Everything we know about Parks Frazier, the new Indianapolis Colts’ play-caller

Meet Randall ‘Parks’ Frazier II, the new play-caller in Indianapolis

There you go. Thanks for reading!

Hmmm …

Having just hung up with my editors, and due to a conversation where the phrases “this is not why we hired you” and “you cannot be serious with this effort” were used repeatedly, I actually have some things to add to this piece.

In a 2022 NFL season filled with curveballs, the Indianapolis Colts have looked like Ryan Pressly. After acquiring Matt Ryan to take over as their quarterback, every report out of Indianapolis this summer was that the offense was crisp and precise, and that a page had been turned after last season, and the Week 18 debacle against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

So much for turning that page …

Because the Colts are 3-5-1, and despite sitting in second place in the AFC South, change is in the air. Ryan was benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger after Week 8, and following a loss to the Washington Commanders in Ehlinger’s debut, offensive coordinator Marcus Brady was let go.

Then came the true stunner on Monday, when owner Jim Irsay not only announced that head coach Frank Reich was fired, but that Jeff Saturday — a former offensive lineman with the team who has served as a consultant — would be named the interim head coach.

Saturday has no coaching experience beyond the high school level.

A press conference announcing the move followed on Monday night, filled with some head-scratchers from both Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard.

During that press conference, Saturday outlined how the first big decision he faced was deciding who would be calling the offensive plays. “I’m going to continue to interview guys on the staff,” Saturday said. “I’ll decide something this evening. I’m drinking from a fire hydrant a little bit. We’re trying to meet with everybody, get this done. I’ll continue that part. We’ll have a decision.”

Saturday has made a decision, announcing that Randall ‘Parks’ Frazier II will be calling the offensive plays:

Here is what we actually know about the new play-caller in Indianapolis.

Frazier was a college quarterback

Frazier played his high school football at Corinth High School in Boonesville, Mississippi, where he earned Second-Team All-State honors as a senior, after a final campaign where he threw for 2,800 yards and 21 touchdowns. He began his college career at Mississippi where he redshirted, before joining Northeast Mississippi Community College. In his one year as a starter for the Tigers, Frazier led the school to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, throwing for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Frazier then transferred to Murray State, where he finished out his collegiate career. He started two games for the Racers, against Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State during the 2013 campaign. Frazier went 32 for 50 for 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns in first start against Eastern Illinois, and the next week he completed 30 of 43 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee State.

You can see him working on his hand-eye coordination in this video the Murray State quarterbacks posted on YouTube:

So, there’s that.

He began his coaching career on the defensive side of the football before moving to the offense

Following his playing days, Frazier started out as a coach on the defensive side of the football. His first job was as a defensive quality control coach with Samford for the spring of 2015, but he then moved to Middle Tennessee State, serving as a defensive quality control coach for the 2015 season.

Then Frazier moved to the offensive side of the football. He moved to Arkansas State, serving two seasons as a graduate assistant, helping coach quarterbacks.

Alongside Frazier on this journey was a former teammate at Murray State, Spencer Phillips. Phillips was also a quarterback at Murray State, and the two worked at Samford together. They took jobs on the side to pay the bills, as they were not getting paid for their coaching work.

Then Phillips got a job with the Philadelphia Eagles, after introducing himself to Doug Pederson at the Senior Bowl. That is where Phillips met Frank Reich.

When Reich moved to Indianapolis to coach the Colts, he needed an assistant. Phillips had a suggestion.

Sitting in a meeting at Arkansas State, Frazier received a FaceTime call.

From Reich, asking him to interview to be on his staff in Indianapolis.

The job? Assistant to the head coach. But it was more than a Dwight Schrute type of role. Much more. According to the team website, Frazier “ .. provided assistance to Head Coach Frank Reich by preparing the weekly practice plan, call sheets and scripts. He also assisted with scout team preparation.”

Here is another way to describe what he did early in Indianapolis:

At Reich’s discretion, Frazier, 26, prepares the practice plan every day and the offensive call sheets for every game; he types up Andrew Luck’s wristband every Sunday – “Nothing can be wrong, not one digit,” he stresses; he fires passes to the wideouts during warmups; then up in the coach’s box, over the headset, he shares with Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni the coverages and defensive tendencies he’s noticing in the opponent. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

How well did he do in this role?

“He’s a stud,” Sirianni said back in 2018. “He’s gonna be a star.”

For the 2020 season, Frazier took on a new role, serving as an offensive quality control coach with the team. He was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach for the 2021 season, and added the title of pass game specialist to his resume this season, continuing to serve as assistant quarterbacks coach.

Frazier was serving in that role until this announcement.

He has a golden retriever named ‘Coach’

Look at this good pup. The best pup.

His house was shot 77 times in a ‘mistake’

Back in 2019, 77 rounds were fired into Frazier’s house. Nobody was home at the time, and per the police report, the back door of the home was also kicked in and several more rounds were fired into the house from there. Both handgun and rifle casings were found in the street in front of the house.

Police later determined it was a case of ‘mistaken identity.’

Frank Reich officiated his wedding

Shortly after joining the Colts, Frazier met Caroline Cann, a reporter for the Colts’ website. The two hit it off almost immediately, and were engaged during the 2019 season.

They asked Reich, an ordained minister, to perform the ceremony.

“As an ordained minister, one of the greatest privileges is performing a wedding. It’s just so fun to see two people coming together. It was especially, especially meaningful for when you know them both. And then on top of that, when you know them like they’re family,” said Reich back in 2020. “For the two of them to ask me to perform the wedding, I was blown away. It was a great privilege and it was a lot of fun. It was a special day. It was a special day. There are a great couple and really, I was privileged to be part of that ceremony.”

He shares a name with a character from The Wire

In the HBO series The Wire, Randall Frazier was a medical examiner with the Baltimore Police Department. Portrayed by Erik Todd Dellums, Randall Frazier appeared in six episodes of The Wire, all in the first three seasons.

Randall Frazier was in the very first episode of The Wire, where he discovered a bullet in the body of a victim.

So, there’s that.