When Tony Dungy became the Vikings defensive coordinator in 1992, he'd visit me on Friday afternoons during the season in the tiny cinderblock press room right off the Vikings locker room, and we'd chat for a half-hour about the coming game and the state of the league.

Dungy's players revered him. One Friday I asked, "How do you command the respect of professional athletes without raising your voice?"

Dungy, in his soft voice, looked me in the eye and said, "I just tell them that if they don't do what I want, I'll cut them."

It would be simplistic to say that Leslie Frazier, another soft-spoken defensive coordinator turned head coach, is another Dungy. Even though Frazier worked for Dungy in Indianapolis, Frazier often cites his time playing for Mike Ditka and working for Andy Reid as major influences on his career and coaching style.

Dungy and Frazier do have this much in common: They don't have to yell to grab their players' attention.

Frazier already has swung a velvet hammer at several players. He cut tackle Bryant McKinnie when he showed up fat for the start of training camp. He deactivated receiver Bernard Berrian last weekend for missing team meetings. He benched cornerback Cedric Griffin for a series over an undisclosed violation.

He punished them, but he did not bash them publicly.

"What we had to do this past weekend, when I sit down and talk to both of our players that are involved, is to explain that this is the right thing to do for the team," Frazier told me this week. "It's not something I wanted to do. It's not something I like to do. But in the seat that I'm in, you've got to make that decision based on what's best for the team."

When Frazier replaced Brad Childress, he vowed to get the most out of his players by forging a productive rapport with them. He's had hits and misses.

Jared Allen has returned to form as a dominant pass rusher, and Adrian Peterson has assumed more leadership responsibilities than ever. Berrian and McKinnie have been disappointments who have forced Frazier to get tough.

Is disciplining a player easier when the coach has a reputation for fairness?

"I tell you now, what you're asking, that's a big deal," Frazier said. "Because if the guy thinks it's personal, even when you bring them back, you've lost them. And then it gets back to the locker room that the coach, if something goes wrong, he's going to hold it over your head.

"I think they know that I want the best for them but that there's a line they can't cross, because then they're affecting too many other people.

"If something has to be done -- if, say, a guy is not where he needs to be physically, and that could affect the rest of the team -- then you have to say, 'I like you, but I'll see you later.' Or if there is a guy who violates a team rule, then you've got to say, 'You're going to be fined, or you're going to be deactivated,' but it can't get personal. Once it gets personal, you run the risk of affecting the team in another way, of sending the wrong message."

All of his decisions and disciplinary actions to date are prelude to the toughest decision he's faced. Frazier brought in Donovan McNabb to be his quarterback. McNabb has played poorly and has no future in the organization.

If McNabb can engineer a victory Sunday night in Chicago, he will buy himself time. If he loses, he will be 1-5 and facing a stretch of five tough games that could put the Vikings in contention for the NFL's worst record.

If McNabb can't find a way to win tonight, Frazier soon might have to bench him, effectively ending McNabb's career.

If his previous decisions are any indication, Frazier, when he believes the time is right, will make this difficult and personal decision quietly and without rancor. But he will make the decision. He knows that's what his job calls for.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon and weekdays at 2 p.m. on 1500ESPN. His Twitter name is SouhanStrib. • jsouhan@startribune.com