At least, that’s the way most Minnesota fans are going to read this little history lesson:
For those considering the Vikings a playoff contender, this week represents a severe test of Frazier’s abilities. For those with a more realistic view of this team, these losses could have been predicted. Even coaching legends lose early in their tenures.
Bill Belichick went 6-10 his first year, didn’t post a winning record until his fourth season, and didn’t win a Super Bowl title until his seventh, and then only after Tom Brady replaced injured Drew Bledsoe.
Tom Landry went 0-11-1 his first season and didn’t post a winning record until his seventh season. Chuck Noll went 1-13 his first season and didn’t post a winning record until his fourth season. Bill Walsh went 2-14 his first season, Jimmy Johnson 1-15.
Vikings history, too, suggests that becoming a head coach requires a learning curve. Norm Van Brocklin went 3-11 his first year. Bud Grant was 3-8-3. Les Steckel went 3-13, then Grant returned to go 7-9.
Mike Tice lost his first five games; Brad Childress went 6-10 his first season. Only Jerry Burns and Denny Green made immediate inroads. Burns went 9-7 in 1986 and didn’t suffer a losing record until 1990. Green assembled one of the best coaching staffs in recent NFL history — including Monte Kiffin, Tom Moore, Willie Shaw, Tyrone Willingham, John Michels, John Teerlinck and Tony Dungy — and went 11-5 after replacing Burns.
[. . .]
All those NFL coaching legends have two things in common: They lost early, and they looked much smarter after a young, future Hall of Famer started taking snaps.
