Rock Bottom Buffalo Bills: Can Leslie Frazier Be the Savior?

Laughable? No, embarrassing. Actually humiliating doesn't even cut it. For the Buffalo Bills and their legion of fans, who endure games in arctic weather with unwavering loyalty, things could not get much worse. 

-The Bills aren't the league's perennial basement inhabitants.

-Though Buffalo isn't a dream coaching destination, there are certainly other less appealing head coaching positions.

-The city loves their football.

But for some mysterious reason, the Bills have been rejected by every candidate they've approached thus far.

What's Going On?

After cutting ties with head coach Dick Jauron, realizing they'd remain stagnant with him as their leader, the Bills organization hasn't had much to smile about.

Buddy Nix was named General Manager on the last day of an agonizing decade, and a win over the Indianapolis Colts' second team in a familiar Buffalo blizzard gave many a glimmer of hope.

With wholesale changes imminent, Bills fans were rewarded with an unfamiliar feeling of optimism about what the future may hold.

Then the offseason began.

Plenty of names were out there for the picking. Hall of Fame bound, Super Bowl winners, semi-retired veterans, and ingenious coordinators dying for a head coaching gig (or so we thought).

First, it was Mike Shanahan. Ralph Wilson Jr. said he'd be willing to hand the former Broncos coach the reins of football operations and write him an annual 10 million dollar check. Shanahan cordially, kindly, and swiftly, turned the Bills down. He's now the calling the shots in DC.

Then Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, and Brian Billick. Denied. Bills fans even rounded up enough money for a billboard pleading Cowher for his services. Close, but no cigar. Not coming to the Queen City.

Mike Holmgren turned down Buffalo. For Cleveland.

On to the coordinators. Brian Schottenheimer. Declined to even interview. Russ Grimm. Doesn't seem interested.

Most recently, in what appeared to be an act of true desperation, the Bills reportedly offered Stanford Cardinal head coach Jim Harbaugh the gig, and once again were rejected. Slap. In. The. Face.

Why?

I don't think it's the weather, New York State's taxes, or the small market.

Yeah, the Bills haven't made the playoffs in the cell-phone era, but for the the most part, coaches want to be the cornerstone of a team's turnaround. It's not that.

To be brutally honest, I really don't know what it is.

I've got some ideas, but none seem to be logical reasons for these "candidates" to be treating the Bills like a ninth-grader looking for upperclassmen girls at his first high school dance.

Is there a lack of respect for Russ Brandon because he isn't a "football guy"? Is there worry about Ralph Wilson's age? He's willing to shell out major bucks.

It's possible the big names want to inherit a winner. In that case, their lives are much easier...no worry for a tarnished legacy. 

As far as the coordinators, who usually pounce on any head coaching job, I'm stumped. No explanation. My apologies. 

Todd Haley, Steve Spagnuolo, and Jim Schwartz, all former coordinators, landed jobs with teams in much worse condition that the Bills last season. And none were begged to take the position.

That's what I don't understand.

Frazier the Savior?

The only man respectful enough to interview for the Buffalo Bills head coaching position has been Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

It's been ugly, but maybe the Bills have fallen on a candidate with limitless potential.

His speciality is defense, has a calm demeanor, and has no NFL head coaching experience. On the surface, he seems to be the square peg to Buffalo's round hole.

But digging deeper, you discover a guy that just might have what it takes to be a rather successful head coach. 

He's great friends with San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary . Granted, their sideline demeanors are polar opposites, we'd all agree that Singletary is moving the 'Niners in the right direction.

They talk on a weekly basis, share coaching philosophies, and think of each other as kin. If you're an up-and-coming coach, Singletary can definitely draw you the blueprint to first-time head coaching achievement.

He's got nearly everyone's respect around the league, both as a coach and a person. I know, I know, I know...the word "respected" was often used in describing Dick Jauron, but I'd still like to know that about my coach if I were a player.

Don't let his Tony Dungy-esque air fool you, however. He won't be giving players continual days off. They'll practice with pads, and game preparation will be held outside when deemed necessary. He's no push-over.

He's creative in his defensive schemes, though his roots are with the Tampa 2, a familiar defense in Buffalo.  

Frazier actually runs a combination of the Tampa 2 and the ultra-aggressive, blitz-happy 4-3 scheme, similar to the one laid down by Jim Johnson in Philadelphia.

That aggressiveness has been missing in Buffalo since the days of Gregg Williams (No, offense, Perry Fewell).

Lastly, and believe me, I'm considering his player's talent...he's the mastermind behind a Vikings defense that's been extremely stout since his arrival in 2007. That's obvious.

But don't forget, he coached some great Eagles and Colts secondaries as well.

Brain Dawkins learned under the tutelage of Frazier for four seasons. He was secondary coach when Bob Sanders made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2005. Frazier brought a never-before-seen swagger to a Colts defense that led to a Super Bowl title in 2006.

Some can point to the immense amount of skill he's been able to work with, but there's no doubting Frazier can assemble an amazing defense and utilize every player's full potential. 

On the flip side, there's a distinct possibility that Frazier has come across great players throughout his time as a coordinator, creating the illusion that he's got a supreme defensive mind.

He's coached many Pro Bowlers. Whether Frazier molded those players into the league's finest, or they made him the coach he is today based on pre-existing skill is debatable.

You can decide for yourself. It's an age old football question that'll probably never be answered. I say a little of both.

However, if he becomes the next head coach, and think he will, I'm buying in.

Here's why.

This isn't some one-year wonder like Jauron was. He's been successful in many of his coaching endeavours and has ingrained a winning attitude in all of his teams.

New management, with a new vision on the team's future, who will focus on combining sound drafting with an assertive free-agency period, (I hope) can give Frazier the springboard to vast accomplishment in Buffalo. The decisions upstairs are really what make or break a franchise, remember. 

Am I a Leslie Frazier fan? I guess you could say that.

Just give me someone ready to embark on the the arduous journey to bring "football" back to Buffalo. Because right now, the Bills are at rock bottom. The only place to go is up...right?