Leslie Frazier on his aim to head coach again, the ’85 Bears D, the media game

On the latest NFL Players: Second Acts podcast, former NFL head coach and current NFL Media analyst Leslie Frazier joins Peanut and Roman on the show. When you get three DBs in one room they’re going to talk ball! The guys discuss how being a student of the game is just as important than being a great athlete. Leslie shares his coaching philosophy that made him one of the premiere defensive coaches of this era. He also talks about why he plans to pursue a head coaching job this offseason. What people may not know is that Leslie was a key member of the 1985 Chicago Bears defense – considered the greatest defense of all time – and helped the team reach Super Bowl XX. He tells the story of what happened in that game that changed his life journey and led him into the coaching profession. And he shares what it’s like to be on the media side talking football. Leslie doesn’t do many interviews, so you won’t want to miss this one.

**NOTE this the interview was recorded during the 2023 preseason

0:00 – start of show

1:09 – Leslie Frazier introduced 

2:16 – Leslie on the importance of being a student of the game

5:25 – Leslie on being part of the 1985 Bears Super Bowl-winning defense, and suffering a career-ending injury in Super Bowl XX

10:47 – Leslie on how his knee injury changed the course of his life

15:09 – Leslie on deciding to forgo an NFL return to take his first coaching job at Trinity College

23:53 – Leslie on the different dynamic of being an asst. coach vs a head coach

26:38 – Leslie on adjusting to not being a coach for the first time in nearly 40 years

28:49 – Leslie on his adjustment to being in the media

32:11 – Leslie on wanting to be a head coach again

34:45 – Leslie on his defensive philosophy

39:33 – Leslie on the personality of the ’85 Bears team

43:41 – Leslie on the origin of the Bears “Super Bowl Shuffle”

46:26 – Roman gives Leslie broadcasting advice

48:33 – Leslie on broadcasting advice he’s gotten

50:52 – Leslie on taking time to reflect on his career success

53:19 – Leslie on who is on his personal Mount Rushmore

56:18 – Leslie on balancing being critical as a broadcaster

58:32 – Leslie on being inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame

1:01:24 – Leslie on being part of the HBCU experience

1:06:24 – Leslie on his biggest college baseball highlight

1:09:42 – end of show

**NOTE: Time codes are approximate

The NFL Players: Second Acts podcast is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Radio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Ah, this is Leslie Frasier and this is the NFL
Players Second Acts Podcast. Thank you all for tuning in.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
I'm Peanut tuning and this is the NFL player Second
Acts Podcast. This is my guy Roman Harper. We gotta
go one for y'all today. You know, I think it's beautiful. Also,
let me just get all the particulars out the way,
all right. Anyway you listen to us, thank you, and
if you watch, whether you wherever it's at, wherever you
pick up your podcast Apple Podcasts, all right, Heart Radio podcast,

(00:56):
thank you as always give us a rating of review.
Click follow continue to tell a friend, to tell a friend,
to tell a friend, and we want to pick this
thing up. We got a great guest today. I'm very
very excited for who we have in the building today.
I literally just want to start the interview because I
want that we're not going to spill it all before
we ever record. So let's just cut the camera on.
Let's go, Peanut, who we got here. As a matter

(01:18):
of fact, I'm gonna tell you we got we got
coach Leslie Fraser here today. I was just telling him
how excited I am to talk to you because I
didn't know your whole complete background. I only knew you
as coach Leslie Fraser. I didn't know the player who
was and is inside Leslie Fraser.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
You can give them all the details Peanut with his resume.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
But it's just a real honor because the moment we
start talking, I get immediately back into the dB room
where I'm so comfortable. Feel like immediately I'm like, oh,
this is like I'm immediately excited because I can talk.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Ball all day long. I love it.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
It was my first love, and I immediately become passionate
when I get around on other dB guys immediately about it.
Especially when you play the position, you understand it so
much more. So let's go and let's really just dive
into it. No, I don't even think I need to
read his bio because you it makes no sense to
read the bio.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, listen, I want I want to pick up on
what Roman just said.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
That familiarity when you're around defensive backs and that that
that's like mindset. Yes, you know you feel that symmetry, man,
and I feel that. You know, when you came in
and spoke to our guys, uh in training camp. I
think it was training camp but during the season and
talk to him about taking the football away, and you
add some other good things to say as well. But
that really resonated with me because as a coach, you

(02:37):
want to take the ball away. But and then watching
you know, Roman throughout his career having success both in
Carolina and then in New Orleans, and you know you
have a chance to get some hardware as well. That
makes a difference. And you know, just just being and
your in the both of your company as a coach
and then as a former player, you have a lot

(02:58):
of respect for guys who know what it takes to
have success on the field because a lot of times
people think it's just all about being fast, being strong,
that's enough to allow you to be successful. But I
know we're talking about students of the game when I'm
talking to the both of you. Both guys spent time

(03:19):
in the film room. Both guys took notes on the
people that they were playing against. And that's what gets
me excited when I'm around other defensive backs, Guys that
understand from the neck up that matters just how high
I can jump, how fast I can run. And both
you guys exemplify that. Man. You both understood it took
more to be successful than just working out in the

(03:41):
off season. I had to spend the time in the
classroom to walk throughs miter both of you. I mean
that encourages me both as a former player and as
a coach as well.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Is it weird that I want you to coach me
right now because I feel like I can play a
game with that that speech you just gave me, Like
I feel like playing right now. It's talk going to
be a minute ago, and I was like, I like,
I still got it now. I really feel like I
still got it, Like I can go play whole season
right now. We ain't, but like two weeks away from
the season, Like I'm ready for it now what you

(04:11):
just told me, Like, let's let's go.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
I'm ready to try out for somebody to I.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Think it's so special as well as like you know,
coach talked about you. You know how much you helped
them create turnovers and things like that. I'll never forget
when Peanuts showed up with as my teammate in Carolina
my second year there, and you look up and Steve
Wilks's like, look, I don't know what it is, but
when this guy Peanut shows up, he's gonna start punching

(04:36):
at the ball, but naturally, you just got to keep running.
Just run to the ball. It's going to hit the ground.
I don't know how he does it. It just starts
to happen. Not only that, but it's the same thing
what you said, and Wilkes told me too. He's like,
but he does it, and then all of a sudden
it becomes contagious.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Running and everybody starts doing it.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
And you I didn't even know I should attempt to
punch at the ball at times that I did until
I got around him, and you feel safe, like you
know what, I should just try it, like it doesn't
hurt at all, and then all of a sudden, yeah,
it costs you nothing. And then all of a sudden
the balls is out and it becomes its attitude, and
now we're competing about it. And when you get competitive,

(05:14):
man with really good competitive people.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
Got something.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
You got something really special there, and that is what
you're talking about. And it's just really good when you
get in those great rooms. And you were in a
great room as a player as well on the eighty
five Bears, which I just didn't know. You the freaking
starting corner for the best defense of all time until
I do a deep dive in because and a lot
of times people don't remember you. And it's not because

(05:40):
you didn't put up numbers. I mean, you put up
great numbers, yet twenty picks in five years, Like who's
putting up those numbers? Right, But it's more the fact
of the injury that occurred. Your career was cut short
in the biggest game, and now when you win it,
we just cut the TV off. We're happy as Chicago Bears.

(06:00):
We don't actually think about the dead bodies that we
left out there. I'm not calling you a dead body,
but this is what happens, and this is what life is.
Can you kind of walk us through that the play call?

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Like, how did that happen? Because it didn't even count
as a flag? Yeah, yeah, it was, you know, one
of those tough moments. We try a trick play, and
I know Peanut haven't played in Chicago, is very familiar
with that team and the success of our team. We
try to trick play a reverse punt, now, Roman, this

(06:32):
is a play Peanut that we practice all year long. Yeah,
we practiced it all the time, and I was a
guy receiving it. I had returned punts in college, and
but we went like nineteen weeks man, and we never
called it. I should tell our best teams. Coach. I
used to say during the season when we practice it,
if y'all ever call that play, I'm gonna score on it. Yeah.
Then it came in in the Super Bowl. I was like, man,

(06:53):
I can't believe they call it. Now We're in the
Super Bowl. The whole scene is gone by and they
call it. So I said, okay, here we go, and uh,
I'll turn and catches the ball. And then you know,
I'm one of the guys that's out holding up and
now reverse back around and come and get the handoff.
And we were playing down in New Orleans, playing New
England and end up playing my foot in that turf

(07:16):
at the Superdome and and end up tearing my a
cl up and back. Then you know, the surgeons weren't
what they are today. Not that was a grint and injury.
But in my mind I was thinking, you know, I'm
going to be one of those guys who comes back.
I'm going to do something that that people haven't been
doing with this injury. I'm gonna I'm gonna make it

(07:37):
back and and and have a testimony behind it. And
so I go through like eighteen months of rehab man
working my tail off to get back. And so I
missed a season. And then I come to training camp
to see where I am from a physical standpoint, and
they tell me that they don't want me to start yet.

(08:00):
After we take the physical, you know, continue to rehab
your need, work on your knee, and then we'll put
you on pup and then we'll get you back out there. Well,
a few days later, our head coach, Mike Dicker calls
me in. He asked me to stop by his dorm room.
We're up in Plattsville, Wisconsin. You didn't get a chance
to right now up there, but yeah, I heard about it. Yeah. Yeah,

(08:23):
A lot of guys would probably say lucky you. Yeah,
lucky exactly right. But that's when training cameras real. Oh yeah,
two days old, nine yards. Yeah. So I come to
Coach Dicka's dorm room and in his room, Man, there
is our owner, uh, Mike mccasking yea, our general manager
at the time, you named Jerry Venissi, our team doctor,

(08:47):
our head trainer, our director of personnel, and I say
to myself, I said, man, all these guys in here
to welcome me back. This is pretty cool. You know
that was your first thought. That's my first thought. I
really bleeding that. Nothing else went to my mind. They're
just going to sit down and talk to me about
my knee and where we're what our plan is going forward.

(09:09):
And they told me that I hadn't passed the physical
and they thought it was too risky for me to
go back on that field. And I knew I hadn't
gotten my range of motion back. I knew that in
my mind, but I wasn't really ready to accept that.
I wanted to be able to get back out and
just try it. And you guys know, if you can't
sprint in the secondary, it's gonna be hard to do

(09:30):
your job. But mentally, you know, you don't want to
accept the fact that you can't pass a physical. You've
been taking physical since you were a little kid, and
now all of a sudden, you can't pass a physical.
So I told him, I said, you know what, why
don't you guys put together a waiver and I'll sign
a waver. I just want to be able to go
out there and practice and see if I can do it,

(09:50):
and they said, no, no, that's that you'd be at risk.
We're not going to take that risk. And that was
pretty much it. You know, got in my car and
took that drive from Platsfield back to my home in Chicago,
and and all these thoughts are going through my mind.
I'm only about twenty six years of age at that
time and just came off the third consecutive season and

(10:12):
leading the team in interception, so put up Yeah, but
no great numbers, So not the news I wanted to hear,
not the way I wanted my career in. So in
my mind, I'm thinking that, you know, I'm gonna work
as hard as I can and maybe come back and
play again. But uh, that that was a lot of
self reflection on that drive back to my home in Chicago.

(10:32):
But a little did I know God had a different plan, right,
and that second act that we're going to be talking about, Uh,
it's worked out really well.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
How did that? How does that injury? And we can
just get into it right now, like that that injury
kind of changed the trajectory of your life. Like let's
let's let's talk about So you're in your car, they
well back it up.

Speaker 1 (10:54):
They tell you, you.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
Know, we're not going to sign you your your range motion,
you're injured.

Speaker 1 (10:59):
We got to let you know.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
And then that entire drive back, like what's racing through
your head? You're only twenty six year old. Do you think, well,
I'm still trying to come back, or man, maybe I
need a good a job. Maybe I'll be a coach,
maybe I'll go back to school, maybe.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
I'll be a whatever.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
You know, Like what what was running through your mind?
You know once they once they told you that, because
I know, for me, my last day in an NFL building,
or at least the Bears. When when I finally got
the your cut, I walked in there, it's the general manager,
it's the head coach. And I'm like, oh, okay, I
think I know what time it is. I think defind
it and then Charles stillman, you've been a great Bear.

(11:38):
And then that was all I heard. And then from
that point on it was just wan wanh w want
wanh wanh. And I'm sitting here looking at Fox. It
Wasohn Fox and he cut me. He was just like, yeah,
we're not going to renew your contract. And I was
just like, once he said that. I didn't hear he
might have given me straight compliments, but after that I couldn't.
I was just like, well, I was like, damn, this

(11:58):
is what it feels like to get cut.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
Man.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
This feels weird. I've never been cuped before. What am
I going to do? I guess I'll just go to
my locker and clean my locker out.

Speaker 1 (12:08):
I gotta get the kids. Yeah, this is awful right now.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
But this is what they feel like in training camp
when I watch hard knocks, when the coaches get coaches cut, Like,
I had all these thoughts running through my head, and
then I was just like.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
All right, huh oh yeah, yeah, yeah, thank you. I
appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (12:22):
And then I walked out, like explain that, Like, so
they let you go and you're getting this car, Like,
explain that, and then how that how that specific injury
changed the trajectory of your life.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
Well, all those thoughts that you mentioned, you know, west
next and all those things are going through your mind,
and that's exactly what was happening to me as I
was driving. I think it maybe in a two hour drive.
So I'm just reflecting, man. And this is pre cell phone,
so it's not like you're gonna get on the cell
phone or talk to someone release. This is all yourself
in your mind. You're thinking about it. And so so

(12:57):
I get home and you know, talk my wife. Of course,
she's hurt. The news, it's big news. And and we
talk and we do do some praying together, and and
I immediately begin to think about getting back on the field.
I wanted to get back on the field. I didn't
want my career to end that way, especially when you're

(13:18):
that young and have had the success that I was having.
I think it's crazy. I did not know you put
up those numbers so and all, and this is part
of it. When I was injured, I was in the
final year of my contract. Oh man, I was like, yeah,
get it exactly right, you know the thought man. And

(13:39):
so when that injury came, I was like, man, h,
but I think the Bears organization, the mccaskey's uh and
Missus hallis who you're very from me with Missus McCaskey,
they were so good to me. H post career, you know,
even when I got back home. Like I was telling
the story when I was inducted into the Black College

(14:00):
Hall of Fame, George McCaskey flew down after leaving uh
Missus Hunt's funeral in Kansas City, flew to Atlanta the
same day to be at that ceremony. Oh, I didn't know.
And I told this story man about his parents. When
I was going through my rehab, His mom and dad

(14:22):
called me and my wife up, took us out to
dinner just to talk, just to hang out. I mean,
how many owners do that, you know, not many, because
you know, I'm in I'm in the dumps, being injured,
and you know, can't be on the field, and they
just wanted to cheer, cheer me and my wife up.
So I'm forever grateful to that family, and and and
and for what they meant to me doing that period

(14:44):
of my life. Uh. But that injury definitely changed the
trajectory of my life, of my career, my life as well,
because in my mind, I was going to go on
and have a sustainable NFL career and then retire and
go into whatever after that. But when things got cut short,
now you got to fast forward. You know, I wanted
to play. I wanted to get back on the field again.

(15:07):
So that fall that when I got home in August,
I got a letter in the mail from the president
of a small school in the suburbs of Chicago and Deerfield,
Trinity College. They were starting a football program from scratch.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
So because I'm glad you bring this up, because I
had to know when I was I'm like, hold on,
it's Nai School and it's I didn't know exactly where
it was.

Speaker 1 (15:32):
I looked it up but didn't show me the direction
the time.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
But Trinity International, And I'm like, how does he go
from playing to like the head coach? He was an assistant.
His first job as coaching was the head coach. What
was that like going to like, no, I'm at the
top of the food chain running a program and going
from player where it's like I can still show you
guys how to do it a little bit because I'm

(15:58):
young and fresh, But I really don't know what I'm
all the way doing.

Speaker 1 (16:01):
Oh yeah, that that you're You're right on about that.
I shouldn't know what I was doing learning on the run.
Yeah I wonder, oh yeah, But but for me, it
wasn't an aspiration to to be a coach. That wasn't
something I desired, you know, I'd look at coach Dicker,
I look at but around our decordinated to look at
my coaches, and I go like, man, this is a
thankless job. Those guys spend all these hours over here,

(16:24):
and you know, all they talk about is us, But
they're the ones putting this plan together.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
We're going out and executing, and they all seem mad
all the time. Yeah, it didn't seem happy at all. Yeah,
there's no life. So that was not in my mind
to be a coach. And so what I did was,
you know, I just I started exploring, just trying to
figure out what I was going to do, and I
went and visited some different businesses. I had got my

(16:48):
degree in business administration and went to visit some different
companies in Chicago just to see if that's something I
might want to do. At the same time, I was
still working on my knee, still trying to get my
range of motion, and my agent got through to Seattle
and Seattle wanted to bring me out to test my

(17:09):
need and give me a physical. So I flew to
Seattle in the month of I think it was January.
So we go from August. In between that time. That
president at Trinity International University it was Trinity College at
the time. He had not given up on trying to

(17:30):
get me to become interested in coaching, and so he
continued to call me, write me, have other people that
he knew that knew me call me. And my wife
said to me one day, she said, what would it
hurt just to go over there and just listen to
what he has to say?

Speaker 1 (17:47):
What would that hurt? And I said, okay, I'll do that.
I'll just go and hear what he has to say.
And so he described the job and what he wanted
to get accomplished by starting football at Trinity, and he
thought I was the perfect person forward and I was like, man, coaching,
I don't know. And so I recommended a friend of
mine who was coaching at Purdue Universe at the time.

(18:08):
I played linebacker forth and I thought he'd be great
for the job. And the president said to me, no,
you're the right guy for the job. Now. This is
in November, and I was like, I don't know. And
I got to go home and think about it. But
all the things he said to me they made sense,
and in my mind, I was like, if my career
was going to end, the w looked like it might end.

(18:31):
I felt like, you know, God would have something that
was unique for me to do. And this was unique
because you know, I'm twenty six years of age, a
black man at a predominant white school. They're asking me
to be the head coach, to start the program, with
no previous experience of the playing. I said, this is unique.

(18:52):
But I still wasn't ready to say yes me. So
I still wanted to play. In my heart, I wanted
to play, and so I kept working on my knee.
And then I flew out to Seattle in January and
I passed the medical. But in my mind, I knew
I didn't have my range, you know, even though I
passed that medical and they told me that they were
going to come back. I bring me back and do

(19:15):
the backpedal drills, the plan to drive, all the things
you do as a dB. That would be the next step. Well,
I get on the plane. I'm flying back to Chicago,
and on that plane, I'm just wrestling with what the
President had talked to me about about Trinity. I'm wrestling
with going back to Seattle. And I said, you know,

(19:37):
if I go back and turn this opportunity down, will
I miss you know what what I'm being called to do.
That that's what was going through my mind. So we land,
The plane lands and I get off the plane, go
to a pay phone. I call my wife up and
I tell her that I think I'm going to take
this job at Trinity, and she was she was good

(19:59):
with it. So I call my agent up. I tell him.
He was not good with it. He was like, what
are you doing. I think the GM at the time
was a guy named Mike McCartney McCormick. They have this
all set up for you. They're expecting you to come
back there and work out. And I said, I think
this is what I need to do. And he was going,

(20:19):
what's the name of the school? Why would you be
interested in doing this? Why would you? And so I
knew he wasn't going to understand. It was clear that
he wasn't going to understand. And I said, you know,
I'll just talk to you later. And I called the
president up and I told him I was going to
take the job, and that March of nineteen eighty eight
started the journey, and you know, brings me to where
I am today.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
So I think I love that story. I also want
to know, is it more of the fact do you
think looking back on it when you're on that plane
right back from Seattle. Was it like, Okay, do I
really truly am I ready to accept that I might
not be ready to play football? Was it the fear

(21:01):
of being told you know what you're you think you're good,
you passed the physical, but you're not where you used
to be. Is it that fear our own ego as
former players, because we know what it takes, like, we
know what it's like when we're at the highest level.
We've seen ourselves. We're our own worst critic. Was it
that fear or was it truly like, you know what,

(21:22):
I think, this is just the opportunity, and God tell
me I need.

Speaker 1 (21:24):
To do this. That's pretty much what it came down to,
because I if I had gotten my range in my
own mind, I probably would have taken that Seattle route.
But I knew when I was doing my workouts, I
couldn't like burst, you know, I couldn't get the person
you gotta you gotta know you man, you.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
Got the Merriman said yes today, Yes, the same same
exact thing, Like I just didn't have.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
That first step like that burst, like I felt it
right and you.

Speaker 2 (21:49):
Know yourself, you know, yeah, even though the medical Yeah,
I was fine physically, I knew in my heart.

Speaker 1 (21:56):
So I said, if I if I walk away from this,
I really feel like walking away from what God has
called me to do. To your point, and uh, and
it's probably one of the maybe the best decision ever
made in my life to to go ahead and accept
that that opportunity and now I was. It was challenging
for sure, starting the program from scratch with no previous

(22:16):
experience and all that, but UH learned a lot on
the fly. Oh man. It was a great experience for
me nine years, you know, being the head coach there
and early on, you know, we were the homecoming team
for everybody, and uh, you know, we got that turnaround
and won some conference championships, had a guy to get
drafted to the forty nine ers there. It is, so
it was, you know, we were just very very blessed there.

(22:39):
And you know, before I left, I mean they named
the field after me. So it was. It was tremendous.
Man and the president, doctor Ken Mayer, was outstanding and
he was my biggest proponent. Uh, was in my corner
throughout and just you know, helped me navigate those waters.
And what I did was I called as many of

(22:59):
my own coaches as I could and just ask questions,
you know, how do you do this? How do you
do that? And some things they had never had to
do that I was doing. I mean we had to
to get money to build a weight room and all
those things. You know, you're a fundraiser, you're a head coach. Uh,
you're out there line the fields. You know, you're hiring

(23:22):
the staff. I mean all these things and everything. You're
doing everything, everything scratching, You've never done it before. So
but it was good for me because it's helped me
throughout my coaching career some of those things I went
through at Trinity, UH to be able to see things
from a different perspective. Now, it's different when you start
off as the head coach. And so when I got

(23:42):
my first job as an assistant to someone else, that
was a challenge because I was so used to right,
what what was I wanted to know what was that? Like?

Speaker 2 (23:53):
I mean, the first time you're working under somebody else,
And how did the coaches dynamic I think is always crazy.
Saw it in Carolina all the time because Sean McDermott
naturally is a defensive back coach, but he's a defensive
coordinator and Steve Wilkes is his defensive back room. So
it's like this dynamic is always and it's like, I mean,

(24:16):
I know it's your defense, but like this is my room.
So how does that dynamic always have to play out?
In learning how to be a good teammate As a coach.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
I had to learn that. I had to learn what
servant leadership was. Yeah, and that's a great urn. Yeah.
So I was looking for that. So when I went
to the University of Illinois with Ron Turner who was
the head coach, who was a former Chicago Bear coach
as well, and he asked me to come down and
be the defensive back coach. And it's it's a story

(24:49):
behind that as well. I was just I was thirty
nine years old at you know, being at Trinity for
that period of time when when when I started at Trinity,
I didn't know if it would be lifelong, could have been,
could have been. Uh. But I got to a point
where I said, if I don't leave now, I don't

(25:09):
know if I'll ever leave. Because I had gotten really
confident that we had built the program up, we were
a good program. Now on one of the better teams
and n I uh at football after winning some conference championship,
being ranked as high as third in the nation. We've
done some good things. And but in my heart, I
was like, I think there's more. I think there's more
I can do. And and so when Ron called, I said,

(25:33):
I'm gonna give it a shot. And I and as
long as my wife was, was good with it, because
I knew once I left Trinity, because I mean, that
could be a job you can stay for the rest
of life once you leave there and get on this
this this this wheel, it's a journey now. And I
knew that from experience, just just seeing friends of mine
who were in coaching, and she was good with it.

(25:55):
Uh So I told Ron will come down. And so
when that first staff meet him and that I'm not running,
I'm sitting there listening and watching. That was just awkward.
You know, for me, it was just just an awkward feeling.
But I learned to accept my role and to support
the head coach. That was what was most important, because
that's what I needed when I was in that chair,

(26:17):
and you know, I needed to have that attitude and
and and and be that that servant leader in that role.
And I've always thought about that all throughout my times
when I've been an assistant, the importance of being a
good assistant coach and really helping that head coach to
be the best that he can possibly be.

Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yeah, so, how has it been. This is your first
offseason not coaching. I went to a game last year
and I saw Rob mary Nelly, one of the great
defensive minds in the game, great defensive defensive line coach,
and I went up to one of the suites and
the play is going, and he is literally he's looking,

(26:57):
you know, he's looking at the play. No, okay, okay,
and then he coach ain't come back, and he watched
it like he watched the entire game like he was
still he was in he was in the booth, he
was but he was in the suite.

Speaker 1 (27:08):
He was in.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
Coach Coach Eberfle was the sweet but he watched the
play would go and he leaned down, he leaned for
and put his hands on his knees. Okay, and they
huddle up. Oh they're back okay, And I just I
was just like, how you doing it? He was like, oh,
still stressing. I've been still stressing. He has no skin
in the game. But he was like, it's just it's tough,

(27:30):
and it's my first time that I'm not coaching, and
he goes on, I don't know, I don't know, but
it's I gotta give it. I just gotta give it time.
It'll get better. But like he when I say, he
was like locked in. Even in the booth, he was
like dialed all the way in. So, how has it
been for you? Well, we haven't gotten there yet, but
how do you think it'll be for you? Being you know,

(27:52):
you haven't coached. This is the first time you haven't
coached in a really long.

Speaker 1 (27:55):
Time, really long time, forty years, so you're playing and coaching,
So I'm sure it's going to be challenging. Probably similar
to Rod. I hope quite that extent, but I'm sure
it's going to be similar. What has helped me is,
you know, some of the things we're doing here at
the NFL Network, you know, going out to training camps,
doing the show in the studio, we could go with
the preseason. That takes my mind to a different place,

(28:17):
so I see the game from a different perspective, and
that's helped me. If I were just sitting around and
trying to keep up with what's going on in the league.
I'm sure I'd be like Rod, I'd be pulling my
hair out, going crazy, you know. But I'm able to
look at the game a little bit differently right now.
Now the regular season may be different, you know, we
haven't gotten there yet, but for now I can distion

(28:38):
to myself a little bit. You know, you do have
friends you want to pull forward in the league, but
just a different perspective when you are on this side, yeah,
versus being right in it.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
So what's been the biggest adjustment being on this side
in the media now though, being being an analyst, What's
what's been the biggest adjustment for you?

Speaker 1 (28:55):
Probably the biggest thing is when we're preparing for a
team or or teams and coaching, you're locked in on
that opponent, as you guys know, you spend so many
hours man on just getting to know that opponent for sure,
Whereas in the broadcast business, you've got to know the league,
you know. You guys know rosters from this team to

(29:17):
that team, you know, So it's totally different in that way.
You don't lock in on that opponent and get to
know them like you know yourself almost right. And so
that's that's probably been the biggest adjustment, just getting to
know the entire league because at any moment, you could
be talking about Cleveland today, you're talking about Detroit tomorrow,
or within the same conversation. So learning those different rosters

(29:38):
and being able to communicate what you know.

Speaker 2 (29:40):
So a couple of years ago, I was at a
basketball game and it happened to be it was a
Jordan tournament, and so it was all the Jordan teams
in college and basketball, and North Carolina was there and
the former coach Roy Williams, who's been there for forever.
He literally was like your guy, Rod Marinelli. He was
He's on there and I'm s by his wife. We're

(30:01):
right there, and he's just like, he's like coaching, but
he's not coaching.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
Retired.

Speaker 2 (30:07):
Yeah, but in his mind he can't turn it off.
How hard has it been, because you you probably never
turned off. You see things you're like, oh, and you're
constantly coaching. How does it? How is like, how do
you guys ever turn it off? It's almost in your
DNA at this point, you've been doing it since you
were twenty six years old. Yeah, and so you don't

(30:28):
know any any better. How is that manageable? And is
your wife just used to it and you just just
ignores it that like when you're watching a game at
home you're not on the sidelines, Like, how do you
handle those moments? Because those are the moments when nobody's watching, right,
And I know you can't help yourself the most.

Speaker 1 (30:46):
You're exactly right. It's just it's hard to turn it off. Yeah,
because I don't think you can turn them. I don't
think any coach will turned off. Yeah. I don't think
my dad was a coach. I don't think they turned
it off at all. You saw it.

Speaker 2 (30:57):
Yeah, he's the same right now, all me and he's like,
I'm like, all right, you know, he's telling me about
on side kicks, like how.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
To block it up?

Speaker 2 (31:07):
All right, Dad, He's just he's just turn it off.
Somebody gave up when he said, it's just what you're
supposed to do and drawing it up on a paper.
I want to know how you guys, as coaches, how
do you ever get to that?

Speaker 1 (31:20):
I don't or do you never get to it? Yeah?
I don't. I'm still in the early stages. But the
guys I've talked to. They're more like your dad, more
like you know, want to talk fall all the time
and see things in a ball game, call you up
and talk about them, and that's okay. Uh, you know,
everybody has their different ways. I think it's important to
find a hobby though. I'm my son who is a

(31:43):
scott with the Ravens. He's been he's been encouraging me
to get in the golf or something something to give
you a deflection from football. So I'm going to find that.
I'm going to find a hobby and and and try
to do that and not just be so uh single
minded like I was when I was coaching. Otherwise, Man,
how do you enjoy your your time away? You know
you look at the time, you're so stressed. I don't

(32:05):
want to be like that, right.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
You've talked about it, because you still you'd like to
be a head coach.

Speaker 1 (32:10):
You give at some point I would, now, you know,
you hope that would happen. I'm taking a different route,
you know, stepping away. I have and uh, but I
really felt in my mind roaming that this was if
it was going to happen, this was the way it
would happen. Things weren't working, no matter how much success
we had in Buffalo to get in front of people

(32:32):
and talk to him about jobs. So I said, you know,
I'm getting to a point in my career where you
know that the sand is running out of the hour glass,
and UH, if I'm going to do this, this is
the time to do it. And made a decision. And
so I'm hoping that that an owner when this is
all over with, when the season's old with, UH, I'll

(32:53):
be able to get in front of an ownership group
and and talk to him about some opportunities. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (32:57):
So what coach McCarthy stepped away for you, sh and Peyton,
they stepped away four year Sean did a little bit
of broadcast kind of the media, and UH was able
to talk to the Broncos ownership.

Speaker 1 (33:10):
And landing them a gig a year later. So yeah, man, I.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
I salute you, and I hope that that we we
speak that in existence and into fruition. And I'm rooting
for you. I'd love to come to your new team
and whatever team it is, and come talk to him
about turnovers, because I know what kind of a.

Speaker 1 (33:33):
Whole all the way around and come back like, man,
look at that it's me. It is not me. I
wish the.

Speaker 2 (33:50):
One thing I'm really sad about that was, like I
wish you know, I played for Lovey Smith, another great
defensive mind, but I wish we would have been able
to like you could have been our decordinator, DV coach
or just something with with our defense because we had
some man, we had a good squad and we have
some great coaches, and I knew you would have only
blessed us even more with your defensive mind and what.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
You got the rod.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
And like I just I wish I could have been
a part or you could have been. We could have
linked up at some point in time and been a
part of a dev like it just would have been.
I thought I was a good player. I couldn't been
even a.

Speaker 1 (34:24):
Better player, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (34:25):
Like I just I wish we could have just man,
I wish I could have been blessed for you to.

Speaker 1 (34:30):
Be a part of what we was with. Well, we
don't know how this thing's gonna end, but I will
be calling both of you when the time comes, and
we will utilize your talents on a different way. I
love that we're gonna take a short break and we'll
be right back. You know, let me. I just got
a ball question.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
It is what is so, coach, this is what I've
heard about Leslie Fraser's defense and not this is my
first time Actagan to.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
Talk to you.

Speaker 2 (34:53):
I gotta ask, and so I always want to know
when you guys did a lot of stacks or trip
a bunch for ormations. I had guys that came from
your system and they said, Coach, Leslie Fraser doesn't let
us like in and out it he wants him. No,
this is your guy, you go with it. And he
didn't let him in and out. I'm like, it's so
much easier just to do that in and out.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
No banjos.

Speaker 2 (35:15):
It was like a huge because I'm a banjo guy.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Love.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
I'm a banjo guy. Love it to death, all right.
He's like no, and banjo means like me and you.
So he if me and him are working together, me
and Peanut and we're placing two guys, the first one
goes out, I got him because I'm out, and you
got the next one. If not, we're gonna lock it
and my guy goes wherever he goes. I got him,
and you got your guy. Wherever he goes. We're not banjo,

(35:42):
we're not working together. We're independent contractors. But when we
banjo everybody together, it just to me, it just seems easier.
It's flowy, it just goes. Could you expl Yes, this
was the one big time Like why does any do that?

Speaker 1 (35:56):
They're like, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
It's just coach Fraser, I've evolved that part of it.
If and I heard that too, if Buffalo you evolved
to that.

Speaker 1 (36:03):
If you if you get a tight stack, yes, it's
just easier to be in and out. Yes, however way
you want to call it. So, but one thing that
happens sometimes is when you are as you guys know,
when you're banjoin it, when you're playing it out or
whatever you call it. We both got see it the same.
Oh man, hey, hey hey, praise Like what we do?

(36:26):
What do we do? Time we lock it? Yeah, community miscommunication,
it's over lock. I got my man, You got your man,
makes it clean. That's exactly when get executed. Minute you
mess up, right, that's such a coach, I mean, was

(36:48):
your man? What was that he spoke? He's spoken? You
know these are dbs right here, this is you know
what you guys I believe would be the same way. Man,
if you see them out there struggling with the communication,
you're gonna say, how can I simplify it right place?
At the end of the day, think I don't want
us to beat ourselves. I agree, you know, if you

(37:08):
better than me, hey, congratulations, But for us to be
making minial mistakes or busting stuff, No, you got no chance,
you got no chants, you got no chance. In the back,
we lost it. I like that. I like that. I
like that's why I had to ask you. I had to.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
We started going to the boss said all, this is
what I've been hearing. All I gotta enough. I got it,
and you're right. And I heard you evolved as you
continue to progress. And this was like a big thing.
And they said, like, he's like because he knows exactly
who messed it up. If we lock it, then we
know this.

Speaker 1 (37:39):
This is one thing I learned from Buddy Ryan, who's
our decordinator in Chicago. He would do a good job.
He needed listening to the players. You know, he had
his scheme, a renowned scheme, that forty six defense. But
at the end of the day, Roman, if I came
to him and I said, okay, I don't know if
you guys for me with this name. Cliff Branch Fast

(38:00):
got a Hall of Famer Funderraiders from the Raiders, great player.
Use him as an example. We were a big press team.
So if I say to him, hey, buddy, because he's
telling me you got to handle a Cliff branch and
I'm watching tape, man, I'm saying, man, I don't know
if I can press him every down. Man, this guy
is like tough at the line, and if he gets
a step, he's gone. He's gone. I ain't gonna catch him.

(38:23):
So I say to Buddy, I said, I don't want
to press him all the time. I got to be
able to be up and back and mix it up.
What you whatever you need to do, Leslie, If that's
what you think you need to do to get get
the job done, get the job done. Man. You know
what that does for a player when the coach listens
to him. Yeah. And so I didn't want to be

(38:45):
one of those coaches who wouldn't listen. So when the
guys were said, hey, coach, this is better sometimes, and
this is why I said, Okay, that's fine, let's try it.
But just like, but it told. But if that's gonna
if that's gonna help you to do your job, that's
all right. Now. If I don't get it done, then
I got to go back and do it the way
he wants it done. Right. But he's trusting me based

(39:07):
on what I've seen on tape and knowing my abilities
as well, that he's trusting my judgment. So as a player,
that empowers me, man and make this work when you
have a coach like that, and that's that was one
of the beautiful things about playing for a guy like
Buddy is as great as he was as a coordinator.
He would listen to the players. Now at some point,
you know he's going to say, you know, we got

(39:30):
to do it this way for this reason, and then
you have to accept that. As a player, what was
it like?

Speaker 2 (39:34):
So I'm I'm kind of I've been around him just
living in Chicago, being a Chicago Bear. I've seen a
lot of the eighty five Bears, and I've heard I've
heard some stories. But the listeners and the YouTubers are
watching this channel and show right now. Give us a
couple of stories of what it was like playing with
Walter Payton, Dan Hampton.

Speaker 1 (39:56):
Do you guys.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
Before Mongo guys were so the curve, you guys had prominality.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
Yeah, you had.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
I mean I never forget because Ron Rivera was like
our two to twenty fifteen team. He's like, you guys
remind me so much of the eighty five team. He's like,
just the personality's like, you guys's biggest strength is being
who you are, Like nobody else is caring. You guys
are taking pictures on the sideline. He's like, that's your
biggest strength. He's like, being who you are, be who

(40:24):
you are. I love you for who you are to me,
That's what he's always And he was like it reminded
him so much of that team, and he would always
it was very passionate.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
He loved that team because of that.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
And you guys are so successful and you guys are
so ahead of the curve, like Peanutsan just like, give
us some great stories of that team, because you guys
are I mean, you're one of the greatest of all time.
You even won a Super Bowl since nineteen eighty five,
and the people in Chicago still treat the eighty five
Bears like.

Speaker 1 (40:50):
It happened last year.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
I keep you like, it's like what LaRoy Buller say,
it's like living on scholarship there, living on scholarship all
the time.

Speaker 1 (41:00):
Like, man, you're right, man, when you go back, when
I do, go back whenever I can. You do feel
like you're standing in time. You know, people haven't forgotten.
You know, I don't know I you know, you guys
one while you were.

Speaker 2 (41:14):
Playing, Oh my god, how are you telling I hear
it from this clown all the time. He's always making
fun of me for not winning one. He's throwing it
in my face.

Speaker 1 (41:22):
But now, we had some great personalities, man, starting with
our quarterback, you know, Jim McMahon was. He was incredible
and I think one of the one of the things
he did to endear himself to our players. Our head
coach could be really hard on players if you weren't
playing at a certain level, and Jim was one of
those guys man, who he didn't care. You know, he

(41:45):
didn't care what this coach said or that coach said.
And and some guys, as you guys know, will shrink
under pressure. But Jim, like he kind of lifted all
the pressure and said, put it on my back. And
so the players loved him for that, and you know,
he'd say things to the coaches. I can't repeat some
of the things. He's a safe man. But you be like, man,
he's talking to coaches like that, and you'd be like,

(42:07):
that's good because they deserve that the way they're talking
to us, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. But
have a teammate like that. And then you know Walter
being as great as he was, uh, the ultimate prankster,
you know, always pulling pranks. Nowhere in training camp, man,
you you're getting your rest, all of a sudden, the
fire alarm goes off. You're thinking, you know, something bad's happening,

(42:30):
and there's Walter outside when you run outside, laughing at
everybody because there's no fire alarm. There's no fire. It's
just you know, him pranking everybody. But just just some
great players. Now you mentioned Steve McMichaels. You guys know that.
U he just became a finalist Yeah yeah, which is outstanding,
and he's batting yes, yes, which is hard. And uh,

(42:52):
it was a great teammate. Having the D line that
we had. Think about the D line that we had
compared to you guys. You guys had a good D
line too, a killers Man Hall of Famers. So I
played with some guys roaming that made me look really
really good. Yeah, and Steve was one of them. He
was a great player, great person and a big personality
as well, always walking around in the locker room flexing

(43:14):
his muscles went to ug Yeah, he was a different dude.
I can't get into a lot of detail about the flexing,
but he was always showing off his body to his
teammates into the world if if the world wanted to
see it. But he was just a great teammate. But
we had guys all throughout Singletary. I mean, just a

(43:34):
lot of great players on that all Hall of famers. Yes, I.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
Got to know another thing talking about the team, that
eighty five Bears team. I had to look this up too.
It's like now, the Super Bowl shuffle, right, Chef, it was.
It was legendary. It was the first time anybody had
had their own thing. I mean, how did that come about?
And you were part of the G squad, the G Crew, right,

(44:00):
Like what was the G Crew number one? And how
did you like, how did this whole Super Bowl shuffle
thing kind of pop off?

Speaker 1 (44:06):
Yeah, So if you guys can imagine, man, you're in
the middle of the season and you're on a run.
You know, we're on this winning streak, and then one
of our teammates, Will It comes to us with this
idea about doing this video. And at the time, these
music videos were really popular MTV popular OZZ and so

(44:27):
you know, he's telling different guys about it, and he's
enlisting guys to be a part of it, and you
know you I know, for me, I was having talks
about do you really want to do this during the season.
It's putting the whole Yeah, but to the point you
guys were making earlier about the personalities on our team
rodo that we had. I mean, we knew we were

(44:48):
good and we wanted to be able to let everybody
else know that we were good. Right, But here we are,
and I think maybe week ten or week eleven where
it really kind of comes together. And then we go
down to Miami. I think we're twelven. Oh at the time.
We lose to the office on Monday Night football. Of course,
they've got this streak and we're approaching trying to, you know,

(45:09):
get this undefeated streak of theirs, and we lose the game.
We get back to Chicago maybe two three o'clock in
the morning, and the video set up for us to
go and and and do it first thing that morning,
and you know, I'm thinking about, do you really want
to do this? And I said, you know, I heard
this from Chee. I said, really, yeah, I said for me,

(45:33):
I'm gonna do it. I said I was gonna do it.
I'm gonna commit to it. Now. Some guys then get
up come down there, and but I made a commitment,
so I went down there and and glad I did.
But if you can just think back to what it
would be like for both of you during the middle
of the season to go down and shoot a video
saying that you are the best team in the National

(45:56):
Football League, and after losing, and then there nobody else
to tear it down or break it up. And you know,
we went on and won a Super Bowl. At halftime,
when I'm on the sideline with my street clothes on
after that injury, they're playing a Super Bowl shuffle and
the Dome. I'm looking at this man going like, we
haven't even won the game yet. We were big yeah,

(46:18):
and they're playing the Super Bowl. It was like being
at home in Chicago, in New Orleans, it was it
was awesome. So bears they travel well. They travel well,
They travel real well. So now that you're in we'll
fall back to the media side.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Now that you're in media, you know my guy room
he over, he does SEC Network, we do our podcast.

Speaker 1 (46:35):
He's got a whole slew of jobs that he does
via media. Rome. Give give him some tips. What do
you think you can give them tip wise?

Speaker 2 (46:45):
I think the two coaching mom, coach You know what,
Let me just take advantage.

Speaker 1 (46:50):
Yeah, co coaching mom. Are you ready? I wish I
had a pointer. I could hit the rewind button. Three.
There's two things I'd always say.

Speaker 2 (46:59):
The biggest thing is you have to be able to
do two things, and that is you have to be
able to entertain and educate. And if you can do
you have to be able to do one of those
great And if you can do too, it's a home run.
So always being able to educate, get your point across
in the right amount of time without using too many words.
Don't talk on three different topics. I would pick one

(47:19):
topic and slam it home, versus trying to hit them
with three different things. Because the average person can't maintain
that much. They just just can't. They just don't know
ball enough the way we do so simplifying in that
way and be able to deliver to the average person.
And like my mom always tell me, is like make
sure that she can understand it. So when I say
twins or you know, jet motion, just explain what that is.

(47:43):
They don't always know or RPO. She's like, what is that.
I'm like, remember I'm still watching. I'm like, all right, Mom,
I got you. So just those things and everything else
comes natural because all you do, like you're a ball guy,
Like don't ever forget that, don't try and be who
anybody else is. Just be the best version and Leslie
Frasier and obviously you have. It's worked out beautifully for

(48:04):
you your whole life, the longevity of your career has
been awesome. And getting to know you even more that
I understand why you've been in the positions and the
seat you've held because you are a ball guy.

Speaker 1 (48:17):
That's good advice. Man. I'm gonna take you up on that.
And matter of fact, my next appearance, whenever that is,
I'm gonna be calling you up for a critique. I
want to be able to get I want to go
with the critique so I can just keep progressing and
getting better and better. Yeah, he's a great pointer. What
are the what are some of the advice that you
hear back?

Speaker 2 (48:36):
And it's really hard to get critiques in this business
as well, because so often nobody wants to tell you
anything bad. And we're in this this, we're in this
space of football where I'm just a pleasant minus guy.

Speaker 1 (48:49):
Like I love getting critiqued.

Speaker 2 (48:52):
I love telling something like somebody tell me I did
a terrible job, so I know what I don't I
can't do right. It's an athlete in this And then
I love I love in the feedback. You know, Okay,
that was good, But like I don't care about the goods.
I care so much more of about the losses and
the bads, because that's when you really see true growth
is uncomfortability. And after losses, you know, when you don't

(49:14):
really change that much. You know, you have so many
bad mistakes or mental mistakes after when and you just
like what we won, like it's easy.

Speaker 1 (49:24):
But if I didn't even have that many.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
Mistakes, I made one bad play after loss, I'm like
it just it almost burns the whole building.

Speaker 1 (49:31):
Yeah, I think that's in our DNA as athletes, Like
you said, I mean, that's just we want immediate feedback.
We don't want to coach sugar coating it now and
then all of a sudden he's trying to take my
reps down. Yeah, wait a minute, man, you said, I've
been playing well or you ain't even been saying anything
to me, So no, want I want immediate feedback, to

(49:51):
be able to let me know what therection I'm going
or how I'm going, and that's how you improve, just
like you said. And so for me, the feedback has
been very positive up to this point. All the things
you mentioned a moment ago about being able to entertain
and educate, that's I've heard that a few times, that
that's that's going to be one of the keys to
being successful in this business. And that's one of the

(50:12):
reasons that I'm doing what I'm doing is because of
my background and being able to educate. But you said
it a moment ago, can you talk in a language
that the average fan can understand, but yet not dumb
it down so much that you know the fans are saying,
why would he say it that way? You know, just
being able to communicate on their level without saying jet

(50:35):
motion or t RC. You know, whatever it may be.
In RC is just over routes.

Speaker 2 (50:40):
Yet people they call it transcondinental. It's like, you know,
me a whole bunch of big highways over there with
the top three level. Yeah, yeah, I I I just
think it's so interesting when you're always talking ball. Have
you personally have you ever have you taken time to
give yourself your own flower? Like, have you had time

(51:01):
to like smell the roses, take a breath of fresh air?

Speaker 1 (51:04):
You know?

Speaker 2 (51:04):
You? You you went from playing not having it in
the way you do to accepting a coaching job, and
since then you've only coached and then now take off,
You're off, you going to a training camp or too.
You you know, you're still sniffing at it. I still
want to get back. But have you ever like taken

(51:24):
a second, like, you know what, man, Leslie Fraser is
very accomplished throughout it all. It hasn't It wasn't what
I thought it was going to be. It didn't end
the way I thought it was going to end. But man,
I look up and I'm like, I was all right,
I did pretty good. I was I was pretty dope
at my job. I did some good stuff. I think
there will be a time for reflection. I don't know

(51:46):
if I'm there yet. That's so many coaches they don't
know how. They just don't know how. They just can't
do it.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
I can't do, you know, with this new challenge of
being broadcasting, different challenge, so that kind of keeps your
mind on certain things. And then one of the things
I've done this off season is just get with some
other coaches and we'll get on a zoom and we'll
just go through some ball and talk some balls. So

(52:14):
and then my daughter got married this summer as well,
and that was a big deal, man, A big deal
just to be one day you guys get there. But
to be able to be around my daughter and hel
fiance doing this off season, which I wouldn't have been
able to do if I was coaching. I was thinking
about it the other day, so thankful that I could
participate rather than just show up at the wedding and

(52:36):
walk her down the aisle. But I was actually a
participant in some of the things that they were doing
leading up to the wedding. Now is probably the most
time that I spent with our daughter since she left
home when she was eighteen years old. And I'll never
be able to say thank you enough for that time

(52:57):
that I was able to spend this off season, which
I haven't been able to do as I mentioned before,
if I were coaching. So that alone has made me
thankful for this time. So I'm just but from a
reflection standpoint, the time would come. I've got enough things
going on right now. I don't know if this is
the time, but I don't think we're there yet.

Speaker 2 (53:19):
I respect that. I respect that. So coach, great career coaching.
You're Mount Rushmore. If you had four people to put
on it of people that have influenced you, helped you, mentoreds,
you just just important people that have had a pivotal
role in your life.

Speaker 1 (53:36):
Who would those four people be. Yeah, Number one my
grandmother who raised me and my two younger brothers. That
that is, she would have to be on that Mount Rushmore,
major influence. What you see today is a product of
my upbringing by her, and forever grateful to my grandmother.

(53:59):
One of my coaches when I was young, a gentleman
named Charles Brown, who, as a young kid growing over
without a father, he saw something in me. And you know,
from the time I was probably seven eight years of age,
he was mentoring to me and helping me to grow
as an athlete and got me introduced to baseball. I mean,

(54:24):
I was probably my first sport, and then introduced me
to football and basketball. But it all came from him
just encouraging me and keeping me from going down a
different path because he turned me to sports and you
know it, you know, helped change my life by being
able to be in sports and then having success. So

(54:45):
mister Brown would definitely be one of those two people.
And then I would have to put my wife there
with her support that she's given me. We've been married
forty one years now and shut up before the one
yeah and without yeah number for one right here. Yeah
that in there. It was a layup I had to take.

(55:09):
But without her support, she was there doing those Trinity years. Yeah,
she was the one telling you like you like you should,
like you should. She was there the whole.

Speaker 2 (55:20):
It's amazing how they're always right with that. Yeah, they're
always If we were just listening, we would just.

Speaker 1 (55:26):
Listen right right right. Uh, But she will be there
and probably my one of my high school coaches. A
guy named Robert Smith who just was very supportive when
I was in high school. And you guys, know what
it's like when you are a teenager and you're just
trying to figure things out, man, and different people pulling

(55:47):
on you when you were a star athlete, trying to
get you into some things. And and he was one
of those guys who kept me on that path, you know,
just to walk the right way. And he helped me
when I was trying to figure out college because no
one in my family ever graduated and graduated from college
or going to college. And he was talking to my
grandmother about the process and what needed to be done.

(56:09):
And he's been a supporter all the way through my
high school years until now today. So those will probably
be the people that I would put on that Mount
Rush Mortos.

Speaker 2 (56:18):
For all right, Mine is a broadcast broadcast question is
have you got to that point where you know you
can watch it whether you know the coach or the
defense that they're running, can you like tell him how
it is and be a little bit more critical. I
think that was one of the biggest things I had
to get over the hump of early was you know,

(56:39):
I mean, if if the boy, if he crapped the bed, like,
you got to call it what it is, like he
just blew it like?

Speaker 1 (56:46):
And so have you?

Speaker 2 (56:46):
Are you to that point where you're ready to be
critical on people, especially teams or coaches that you may know,
and are you ready to accept the repercussions?

Speaker 1 (56:55):
And like if.

Speaker 2 (56:56):
I'm just calling balls and strikes, are they willing? Are
you really to call all and strikes and ready for
them to accept it and for you to receive whatever
comes back.

Speaker 1 (57:05):
I think that's part of the territory in this role
it is, so you know, I have to be ready
to do that and accept the repercussions from it. As
you mentioned, I haven't gotten to that point yet. Haven't
been in a situation like that. Time will come and
try to do the right thing when the time comes.
I think there's a way to do it, but you

(57:27):
need to be able to call it like you see it.
Otherwise you know you're a fraud. So I agree. You
know you don't want to do that.

Speaker 2 (57:33):
You know want to keep Are there any broadcasters or
analysts that you watch or you've been like, Man, I
really like what this guy's doing, Like maybe I could
try and emulate or you know, this is how I
want to model my game.

Speaker 1 (57:43):
After Well, this is probably the most that I've been
able to watch other analysts because or nearly, you know,
when I was coaching anyone, when I was playing, I
didn't really want to keep up with what the media
was saying. Yeah you can't let it, Yeah yeah. I
just wouldn't want to read stuff. I didn't want to watch,

(58:05):
you know, other people what they were doing and what
they were saying. It. Just so this off season I've
had a chance to try to observe and just look
at you different people, not only here at the NFL Network,
but other networks as well. I don't know if there's
any one person I've kind of hung on to. I've
just tried to observe and listen and just see how
different people do different things and just see what I

(58:27):
could pull from that without losing my personality. That's the
way I've looked at it.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
So I know this this past I think you said
this offseason, you got inducted to the Black College Football
Hall of Fame, You went to al Corn State. You
mentioned that swack Baby shout out to the swack My
dad played at Alabama State. My mom graduated from Alabama State.
I grew up watching the Alabama State Marching Hornets my
whole life.

Speaker 1 (58:52):
Wow, I went to Alabama.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
But I grew up in the swack, baby, so I
know all about I read that. I'm a swack fanatic.
World man, small world shout out.

Speaker 1 (59:04):
I'm just kidding. What was what was that experience? Like?
Thanks for interrupting me bad? I got excited. You bring
up the swack. You see, Coach Fraser didn't get a
bad eye. He didn't. He knows what it's like. Yes, sorry,
how do you know?

Speaker 2 (59:17):
I wasn't gonna do that because I know about I
know about moms. Like they told you, ain't swacked, went
all through respect, good bro, But that's what they told him.

Speaker 1 (59:29):
Yeah, but no, it was. It was.

Speaker 2 (59:31):
It was a very humbling congratulations, that's all.

Speaker 1 (59:34):
Thank you, thank you, But it was it was humbling
when you think of all the great players that have
come from HBCUs, going back to Walter and you know,
just Slater's just so many great players, uh, you know,
Doug Williams and James Harris were there. Just to have
your name mentioned with those other great it just humbles,

(59:58):
you know, and in much respect for all those that
came before me, and you know, you feel like you've
accomplished something because now, I mean, neither are there the
people that know how hard you work and know some
of the things that you sacrifice to be the player
that you were. Much like you, guys, I mean, I mean,

(01:00:19):
people don't know the sacrifices that went into you're getting
ready to play on game day. You know, it's not
just rolling out of the bed and going out there.
So the recognition by people that look like you means
a whole lot to me, a great deal and I'm
forever grateful for that experience.

Speaker 2 (01:00:42):
Now, Coach Frazer, they actually marked you down as a
top fifteen all time player at the Alcorn State. We
all know who's number one. There's no question it's Steve. Steve, Yeah,
there's no question this guy was. It was like everybody
was it. I mean, he was throwing up the hooks
as a brother. He wasn't even at the time. So
it was like, I mean, we let we let Stephen

(01:01:02):
Yair do everything when he was at Alcore And what
does it mean?

Speaker 1 (01:01:06):
Can?

Speaker 2 (01:01:06):
I know you cannot can Why not Steve did it?

Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
You're not Stephen relaxed. Sorry.

Speaker 2 (01:01:14):
You know, like I said before, you ain't swacked right,
you know what I'm saying. So it was could you
talk about your last thing is just like the experience
of being at HBCU, what it was like playing at
Alcore and State when you played at the swack like
that was really the avenue for a lot of African
American players at the time because they still weren't getting

(01:01:35):
the love at the p w i's at the time,
especially quarterbacks or other skill positions where you kind of
like funneled.

Speaker 1 (01:01:44):
You into being a corner or whatever.

Speaker 2 (01:01:46):
But could you talk about that special relationship that you'll
probably always have being in that that length.

Speaker 1 (01:01:52):
It's a good question. I'm glad you brought that up,
because when I came out, it was right and around
when things were beginning to change. We hadn't gotten to
obviously where we are today, but it was just starting
to change it. So I went end up going over
to the Old Miss for a visit. I grew up
like fifteen minutes of Mississippi State. My first college game

(01:02:14):
to view was at Mississippi State. When I went over
to Old Miss on a visit, my high school coach
had played at Ole, miss He and Archy Man and
had played together. And I was there, man, and I
just I was like, man, something I don't. I don't.
I don't get it, you know, I just didn't. And
at that time, if you were not a starter at

(01:02:37):
some of those SEC schools, you you weren't going to
come in and be a backup. They weren't recruiting you
as a black athlete to be a backup. It just
wasn't really wasn't that. It wasn't that time. You know,
you you were more likely going to be a star player.
And it's just a different error. You know, things were

(01:02:58):
just starting to change a little bit. And well, my
one of my coaches took me to an All Corn
versus Mississippi Valley State game and All Corns recruited me.

Speaker 2 (01:03:08):
Mississi State, Missisi val Shout out to Wallam Staton, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
Yeah, to Jared Rice and those guys, I mean all
of them. So when when I go to the All
Corn Valley game and your parents can attest to this,
the atmosphere at those games different different that Howard. It
just it just hit different. The band, That's what I mean,

(01:03:34):
the Battle of the bands. All that I'm looking man,
the atmosphere, and then the way they treated me when
I was there. Uh, they treated me like I was
already a member of the team. And I went back
home and I told my grandmother that's why I wanted
to go to school, and nothing against you know, some
of the others, because I wasn't like recruited by fifty

(01:03:54):
different schools. It's just a few schools in the local area.
But just in environment, in an atmosphere just was better
for me, you know, nothing against any other place, but
in my mind, I needed to be where people kind
of wrapped arms around me. It was love.

Speaker 2 (01:04:14):
I took my daughter to a I told the story
all the time. I took my daughter to a college
visit and we went to Howard and it wouldn't it
wasn't you know.

Speaker 1 (01:04:23):
I want out to shake hands. And one of the
deans that the professor was like, come here, baby, welcome home,
welcome back to the magazine, just gave me this hug.
I was like, oh my god, yeah, thank you, Auntie. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:04:34):
I like this place. It literally felt like a different world.
And I literally I wanted to go to Howard so bad.
I bought t shirts and I was like, man, I
might have to get another degree just to say I'm
from just to say I went.

Speaker 1 (01:04:49):
To Howard just because I went. I wanted to, but
I didn't go there.

Speaker 2 (01:04:53):
But everyone I've talked to that has went to an HBCU,
they say, the love that you feel when you step
on campus.

Speaker 1 (01:05:00):
Is just it just hits different. Yeah, and that's exactly
what it was for me. And I just said, man,
this is where I need to be. This is the
environment I need to be in. And you know, you
fast forward to twenty twenty three, would I see it
in a different who knows. But at that time in
my life, this nineteen seventy six, nineteen seventy seven, it

(01:05:21):
was the right thing for me. And I'm forever grateful
for my experience at All Coin. It was it was
everything I hoped for. Man, it was a challenge. We
worked hard, just like we're all doing football, and you know,
it's just the way it was. But all the things
that came from that experience, having a chance to meet
my wife there, yeah, and the friendships that I made

(01:05:44):
that are life. Last night, I got a call just yesterday.
I played baseball and football at All Coin and got
a call just yesterday from one of my baseball teammates
about a little bit of a reunion. And I missed
all these things over the years. Yeah, every fall, you know,
I've been away. But this fall I'll get a chance
to go back and witness a game in person, which

(01:06:06):
is going to be awesome as well. But uh, to
be able to relive that experience a little bit. So Uh,
forever grateful for my time there. Uh, you know, being
able to get my degree while I was there. Uh,
the relationships that were built, Uh, the the strong bonds
man that are lifelong. Just just thankful for that period.
What was your biggest baseball highlight in college? I got

(01:06:28):
to know this. I didn't come on Tommy dropped the
ball on this one. Yeah, but a butter of mine
who is with another team in Cincinnati, I played first
base and out space. We're playing you guys probably don't
remember this name. We're playing Jackson State. They have a

(01:06:50):
guy who end up going to the major's name all Camboard. Remember,
do you guys remember the name Boston Red Sox. You's
not baseball fans then anyway, Thomas does Okay, Okay, he's
our baseball guy. He was an excellent picture for the
for the Red Sox. So we've got two out bottom
of the ninth or last inning, got a man own second,

(01:07:15):
we got to drive him home to win this game.
Game winning hit against all camboard was a big deal.
And to be able to to get to first base
and have everybody running on the field high five and
you walk oft and in the game win and run.
I mean that was a special time. No other highlights,
but that one definitely stands in my mind. Yeah. Yeah,

(01:07:36):
And you know, we end up having a good relationship
as I followed his career and Major League baseball and
then my career in pro football and we're both being
from Mississippi and playing in the Swag. Just you know,
a good relationship between the twos for sure. Yeah, yeah, man,
that's so good.

Speaker 2 (01:07:55):
Coach Man, thank you so much, man, blessing us with
your time, thank your energy, your wisdom, the words wiz.
Very very thankful man. I'm sad I didn't get to
play for you. We would have worked that Banjoe out.
I promise you, I promise you communicate it. I'm a
communication guru. That is what allowed me to play so long. Man, Peanut,

(01:08:19):
Thank you man, as always, keep bringing the energy.

Speaker 1 (01:08:22):
Dog. Thank you guys for allowing me to be here anyways.

Speaker 2 (01:08:25):
For all our listeners, viewers continue to tune in as always,
like we always ask you and tell you demand it.
Give us a five star rating, give us that review.
Hit follow anywhere you pick up your podcast or the
Apple podcasts. iHeartRadio podcasts. Continue to tell a friend to
tell a friend too, Tell a friend. We're gonna tend
to move on. We're gonna continue to hit you with
the best in what the NFL has to offer. As

(01:08:46):
far as the people we get to share these stories with,
talking about the transition, the walks of life, the spirituality
that we all get to share. Man, this fellowship, it's
like nothing else. Man, I appreciate it, I'm thankful for it,
and I'm gonna continue to bring the juice because my
man p Nut is bringing the juice is always Peanut.
Please get us out of here the right way. I'm Peanut.

(01:09:07):
That's my guy wrong. And this is Coach Frasier. Hey,
thank you all for tuning in. And this is the
NFL

Speaker 1 (01:09:14):
Player's Second Act podcast,