The search for the next defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings appears to be getting a bit more interesting.
According to Clark Judge of CBS Sports, the Vikings will be interviewing four different individuals for the position. They've already interviewed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach Raheem Morris, having done so yesterday. Apparently next on the agenda are Steve Spagnuolo, Mel Tucker, and Mike Singletary.
Spagnuolo is, obviously, the most intriguing name on this list. He most recently had a pretty rough stint as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams, going just 10-38 in his three seasons on the job. However, prior to that, he was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, and was the main architect of the defense that knocked off the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Tucker is a bit of an interesting story as well. He was the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns in 2008, and took the same job with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009. He was named the team's interim head coach this season after Jacksonville fired Jack Del Rio. While the Jaguars went just 5-11 this year, their problems certainly didn't appear to be related to the defense, as the Jaguars finished 11th in scoring defense in 2011, and sixth in terms of total yardage allowed/game. They were 8th in the NFL against the pass in terms of yardage allowed, and 9th against the run.
Singletary is one that we're familiar with, having been brought aboard by Leslie Frazier prior to this season to be the team's linebackers coach. However, if some of the stuff that has come to light recently about Singletary is true, I don't think there's really any chance at all that he gets the job.
Concerns about Singletary's strategic acumen followed him to Minnesota, and his approach to preparation has raised red flags. According to two sources, Singletary has left assistant Jeff Imamura in charge of some position meetings, skipped all of the Vikings' meetings the night before last month's game at Detroit to attend a wedding and has occupied himself much of the season with side projects instead of the next opponent.
Side projects? Does Singletary have a jazz band that I'm currently unaware of or something?
In any case, it appears as though Fred Pagac getting canned isn't a matter of "if," but "when." The Vikings are certainly bringing in some impressive candidates for the DC job, that's for sure.