If things had worked out the way Leslie Frazier had hoped, he wouldn’t have been on a Zoom call with the Buffalo media late Wednesday morning.

Instead, the Bills defensive coordinator would be preparing for his first season as head coach of the Houston Texans.

Indeed, he was so convinced of getting his second head coaching job — he logged three seasons as Vikings boss — that he’d begun assembling a staff.

Instead, the Texans’ front office gave the job to David Culley.

As it turns out, it was the best job Frazier never got.

Shortly after Culley was hired, nearly two dozen women charged Pro Bowl quarterback DeSean Watson with sexual abuse/harrassment. Having already sought a trade, Houston’s QB became toxic and is likely facing an NFL suspension, leaving him in limbo with the team. Suddenly, the Texans have become one of the league’s most dysfunctional franchises.

Naturally, during yesterday’s video call, Frazier was asked about his situation.

“I’M EXCITED about being back with our guys, but I’m not going to lie to you,” the 61-year-old former Bears defensive back said. “I would like the opportunity to be a head coach.

“(But) it didn’t happen, so you turn the page and focus on the task at hand. I’m excited about our players and what we have going here … what we’ve established over the last four seasons. I’m looking forward to 2021.”

Of the Covid-ravaged 2020 season, when the Bills won the AFC East, went 13-3 and lost the AFC Championship Game to the Chiefs in Kansas City, Frazier noted, “The last offseason was challenging, not only for our team, but every team in the league.

“It was definitely a challenge to get to that first game (without mini-camp or Organized Team Activities) … what our rotation was going to be like, knowing we had lost a couple of guys in free agency in the offseason (including LeSean McCoy, John Miller, Jordan Mills and Charles Clay) and we had to replace those guys … how were we going to rotate going forward?”

He continued, “But as the season went on we found our groove and guys came along and played well for us down the stretch.

“We’ll see how 2021 goes, it’s a new season … new faces on our team, new teams on our schedule with different-style offenses. But we’re hoping to just keep building on what we have and keep moving as a defense.”

FRAZIER has long maintained his unit “starts with the defensive line” and of Buffalo’s current 88-man roster, 15 play that position (eight ends, seven tackles).

That competition is a product of last season’s struggles with no mini-camp or OTAs.

“As much as anything it was just not having the time on task before the season and that probably affected us as much as anything. (The hardest part was) developing the continuity and symmetry that we wanted with our defensive line,” Frazier admitted.

“But as time went on we got on the same page and were able to put pressure on the quarterback with our four-man rush … we didn’t always get him on the ground but were able to harass the quarterback enough to affect him. Sometimes, in our league, as quickly as guys are getting the ball out, that can be just as effective.”

Five days into OTAs, he maintained of the defensive front, “We’re trying to get competition to get the best 11 on the field and you want some quality depth as well because there’s going to be some injuries. With the numbers (on the defensive line) we just let them get out on the field and let the best man win.

“At the end of the day, if we have the right guys it’s going to work out to benefit our team. We have the right guys on the roster, now we have to see how it plays out once we get pads on. This time of the year, it’s a little tough to evaluate, but once we get the pads on in training camp, we’ll kind of know what we have.”

Frazier conceded of the defense, “At the end of the day, what you say you are, (better be what) you’re good at that. We’ll tweak some things here and there but you don’t want to get away from the things that have helped you be successful.

“Having the guys returning that we do, you feel confident if you do add something new, they’re going to let you know, ‘Hey coach, that’s too much’ or ‘that kind of clicks.’ That’s the beauty of having so many guys returning to have that type of feedback and dialogue on what works and what doesn’t.”

(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)