Sports tells us that Leslie Frazier wants to have his staff filled out either Monday or Tuesday, and things are still sort of fuzzy at this point.

Thankfully, there is no truth to the rumors that defensive line coach Karl Dunbar will be leaving the Vikings, as Frazier confirmed that the best defensive line coach in the NFL will remain a part of Minnesota's staff. Wide receivers coach George Stewart, who was rumored to be getting overtures from the University of Mississippi, will also be staying with Minnesota.

Where the futures of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and special teams coach Brian Murphy are concerned, I'm not sure what to make of the likelihood that either of them will be back in 2011. It doesn't sound as though Bevell is going to be the offensive coordinator, and nobody knows whether or not he'd be willing to accept a demotion to a position like quarterbacks coach. As far as Murphy, it sounds like he's on his way out the door.

Fred Pagac is going to be staying on as the defensive coordinator, as we've previously discussed, and according to Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network, Pagac's replacement as the team's linebackers coach will indeed be former Chicago Bear great and San Francisco 49er head coach Mike Singletary. Singletary had been mentioned as possibly heading to Carolina to join their new coach (and another former teammate of his) Ron Rivera, but it appears as though Singletary is coming to Minnesota after all. Good get for Minnesota, I think. . .lots of people complained about him as a head coach, but I don't recall anybody complaining about the job he was doing when he was allowed to focus solely on the linebacking corps in San Francisco.

The only name we've heard connected to the offensive coordinator job thus far has been former Broncos' head coach Josh McDaniels, but he's being wooed by the St. Louis Rams as well. Frazier's exact quote on the offensive coordinator position is

"I've got a guy in mind and I should be able to announce it Monday or Tuesday."

Just another reason to believe that the person in question isn't Bevell, because. . .well, if it was Bevell, Frazier wouldn't exactly have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to let him know, would he? I'm not sure of Frazier has spoken to anyone other than McDaniels yet, or whether he was possibly waiting to see the results of this weekend's playoff games and see who might become available.

Whoever the names may or may not be, it looks like the Leslie Frazier Era will finally get underway in earnest this week with the hiring of his coaching staff. . .and not a moment too soon.