‘He knows how to galvanize people’: If Bears set out on a coaching search next month, Leslie Frazier should be on the radar
CHICAGO — The morning after one of his team’s most spirit-shaking losses as Minnesota Vikings coach, Leslie Frazier gathered his staff and later his players with a message of reassurance. The previous afternoon — in Week 13 of the 2012 season — the Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers, 23-14, at Lambeau Field. They squandered 210 rushing yards from Adrian Peterson. Quarterback Christian Ponder threw two interceptions and went seven consecutive possessions without a completion. The defense allowed 435 total yards.
The Vikings had lost five times in seven games. A 4-1 start was slipping away — quickly. Yet on the first Monday of December, Frazier greeted his team with enthusiasm.
“You watch,” he said. “We’re getting ready to take off.”
That forecast seemed incongruent with the recent results. But Frazier knew the chemistry that team had. He had seen their resolve and commitment through difficult moments.
Frazier knew playoff DNA when he saw it. He won a Super Bowl as a player with the Chicago Bears in 1985
