/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/28003351/20121219_kkt_ah7_473.0.jpg)
Paula Cole-Where have all the cowboys gone (via Gianluca Cafagna)
With the firing of Leslie Frazier just over a month ago and the subsequent hiring of Mike Zimmer a few weeks later, many coaches and assistants of Frazier's staff are not with the Minnesota Vikings any longer. But just where have they all gone? Do we even care? Mike Zimmer has not officially announced his coaching staff yet, but it's reasonable to assume that they are still working on filling all of the various assistant positions and positional....positions, err jobs. But in the meantime, I found it interesting to track where some of the former Vikings coaches and staff members have ended up. And over the past week or so some recent news has come out about some of the old coordinators and positional staff members. So for the curious, here's an update of where all the old coaches have gone (sources are linked).
Name |
2013 Vikings Position |
2014 Team |
2014 Position |
Leslie Frazier |
Head Coach |
Tampa Bay |
|
Bill Musgrave |
Offensive Coordinator |
Philadelphia |
|
Alan Williams |
Defensive Coordinator |
Detroit |
|
Mike Priefer |
Special Teams Coordinator |
? |
? |
Brendan Daly |
Defensive Line |
New England |
|
Jeff Davidson |
Offensive Line |
? |
? |
Craig Johnson |
Quarterbacks |
New York Giants |
|
Jimmie Johnson |
Tight Ends |
? |
? |
Fred Pagac |
Linebackers |
Buffalo |
|
James Saxon |
Running Backs |
Pittsburgh |
|
George Stewart |
Wide Receivers |
? |
? |
Joe Woods |
Defensive Backs |
Oakland |
From the looks of it, most of Leslie Frazier's old staff have already found jobs with other teams, which is kind of impressive, but also means that Zimmer is pretty much clearing the house. Of the people we have yet to hear about I would think that Jeff Davidson would have a very good chance to return as the offensive line coach, seeing as how the Vikings blocked the Atlanta Falcons from interviewing him. Before Joe Woods left Minnesota, he reported that the Vikings had plans to interview Jeff Davidson, George Stewart, Fred Pagac and Mike Priefer to remain a part of Mike Zimmer's staff as well. Fred Pagac has moved on, but a return to the Vikings looks pretty likely for the other three (depending on the fall-out from the Chris Kluwe allegations). As for Jimmie Johnson the Tight Ends coach, I've not seen any news one way or the other about him staying or leaving.
And while Mike Zimmer hasn't officially announced his staff yet, some of the major pieces are already in place. Here is what we know so far (sources linked):
Name |
Position |
Mike Zimmer |
Head Coach |
Offensive Coordinator |
|
Defensive Coordinator |
|
Mike Priefer?? |
Special Teams Coordinator |
Defensive Line |
|
Jeff Davidson?? |
Offensive Line |
Quarterbacks |
|
Jimmie Johnson?? |
Tight Ends |
? |
Linebackers |
Running Backs |
|
George Stewart?? |
Wide Receivers |
Defensive Backs |
Again, with Fred Pagac gone to Buffalo it remains to be seen who would take that position on the staff. Whoever it is will have their hands full training up one of the weaker units on defense from last season. But assuming the four names from the first list are retained, it appears the bulk of the important staff positions are falling into place. It's worth pointing out that Mike Zimmer's son, Adam Zimmer was believed to be apart of the Vikings staff, and was spotted at Senior Bowl practices with the Vikings, although the specific position he is fulfilling remains to be seen.
In any case, Vikings.com reports that Mike Zimmer's staff will be announced "soon", so hopefully the coaching carousel can finally come to a resting point. It is believed that Zimmer wants to wait until his staff is completely filled before he officially announces any moves, although as you can see above most of the major hires have already been reported. So, what say you Vikings faithful? Is the coaching staff that Zimmer is putting together an upgrade over Leslie Frazier's staff?