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One former NFL player believes the Buffalo Bills will face a very tough road after losing defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to a one-year sabbatical.
The team announced on February 28 that the longtime defensive coordinator would be taking a year off from coaching in 2023, and it was unclear if he would be back with the Bills if he returned in 2024.
Former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall believes this could spell doom for Buffalo, as they will be losing a respected leader who has helped the team develop a number of home-grown stars.
“It’s over for Buffalo,” Marshall said in an appearance on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast. “It’s over. I’m telling you. That defense [is] nice, [but] it’s the coach.”
Brandon Marshall Worried About Leadership Void in Buffalo
Marshall believes that Frazier was an important leader who knew how to get the most out of his players, something the Bills will be sorely missing.
“You can keep his scheme, but you can’t keep his leadership,” Marshall said. ” ‘Yo, let me go talk to this player like this, let me go meet this one where they’re at, let me challenge this one, let me cut this one.’ What are you doing? You can keep the scheme, but he ain’t there.”
Leslie Frazier will not be the Bills’ defensive coordinator in 2023 & the team addressed it at length Tuesday.
What does it all mean & what’s to come?
Here’s how I read between the lines for such a high-profile vacancy so late in the coach hiring cycle:
Under Frazier’s leadership, the Bills were able to develop a number of players into key roles, most recently sixth-round rookie cornerback Christian Benford, who moved into a starting role while Tre’Davious White was rehabbing his torn ACL.
Despite Marshall’s warning, Frazier has also faced some criticism for the shortfallings of the Bills’ defense, especially in the playoffs. The Bills have given up an average of 33.3 points per game over their last three playoff games, losing in the divisional round in each of the last two seasons.
Frazier did not reveal his reason for taking the year off, but had expressed some disappointment in recent years for being passed over for head coaching jobs. The former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings said last year that he believed he earned the shot.
“I’d be lying if I told you that I felt like it would take this long to have that opportunity come along, especially after some of the success and particularly the most recent success we’ve had in Buffalo,” Frazier said on the “AP Pro Football Podcast”. “So it’s discouraging in some ways, but you just have to be able to control what you can control. I’m going to do the very best I can and help us to have another good defense in 2022 and help the Buffalo Bills win as many games as we can and put us in a position to compete for the world championship.”
Bills Could Have Another Leader Step In
The Bills have not announced a formal plan to replace Frazier, but general manager Brandon Beane suggested that head coach Sean McDermott could take over play-calling and would be successful if he did.
“If Sean decided to take over play-calling, I’ve seen him do it for a long time [with] great success,” Beane said. “He’s gone against some great quarterbacks in his day and offensive gurus that you have to beat. So that would be great if that’s the route he feels is best for us, I’m going to support that. And [I have] full faith he would do a great job if it came to that.”
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NFL Legend Issues Ominous Prediction for Bills: ‘It’s Over’