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          NFL Nation

          Logic suggests Frazier is not Wilf's choice

          • Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff WriterDec 30, 2010, 10:00 AM ET
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              Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. You can follow him via Twitter @SeifertESPN.
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          Let's take a stroll down Logic Lane.

          You own an NFL team and fired your head coach after a 3-7 start. Your defensive coordinator is in charge for the remainder of the season.

          That defensive coordinator has a 3-2 record as the interim head coach, having navigated three weeks of chaos caused by a stadium roof collapse. Tuesday night, that interim coach pulled a monumental upset by defeating one of the NFL's top teams.

          FrazierFrazierFour days remain before the end of the 2010 season. If you planned to promote that individual to the permanent job, wouldn't you have begun those conversations by now?

          There is no evidence that Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has done that with interim coach Leslie Frazier, who as of Wednesday afternoon said he had been told nothing about his future with the franchise. Frazier said that discussion would "hopefully come soon," but added he had never been given a timetable that outlined the process.

          In fact, Wilf did not even attend Tuesday night's 24-14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, who play a few hours from his New Jersey home. So what do these clues tell us about Wilf's plans?

          An amateur reading of the tea leaves suggests that Frazier is not Wilf's first choice to succeed Brad Childress. If Tuesday night's victory didn't sway Wilf to make an immediate move, I don't know what could.

          Frazier could improve his record to 4-2 by defeating the Detroit Lions this Sunday at Ford Field. But would Wilf truly make a long-term decision based on whether the Vikings win a meaningless Week 17 game in Detroit? I tend to doubt it.

          If Wilf were sitting on the other end of the spectrum, having already decided to hire Frazier, there would be nothing to wait for. The prudent move would be to complete contract negotiations by Sunday in order to put Frazier in the best position possible to hire the assistants he might want as they become available around the league.

          No, the most logical explanation is that Wilf plans to interview other candidates for the job. Otherwise, I can't think of a reason not to have made a move already on Frazier.

          To be clear, I have no problem if the Vikings decide to orchestrate a thorough and open-minded process that takes them through any number of viable candidates.

          Perhaps Frazier will be one, or perhaps Wilf has already crossed him off the list. But if you thought or hoped that Tuesday night's victory would seal the job for Frazier, it looks like you're going to be disappointed.