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Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Minnesota Vikings and why.

As the Vikings' interim coach in 2010, Leslie Frazier won three games and lost three games. Promoted to the permanent job shortly thereafter, Frazier was part of a 3-13 disaster in 2011 that prompted an organizational shift in power to general manager Rick Spielman and a significant overhaul of the roster.

So in sum, Frazier has a 6-16 record, is entering the second year of a three-year contract and will be asked to compete with a roster that is at least a year away from legitimate contention. Playing in arguably the NFL's toughest division, he'll have a second-year quarterback in Christian Ponder, three new starters on the offensive line, a rookie place-kicker and first-time starters down the middle of his defense -- at nose tackle, middle linebacker and possibly both safety positions.

Oh, and Frazier's best player -- tailback Adrian Peterson -- is recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last December. Peterson insists he will be ready for the opening of the season, but the Vikings' medical staff has refused to confirm that timetable.

Frazier is a good person and a good coach, but that's a challenging series of obstacles for someone hoping to make it to a third season. At 6-16, the honeymoon period of his tenure is over. If nothing else, he'll be undermanned as he attempts to steer the team toward more victories.

My trip to the NFL owners meetings last month included a chance encounter with an NFL executive. We discussed the state of what has become a highly competitive and interesting division from a league perspective, given the Green Bay Packers' recent success, the Detroit Lions' explosive offense and the Chicago Bears' flurry of offseason improvements.

And then we got to the Minnesota Vikings.

"Big year for Leslie Frazier," the executive said. "Big year."

That perspective caught me by surprise, given that Frazier has spent exactly one full season as the Vikings' permanent head coach. But Frazier is also entering what reportedly is the final fully guaranteed year of his contract, and the long-term approach the Vikings have taken toward building their roster provides a substantial challenge to a coach with limited job security.

That's a nice way of saying Frazier probably needs to do a lot better in 2012 than the 3-13 record he produced last year, but with a roster that won't be constructed to support a quick turnaround. It's an unfortunate collection of circumstances that Frazier is only partially to blame for, but when viewed in the big picture, you can understand why the executive sees 2012 as a pressure point for his career.

(My friend Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com made a similar point last week.)

When the Vikings promoted Rick Spielman to general manager in January, Frazier said the move "should help me tremendously." Generally speaking, working for a good general manager is a healthy situation for any coach.

But since that point, the Vikings have dismantled their offensive line by releasing both starting guards and making plans to shift left tackle Charlie Johnson inside. They've given young quarterback Christian Ponder one more established playmaker, tight end John Carlson, but otherwise left their offensive skill positions untouched in free agency. They've bid farewell to their nose tackle and middle linebacker, tapping longtime backups as the likely successor in each role, and left untouched two safety positions that ended 2011 in shambles.

Spielman has made no secret of his intention: To get younger, to find blue-chip players in the draft and to supplement with complementary players in free agency. That's a sound philosophy for building long-term success, but it sure doesn't work in favor of a coach whose career record is now 6-16.

Take a look at the chart. A little more than half of the NFL's coaches (18 of 32) have reached a third full season in their jobs. Only four of them made it without the benefit of at least one non-losing season in their first two. And the only two who didn't demonstrate progress were the Washington Redskins' Mike Shanahan and the Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll, both of whom carried enough celebrity status -- and not to mention huge financial investments -- to be all but assured of a third season from the moment they arrived.

But consider the Vikings' placement in the NFC North, which put three teams among the top 10 in ESPN.com's most recent Power Rankings. Remember that they will be starting Ponder, who is in the midst of his first NFL offseason. Ponder will play behind a rebuilt offensive line, with a set of receivers who will either be underwhelming or inexperienced or both.

In a best-case scenario, tailback Adrian Peterson (knee) will resume football activities shortly before the season begins. And in a division that includes star quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler, it's worth noting the Vikings' historically poor pass defense hasn't been enhanced this offseason with a single defensive back who could be considered a starter. (Perhaps that sentence will need editing after the draft.)

Does that seem like a collection of circumstances favorable to a coach demonstrating significant progress in 2012? Not particularly, no.

To be clear, I don't think the Vikings are in an inappropriate spot as a franchise. This has been coming since the moment they failed to reach the Super Bowl in 2009. It's just poor timing for Frazier.

The best time to make these kinds of difficult decisions is in the first year of a coach's tenure. You take the resulting lumps when your job is most secure, and then presumably demonstrate steady progress thereafter. The Vikings lost 13 of 16 games last season in a misguided attempt to push an aging roster toward one final playoff berth. It was a lost year in every way, and only now do they face a the proverbial bottoming-out. I don't want to say Leslie Frazier is set up to fail, but the deck seems stacked against him.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- If the nose tackle and middle linebacker represent the gut of a defense, then it's safe to say the Minnesota Vikings have signed themselves up for plastic surgery this season.

(Too much? I liked it. Come on. Lighten up.)

The takeaway from my time with Vikings coach Leslie Frazier on Wednesday morning was that he will have a new starting nose tackle in 2012 and is close to deciding on his next middle linebacker. Fifth-year player Letroy Guion will replace the released Remi Ayodele at nose tackle, while Frazier indicated that Jasper Brinkley is his top choice to start at middle linebacker.

Both players are longtime backups and draft choices of newly promoted general manager Rick Spielman, and their anticipated ascension is a reasonable illustration of how Spielman hopes to run the franchise.

Guion was a fifth-round pick in 2008 and has started three games over four seasons since then. His newly-prominent role became clear when the Vikings signed him to a three-year contract earlier this month that will pay him $2.5 million. Ayodele was subsequently released.

"We want him to be the starting nose tackle," Frazier said.

Brinkley, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick a year after the Vikings selected Guion. He was the backup to starter E.J. Henderson in 2009 and 2010, starting six games after Henderson's broken leg in 2009, but missed all of 2011 because of a hip injury.

"We believe he is healthy now," Frazier said. "And he has started for us when E.J. was injured in the past. We think he is capable of doing it. We just haven't had him do it for 16 weeks. But we think he's about ready to take that role. We'll determine that in the weeks and months to come."

Doctors have cleared Brinkley for all football activities, and if there was any hesitation in Frazier's response, it should be attributed to the universal NFL caveat at this time of year. The Vikings have 10 draft picks, including seven of the top 138, and a starting-caliber middle linebacker could be a target.

Absent that event, however, the chances seem high that Brinkley will team with Erin Henderson and Chad Greenway to form the Vikings' 2012 trio of linebackers. During that 2009 stretch, Brinkley proved to be a physical run-stopper who is most likely not going to be on the field in nickel situations.

Again, everything could change after the draft. But regardless of the ingredients, it seems likely the Vikings will have a new defensive gut in 2012.

You've probably heard by now that a jury has found Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook not guilty on all charges related to a domestic incident last October. The NFL could still levy a penalty under its personal conduct policy, but Thursday's verdict means that Cook almost certainly will remain with the team.

*UPDATE: An NFL spokesman said the NFL does not expect to assess discipline.

Cook hasn't played or practiced since the incident with his girlfriend, which resulted in charges of felony strangulation and third-degree assault. The woman, Chantel Baker, later recanted her story and testified that Cook did not strangle her during an early morning altercation at his Minnesota home.

The Vikings suspended him without pay for two weeks, then sent him home for the rest of the season, with pay, while the legal process played out. Coach Leslie Frazier said that Cook's future with the team was tied to the outcome of his trial, the basis of our assumption that Cook won't be released.

Cook was probably the Vikings' best cornerback during the portion of the season he played in 2011, and he would enter 2012 as a likely starter. If the team offers any comment, we'll pass it along.

We don't typically provide a blow-by-blow of every college pro day, but it's worth noting that at least half of the NFC North's head coaches were in Stillwater, Okla., for Oklahoma State's pro day.

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith and Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier were both on hand and saw prize receiver Justin Blackmon work out, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Blackmon did not disappoint, running what Thomas reported was an official 4.46 in the 40-yard dash and also hitting 35 inches on the vertical leap.

Both teams have clear needs for a big receiver, but you would think neither team will draft him in their current first-round spots.

The Vikings are situated at No. 3, where you would think they will draft USC left tackle Matt Kalil or else trade down on the off chance that Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III isn't taken at No. 2. The Bears, meanwhile, are in the No. 19 slot and would very likely have to trade up to get him.

INDIANAPOLIS -- On Thursday, we noted that the Minnesota Vikings have had some internal discussions about moving veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield to safety. General manager Rick Spielman said the decision ultimately lies with the coaching staff, and so it's worth noting that coach Leslie Frazier put the kibosh on that idea during a discussion with reporters here at the NFL combine.

Frazier stopped short of saying that Winfield will be a starting cornerback for him in 2012, but he did say: "I still see him playing the nickel corner, maybe some outside. I know I've been asked before about maybe safety. I don't really see him at that position but still playing the nickel corner, playing the corner position."

Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press noted that the Vikings have also had internal discussions about moving cornerback Cedric Griffin to safety. Griffin has appeared to be a candidate for release before free agency begins March 13, but Frazier said the team has made no decisions on his future.

Ultimately, it appears the Vikings are spending a good portion of their time at the combine focusing on so-called "tweener" safety/cornerbacks who provide depth at both positions in the NFL. Typically, those players are tall college cornerbacks who don't have the coverage skills to play cornerback at this level but would be above-average pass defenders relative to the safety position.

Current Vikings safety Mistral Raymond fell into that category during the 2011 draft. According to ESPN analyst Mel Kiper , the top two safeties available in the draft are Alabama's Mark Barron and Notre Dame's Harrison Smith.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The only football player more popular than the backup quarterback on an NFL team is a backup quarterback so dynamic that fans want to see him play receiver, running back and return kicks as well. That probably explains why Joe Webb is always trending among Minnesota Vikings fans. If that's the case, I'm afraid it's time for everyone to come back to Earth.

Speaking to reporters Friday at the NFL combine, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier indicated the time for experimenting with Webb is over. The team plans to abandon its vision of him as a multi-positional player and focus on him at quarterback. "We want to give him the best chance to really fulfill his potential as a quarterback," Frazier said.

Frazier made clear that he isn't gearing up a competition between Webb and starter Christian Ponder. Rather, the Vikings think Webb can be a "viable No. 2" quarterback and want him to be as prepared as possible if an injury forces Ponder out of a game.

"In our league you need to have a solid backup quarterback," Frazier said. "You saw some of the injuries Christian suffered in the games he had [in 2011]. Joe coming in really was a plus for us. We're going to need that. Hopefully Christian can avoid injuries, but having Joe as a backup is good for the football team."

That is certainly the case if Ponder has another season like 2011, when injuries forced him from two games and limited him in several others. But to play devil's advocate, what if Ponder stays on the field all season? Wouldn't the Vikings have missed an opportunity to get a playmaker on the field elsewhere?

Frazier laughed when I asked that question Friday and suggested he would be happy to revisit the decision if it comes to that.

"That would be a great scenario," Frazier said. "Christian takes off and becomes a Pro Bowl player and you deal with whatever you have to deal from there. But Joe is such a talented guy. In our league, you need a talented backup quarterback. You're just one injury away from having to play with your backup. Joe is to me an outstanding guy in that role."

I don't see Frazier's decision as a sign of middling support for Ponder, but rather a realization of what we've discussed for more than a year about Webb. It takes practice time and a certain level of commitment to develop the kind of player the Vikings wanted Webb to be. Working on those skills while also serving as the backup quarterback proved a bloated workload. The Vikings needed to make a choice, one way or the other, and now they have.

INDIANAPOLIS -- There is little doubt that the Minnesota Vikings will overhaul their secondary after finishing 2011 with one of the worst pass defenses in NFL history. One aspect that we haven't discussed: How will that process impact veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield?

I posed that question Thursday to Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, specifically asking if he envisioned Winfield -- who turns 35 in June -- moving to safety. Winfield has always been a sure tackler and excellent run-supporter, making a safety transition seem logical at least on paper.

Spielman's answer was revealing and suggested the Vikings are at least planning for a time in the near future when Winfield isn't one of their starting cornerbacks.

"We've talked about [moving him to safety] a little bit," Spielman said during a break in the NFL combine. "But we still feel that he has the quickness and effective style of play to be an effective [nickel] as well. Antoine has been a very smart player, been a great player for us since he's come in, but also you have the age concerns a little bit and the durability concerns which is normal for a player of his age."

Where will Winfield play in 2012? All options seem to be on the table, especially at this time of year when the Vikings have neither signed a free agent nor drafted a single player. Shifting Winfield's position would be a lot easier if the Vikings acquire a few starting-quality cornerbacks this offseason. Winfield could be their nickelback, working primarily in the slot in three- or four-receiver sets. He could be a pure safety, or he could be a hybrid safety that slides into the nickel on passing downs.

Asked about those possibilities, Spielman said: "I think that's something more that the coaches have to determine. They have to figure out how to utilize everybody's skill set to get the best ability out of them."

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier is scheduled to speak with reporters Friday. Winfield has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL during his 13-year career, but it's only fair to note his age and the fact that two of his past three seasons have been shortened by injuries. This time comes for every player. For Winfield, it's just a matter of whether it happens in 2012 or later.

"I just think as guys get older his role changes," Spielman said. "And Antoine is still an excellent football player. What that role is yet to be determined. That's what the coaches do."

We're going to get some mileage out of the research I did, and had forwarded to me, for our 2011 All-NFC North team. The first installment is left over from the debate that ultimately led me to choose Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson over the Minnesota Vikings' Percy Harvin.

I checked out their playing time as part of comparing their production. As it turned out, Nelson and Harvin were on the field for almost exactly the same amount of time. Nelson played 609 snaps and Harvin 605. (All numbers in this post exclude penalties, which means they vary slightly from the figures we've used during the season.) The percentages of their team's total snaps were close as well: 58.9 for Nelson and 58.4 for Harvin.

That makes sense for Nelson, who was part of the NFL's deepest receiving corps. But I have a hard time understanding how Harvin -- by far the Vikings' best receiver in 2011 and one of their few playmakers -- was on the sideline for more than 40 percent of a mostly punchless team's snaps.

Across the NFL, 54 receivers played a higher percentage of their team's snaps than Harvin did. That includes teammate Devin Aromashodu, who eventually stepped into the starting lineup after Bernard Berrian's departure and Michael Jenkins' injury. Aromashodu caught 26 passes while playing on 674 snaps, 69 more than Harvin. (Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe led Vikings pass-catchers by playing 76.1 percent of the team's snaps.)

I think we all assumed that Harvin would be the Vikings' No. 1 receiver, and it was immediately surprising when he played about half of the snaps in the Vikings' first two games. At the time, coach Leslie Frazier said: "We have certain packages where we want to feature him, and not necessarily overuse him, but use him to help our football team."

Many of us dropped the issue given Harvin's season-long productivity, but in the end the Vikings finished the season with the NFL's fifth-fewest passing yards while their best receiver was on the sideline for 41.6 percent of their plays. That's hard to defend.

On the other hand, it's possible the Vikings believed Harvin would be more effective with managed snaps. He did, after all, catch a career-high 87 passes while rushing for 345 yards out of the backfield. The Vikings also had him as their primary kickoff returner on 30 of the kickoffs they faced.

Frazier denied during the season that his playing-time plan for Harvin was related to his migraine history, but it's worth noting that Harvin had no reported issues this season. Did the limited contact contribute to that? Assuming Frazier was being truthful, the two events were coincidental.

Regardless, in the big picture Harvin is too young to be on a pitch count. He won't turn 24 until May. It's true that he was managing a rib injury late in the season, but that doesn't account for 431 plays on the sideline. There is every reason to believe that Harvin could and should play at least as much as the No. 1 or No. 2 receivers on other teams.

For context, here are the NFC North receivers who played a higher percentage of snaps than Harvin in 2011:

• Calvin Johnson: 93.2
• Nate Burleson: 87.1
• Aromashodu: 65.1
• Titus Young: 63.1
• Greg Jennings: 62.2
• Roy Williams: 59.6
• Nelson: 58.9

Consider that Jennings played more snaps in 12 1/2 games before suffering a knee injury than Harvin did in 16. In the end, Harvin had the best year of his career when playing limited snaps. The Vikings must spend part of this offseason deciding if that was the reason, or if they artificially capped his production by overcompensating on his playing time.

A few thoughts after listening in on conference calls with Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and his new defensive coordinator, Alan Williams:

• Frazier said Williams will bring some "new energy" and "fresh ideas" to the defense, but it's clear the Vikings aren't changing the fundamental approach they have taken for the past six seasons. Williams and Frazier are both former assistants to Tony Dungy, who popularized the Tampa-2 scheme the Vikings now use. "We are going to keep a lot of the same principles in place," Frazier said. "… I did think a little bit about some other options that were available, but after evaluating our season and looking at our history on defense, we didn't want to get too far away from the things that have let us be successful here in the past." At this point, it would be a stunner if the Vikings shift to a 3-4, as they reportedly were contemplating.
• Williams has never been a defensive coordinator, and Frazier will take more of a hands-on approach to the defense -- at least initially -- while Williams grows into the role. Frazier stopped short of saying who would call the defensive signals in Week 1, but he made clear he doesn't want to be a head coach/defensive coordinator. "Some guys can do that," Frazier said. "I don't think I can. But I do want to be involved early."
• In a situation that is unusual, to say the least, Frazier said that former defensive coordinator Fred Pagac has agreed to return to coach linebackers along with current linebackers coach Mike Singletary. Frazier was not specific about roles or titles, but said that both Pagac and Singletary would be a part of daily linebacker meetings. I couldn't begin to explain how that will work. The Vikings are a 4-3 defense, but in nickel they play only two linebackers. Do they need two full-time veteran coaches? Asked how they would split duties, Frazier cited the need for someone to focus on sub packages.
• Frazier used the Chicago Bears' 2010 defensive shuffle two years ago as a reference point, when coordinator Bob Babich was returned to his role as linebackers coach and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli took over for Babich as coordinator. "I've seen it work before in Chicago," Frazier said. "Between Babich, Rod and [coach Lovie Smith], they made it work. As long as you have the right people, it can work. … After sitting down and talking with the guys about what I was thinking and hearing their feedback, that assured me it could work."
• The Bears analogy doesn't totally work. If Pagac is in the Babich role, moving from coordinator back to linebackers coach, then how does that account for Singletary? I have to assume Pagac is the primary linebackers coach, with Singletary serving in some kind of less-defined role that allows him to remain on staff as a trusted adviser to Frazier, a longtime friend.
• As presumed, defensive backs coach Joe Woods will remain in his current role. Except for a few quality control assignments, the Vikings' defensive staff is now set.

Just to keep you updated, the Minnesota Vikings have made it official: Former Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Alan Williams is their new defensive coordinator and Brendan Daly will take over as their defensive line coach.

A news release made no mention of former coordinator Fred Pagac, who reportedly will share duties as linebackers coach with Mike Singletary, who will also be a special assistant to the head coach. I'll withhold most comments until later Thursday, when we should hear from coach Leslie Frazier.

In general, however, I would view these moves as more of a re-shuffling than a shakeup considering the familiarity of all involved. Frazier and Williams worked together on the Colts' staff in 2005 and 2006, and both are devoted to former Colts coach Tony Dungy's Tampa-2 defense. Williams was once part of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff that included Dungy as the head coach and former Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin as the defensive backs coach.

Daly was the Vikings' assistant defensive line coach from 2006-08, the final two years under Frazier. He replaced Karl Dunbar, who was fired. It is presumed that defensive backs coach Joe Woods will return in his current role. More to come.

While we have a moment to catch our breath, I want to circle back on an underplayed moment of the Minnesota Vikings' media availability Tuesday. The promotion of general manager Rick Spielman drew most of the attention, of course, but reporters also had an opportunity to speak with coach Leslie Frazier and get his early thoughts on the 2012 season.

I asked Frazier directly if he thought it was viable to shift to a 3-4 defense, as the Vikings reportedly are contemplating. His answer was revealing on a day when the team elevated Spielman's authority above his own.

"I don't want to eliminate any possibilities at this point, but my background is 4-3," Frazier said. "I want to do what's best for our team. You do take a look at your personnel, and you determine what you do based on your personnel. You don't want to jump on the bandwagon purely because it's popular in some other city and they've had success. If it doesn't fit what you do, you better do what fits you."

Frazier can be difficult to read at times, but that sure reads like a case for the schematic status quo despite heavy scrutiny within the organization. I understand where the discussion is coming from. The Vikings finished this season with the second-highest defensive passer rating (107.6) in NFL history, and all options should be considered. But at the outset, I wonder how smart the 3-4 would be, at least for 2012 season.

Atop any list of concerns would be the impact on Jared Allen, a classic 4-3 defensive end who is already on record saying he wants no part of a 3-4. Playing outside linebacker might provide Allen some better matchups in the pass rush, but he would also have at least some coverage responsibilities and would be starting his rush from a much different angle.

Allen was the Vikings' best player in 2011 and nearly broke the NFL record for sacks in a season. Would you move your top player, and one of the league's best overall in 2011, out of position for the sake of a scheme change? I'm not sure about that.

Allen will be 30 in a few months, and you could argue that no team's long-term direction should be driven by concern for a player more than halfway through his career. If that's the case, though, the Vikings would be better off trading Allen to a 4-3 team than schematically limiting his effectiveness.

Veteran defensive lineman Kevin Williams is best suited to be an under tackle in the 4-3, but could conceivably play end in a 3-4. And it's possible that the speedy Chad Greenway could make the transition to 3-4 outside linebacker. But unless I'm missing something, there is little about the Vikings' current personnel that makes them an obvious candidate to switch.

Asked if he thinks his current personnel makes the 3-4 viable, Frazier shrugged and said: "Maybe." There wasn't a lot of conviction in his voice. Stay tuned.

» NFC Wrap-ups: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Arrow indicates direction team is trending.

Final Power Ranking: 30
Preseason Power Ranking: 20

Biggest surprise: It has never been clear why anyone thought acquiring Donovan McNabb as a stopgap starting quarterback was a good idea. All indications were that McNabb had taken a significant step back since his heyday as an annual Pro Bowler, and in truth, he had no more familiarity with the Vikings' new offense than did rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. He threw for an embarrassing 39 yards in a Week 1 loss at the San Diego Chargers, was benched after six starts and waived with five games remaining. I'm not sure the Vikings would have won more games with Ponder or Joe Webb as their Week 1 starter, but the entire episode was a failure waiting to happen. Why wasn't that obvious to everyone?

Biggest disappointment: Tailback Adrian Peterson's shredded left knee will cast a shadow over the organization for months. The Vikings have said they hope to have Peterson back on the field when the season begins, but the truth is no one can know for sure how a running back will come back from two torn knee ligaments and other assorted damage. Newly-promoted general manager Rick Spielman will have a difficult decision to make: Can the team continue to build its offense around Peterson? Does it necessitate the acquisition of a replacement or a philosophical shift? Of all their positions, running back represented the least of the Vikings' concerns at midseason. Now it's among their first priorities.

Biggest need: On a roster full of holes, no positions are more needy than defensive back and offensive line. The Vikings finished the season with Week 1 backups playing both cornerback and one safety positions, and the only incumbent who should have a decent chance to start in 2012 is veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield. Although they led the NFL with 50 sacks, the Vikings' coverage was so poor that opposing quarterbacks still compiled a 107.1 passer rating, the second-highest mark in NFL history. Meanwhile, the Vikings must find a long-term replacement for deposed left tackle Bryant McKinnie and might have to find a new left guard if Steve Hutchinson retires. The future of right guard Anthony Herrera is also up for debate.

Team MVP: Defensive end Jared Allen finished a half-sack shy of tying Michael Strahan's record for sacks in a season (22.5), along the way setting an example of how to continue playing hard despite the weight of a lost season. Runner up goes to Percy Harvin, who shed his migraine issues to become the kind of all-purpose receiver/running back the Vikings envisioned when they drafted him in 2009. He caught a team-high 87 passes and also took 52 carries, combining for 1,312 total yards and eight touchdowns.

Questionable call: Cornerback Chris Cook was arrested in October and eventually charged with strangulation and domestic abuse. In the end, the Vikings took the highly unusual path of dismissing him for the season while keeping him on the active roster and paying him game checks for the final eight games of the season. Coach Leslie Frazier said the organization wanted to give Cook a chance to get is life in order, but Frazier admitted this week that it's unclear what progress he has made. Unless he is incarcerated as a result of his upcoming trial, Cook seems likely to return to the team in training camp.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — A few comments after sitting in on the Minnesota Vikings' news conference to announce Rick Spielman's promotion to general manager:

[+] Enlarge
Jim Mone/AP PhotoRick Spielman addresses the media after he was named general manager of the Vikings on Tuesday.
• By all accounts, Spielman has acquired extensive authority — and not just a fancy title — with this move. Owner/president Mark Wilf said Spielman "will oversee all football-related activities and operations" and "all roster and personnel decisions" will be "in Rick's hands." That means Spielman will have final say over the draft, all player transactions and the composition of the 80- and 53-man rosters.
• The one check on Spielman's power is supervision of the coaching staff. He will make roster and player decisions once reserved for the head coach in the old structure, but coach Leslie Frazier will continue to report directly to owners Zygi and Mark Wilf. "Ownership will make that determination on the head coach," Spielman said. From everything I can tell, however, that's an issue of semantics. The Wilfs would be circumventing their apparent intent if they didn't listen to the advice of the man they've placed in charge of "all football-related activities." If Spielman wants to fire the head coach and/or hire a new one, I imagine the Wilfs will consent.
• Most of you aren't going to care about the new process the Vikings have for making football decisions. But here's what will interest you: Spielman emotionally and unequivocally accepted complete accountability for the successes and failures of the team going forward. "I will be held accountable for those decisions," he said. At one point, Spielman paused to collect himself before saying: "3-13 is not acceptable for our fans of the Minnesota Vikings. It's not acceptable for our ownership. It's not acceptable for this organization." For better or worse, there is no doubt about who is in charge at the team's Winter Park facility.

Podcast: Rick Spielman

Vikings GM Rick Spielman discusses the first order of business in his new position, Christian Ponder's future, Adrian Peterson's injury and more. Listen

• Spielman acknowledged his mixed record as a personnel executive with the Miami Dolphins, a tenure that ended after his promotion to general manager in 2004. He departed after the Dolphins finished 4-12 that season. "You look back through all of your experiences," Spielman said. "I'm a very big historian on seeing what happened, and the only way to me that you get better is by experiencing some of the setbacks. When you experience some of the setbacks, you really analyze why it was like that, or what did you do, or what would you do differently? So when similar situations occur going forward, you'll know how to handle them better."
• Perhaps the most tangible bi-product of the traditional structure is that it empowers the general manager to make long-term decisions. The Vikings entered the 2011 draft in desperation mode at quarterback because no one had the authority to plan for the end of Brett Favre's tenure. It would be inexcusable for a traditional general manager to act with so little regard for the future. Spielman: "It's also my responsibility as we move forward in making decisions not only to look for the short-term success on the football field, but also looking out for our long-term goals so that we can be successful year in and year out."
• I know many of you were hoping for more dramatic changes after 23 losses in the past 32 games. You see Spielman as part of the problem, not someone who deserves to be empowered with finding the solution. I understand where you're coming from. But the official approach of this blog will be to give Spielman a clean slate from this moment. It's impossible to know what he is or isn't responsible for during this tailspin. For the first time in decades, however, we have no gray area for accountability and evaluation moving forward. The clock on the Rick Spielman Era starts today.

We've had two front office moves in the NFC North literally in a matter of minutes Tuesday. The Chicago Bears relieved general manager Jerry Angelo of his duties, throwing the entire franchise into uncertainty, and then the Minnesota Vikings named Rick Spielman their general manager.

I've already offered my first-blush thoughts on the Angelo move. The significance of the Vikings' announcement on Spielman rests in the details. Namely: Does Spielman truly have ultimate authority over all football-related aspects in the organization? Or is this just bureaucratic window dressing?

Spielman has spent nearly five years as the Vikings' vice president of player personnel, part of a three-man leadership committee we've sometimes referred to as the "Triangle of Authority." Spielman ran the personnel department and had final say over the draft. The coach -- Brad Childress and later Leslie Frazier -- presided over on-field operations. Rob Brzezinski, the longtime vice president of football operations, negotiated contracts and managed the salary cap.

All three corners of the Triangle reported directly to owner Zygi Wilf, meaning big-picture and long-term decisions were required to be made as a group. The checks-and-balance theory sounds good in principle but doesn't always work in practice. In football franchises stocked with Type A personalities, it helps to know who is in charge. During Wilf's ownership tenure, that basic question has always been unanswerable.

The title change implies that Spielman is now in charge, and the Vikings issued a press release that seems to confirm it. Wilf is quoted as saying the move "establishes the leadership structure that will lead to the long term success of the Vikings." If so, that means Frazier now works for Spielman. You can call an executive a general manager if you want, but if he doesn't have the power to hire and fire the coach, then it's window dressing. So if Spielman has that power, the Vikings would operate under a single voice and navigate a streamlined vision for the first time since Jim Finks left his job as general manager in 1974.

Reasonable people can debate whether or not the committee leadership style is truly at fault for two consecutive losing seasons in Minnesota. A traditional general manager is not an upgrade unless he is a good general manager, as the Detroit Lions found out after a decade under Matt Millen. Reasonable people can also debate whether Spielman's performance merits a promotion, given the obvious roster holes that exist on this team.

We'll address those issues in the coming days and months. But at the very least, a traditional power structure would give the Vikings a clearer sense of public accountability for wins and losses. It would eliminate the need to massage internal debate to accommodate personal viewpoints and presumably allow the franchise to move more decisively to address its shortcomings. It will also put Spielman in the potentially awkward position of employing a coach he didn't hire. Stay tuned on that one.