Eden Prairie, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Vikings have fired head coach Leslie Frazier.
Minnesota reached the playoffs last year, but regressed in 2013 with a mark of 5-10-1. The Vikings were 21-32-1 in Frazier's three-plus seasons at the helm.
"We have tremendous respect and appreciation for Leslie and what he has done for the Minnesota Vikings," said Vikings owner Zygi Wilf in a statement Monday. "He stepped in and established a strong positive culture here and he has been the consummate professional as our head coach and in this community. Making this change is difficult, but what we determined is best for the organization."
Frazier took over as interim head coach for the final six games of the 2010 season after Brad Childress was fired. The Vikings went 3-3 under Frazier as interim coach and 3-13 in his first full year before turning it around with a 10-6 mark in 2012.
However, this year's squad struggled at the quarterback position with Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel and Josh Freeman each taking turns as the starter. The defense was also a concern as the Vikings yielded a league-high 480 points this season.
"Unfortunately, we did not achieve consistent success and did not achieve the progress we expected," said Vikings general manager Rick Spielman in the club's statement. "We believe a coaching change is needed to help build a successful team moving forward."
Frazier was the Vikings' defensive coordinator prior to his promotion, and his units finished in the top-10 in defense in three of his four seasons in that position.
The Vikings were 0-7-1 on the road this season, the only NFL team without a win away from home.
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