NFL ROUNDUP | News and notes

Vikings: Stressing a team-first mentality, Leslie Frazier took over as Minnesota’s head coach and vowed a thorough examination of the roster, the staff and the scheme on both sides of the ball to get the Vikings back in the playoffs. On the day he reached a contract agreement with the organization to remove the interim tag from his title, Frazier said he believes “it’s only a matter of time” before the championship-deprived franchise wins a Super Bowl. Frazier took over on Nov. 22 when Brad Childress was fired, and the Vikings went 3-3 under the 51-year-old after a 3-7 start. “I think we’ll be able to look back at these last six weeks and say, ’You know what? That was the beginning of something special,” Frazier said Monday during his introductory news conference at Winter Park.

Jaguars: Coach Jack Del Rio’s job is safe for another year. His role as defensive play caller is over, though. Team owner Wayne Weaver talked with about 10 players Monday, then had a lengthy meeting with Del Rio. Del Rio explained what went wrong this season and outlined a plan to fix things. Weaver responded by asking Del Rio to give up control of the defense. Weaver also made it clear Del Rio needs to make the postseason in 2011 to keep his job. “If we’re not in the playoffs, it’s pretty apparent we’ll have a different coach,” Weaver said. Weaver also declined to renew contracts for Del Rio’s assistant coaches, meaning they will be on one-year deals in 2011.

Texans: Houston is sticking with coach Gary Kubiak. The Texans said Monday that Kubiak will return next season, despite another lackluster year that ended without a playoff berth. But the team made wholesale defensive staff changes, firing coordinator Frank Bush, secondary coach David Gibbs, linebackers coach Johnny Holland and assistant linebackers coach Robert Saleh. The Texans (6-10) lost eight of their last 10 games, mostly due to a defense that gave up a league-high 4,280 yards passing along with 33 touchdown passes, tied with Dallas for the most. The Texans are 37-43 in his five seasons, and the franchise is still seeking its first playoff appearance.

Associated Press