'I'm Really Hurting!' Leslie Frazier Analyzes Buffalo Bills' Firing of Coach Ken Dorsey
Long-time NFL coach Leslie Frazier recently revealed that his offseason departure from the Buffalo Bills was largely his idea, so in that sense, this week's firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey is of a different vein.
There is nevertheless a relationship between Frazier and Dorsey that has the veteran defensive coordinator feeling for his ousted ex-colleague.
“I’m really hurting for Kenny,” Frazier said during an appearance on the “Zach Gelb Show” on CBS Sports Radio on Thursday (via the Buffalo News). “He’s a good friend of mine, and obviously, we worked together for years. It hurt me because I hate to see coaches get fired, especially during the season. That’s a hard thing.”
Frazier said he contacted Dorsey following the dismissal, which came in the wake of an embarrassing Week 10 "Monday Night Football'' loss to the Denver Broncos that dropped the Super Bowl-hopeful Bills to 5-5.
“I tried to encourage him,'' said Frazier, 64, who now does work with NFL Network. "He was in good spirits, man. He really lifted my spirits just in talking with him. He’s not down and dejected like I thought he would be.''
What was Dorsey's view of the work done here? He told Frazier, "I did everything I could to put the guys in position and we just came up short.''
Head coach Sean McDermott now turns to elevated QB coach Joe Brady to run the erratic Josh Allen-led offense.
“Putting Joe Brady in that position, it’s almost like starting over again in some ways,'' Frazier said. "I’m sure Sean was looking for ways to energize the whole team and inject some confidence. I’m not sure what the answer is.''
Frazier predicts that Dorsey, 42, who was a first-time NFL coordinator, will "land on his feet. It’s not a situation that anybody would want to be put in, but he’ll learn from this experience, and I think he’ll be a better coordinator down the line.”
