Bills LB Von Miller Reacts to Leslie Frazier Exit: 'Is He All Right?'
Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller hasn't even been with the team a full year yet, but has clearly built some strong relationships with the teammates and staff around him in Orchard Park.
So when he surprisingly heard from Buffalo coach Sean McDermott that defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was going to be stepping away from the team for a year, which the Bills announced on Tuesday, he had an understandable reaction.
"Immediately, my question was, ‘Is he all right?'" Miller said, per The Buffalo News.
Miller and the Bills are both in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine for different reasons. Miller is looking to pick the brains of NFL executives to pursue a post-playing career role as a GM while McDermott aims to narrow down draft choices for Buffalo at pick No. 27.
But amid his new endeavors, the Frazier news took Miller's attention concerning his coordinator's health, though McDermott reassured him that Frazier's one-year absence is not health-related.
"You start to think it’s health, and (McDermott) was like, ‘No, this is not health or anything like that, he just needs to take a year off,'" Miller said. And my next question was, ‘Who's gonna call the defense?’"
Excellent question, Von.
Both McDermott and Bills general manager Brandon Beane were pressed with a similar riddle when speaking to the media at the combine on Tuesday, though no official name was provided.
Beane spoke highly of other defensive coaches on the current staff, as the Bills always have the option of hiring from within. Even McDermott is a possibility with his experience at d-coordinator.
It remains one of the sudden, yet biggest questions of Buffalo's offseason. It certainly hit Miller by surprise, who was surely looking to get back to playing under Frazier as the linebacker heals from a November ACL tear.
“I didn't see it coming,” Miller said. “He had a great year with us the last year, and he’s had several great years the whole time he's been there. So, I didn't see it coming, especially the timing of it."
It's anyone's guess when the Bills will reveal who's calling the defense next season, but getting Miller back might hardly make it matter.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
Thanks for reading our SI-powered coverage of your Buffalo Bills ... Bills Mafia!
You're a member of Bills Mafia hungry for more Buffalo coverage? Read here.
