clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Leslie Frazier not giving up on Jerome Simpson despite drops

Head coach Leslie Frazier expressed his confidence in wide receiver Jerome Simpson despite having three costly drops in Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears.

Dilip Vishwanat

Jerome Simpson's disastrous season with the Minnesota Vikings continued Sunday with a number of costly drops, but head coach Leslie Frazier isn't about to give up on his wide receiver quite yet, according to Tom Pelissero of ESPN 1500.

Asked if he's losing faith in Simpson, Frazier said, "Oh, no. No. Nope. Not losing faith in Jerome."

Simpson, after a somewhat productive season with the Cincinnati Bengals, was signed by the Vikings prior to the season to provide quarterback Christian Ponder with a deep threat option. But Simpson has not been as advertised. He's missed four games with either injury or suspension, and when he is on the field, his production is severely limited. Through seven games, Simpson has only 11 receptions for 137 yards.

On Sunday, Simpson could not catch the ball. He dropped a third down pass that would have given Minnesota a first down deep in Chicago territory and dropped two more passes later in the game as well. No one was more upset with Simpson's performance Sunday than Simpson himself.

"I'm frustrated just because we lost and how bad of a game I had," Simpson said. "I don't think I've never had this many drops in a game before."

Simpson and the Vikings look to rebound and revitalize their playoff hopes next Sunday as they travel to Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers.

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.