It's late January, 1986, and Leslie Frazier is lying in a hospital bed with shredded knee ligaments suffered during a punt return in the Bears' 46-10 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
"The doctors had just come into my room," Frazier said Monday. "And they told me, 'You may not be able to come back, and if you do come back, you may not be the player you were before this injury.' "
Frazier never came back. At least not as a player. Today, he's the Vikings' head coach. In late January, 1985, he was a frightened 25-year-old soon-to-be ex-NFL player.
"For me, I have to rely on my faith," Frazier said. "That was a tough time. I was lying there searching through scriptures trying to find a verse to help me when I was in that hospital bed."
Frazier found one that would stick in his mind for the next 23 years — and counting.
"Romans 8:28," Frazier said. "It goes, 'All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.' I hold on to that verse, especially in tough times like this."
Yes, times are tough. Boy oh boy, are they tough. So tough that Frazier is 1-4 for the second time in three years. So tough that his team just came out of a bye week and suffered a humiliating 25-point loss at home to a one-win Panthers team.
There have been no public declarations from ownership or General Manager Rick Spielman that Frazier is in danger of losing his job. But common sense and the team's decision not to reward Frazier with a multiyear extension after last year's 10-win playoff season suggests that Frazier needs to pick it up ASAP or his seat will become increasingly warm.