Saskatchewan Roughriders' Lance Frazier (15) knocks the ball out of B.C. Lions' Travis Lulay's (14) hands during the West semi-final in Regina on Nov. 14, 2010.Photograph by: Fred Greenslade, Reuters filesREGINA — The return of Richie Hall is already paying dividends for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Riders announced Tuesday that Hall was returning after a two-year stint as the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos to his previous job as Saskatchewan's defensive co-ordinator. On Wednesday, the CFL team announced that veteran import defensive halfback Lance Frazier had re-signed.
"(Having Hall back is) definitely a bonus,'' Frazier said Wednesday from his home in Delaware. "He's a great defensive backs coach and I'm looking forward to working with the guy again.''
Frazier has been with the Riders since late in the 2006 season. He shared in the 2007 Grey Cup victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has been entrenched as a starter ever since. During that time, Frazier got to know Hall, who was the defensive co-ordinator and defensive backs coach with the Riders. Hall spent 15 seasons with the Riders as a player and coach, including eight as the defensive co-ordinator.
"Richie was the guy who taught me everything I know about the CFL,'' said Frazier, who signed a multi-year deal. "He taught me how to play the defensive halfback position correctly. I have a great deal of respect for him and I was glad to get him back in there.''
The Riders are also happy to have Frazier return. Frazier was eligible to file for free agency on Feb. 15 and Riders general manager Brendan Taman didn't want to lose the veteran.
"He would have definitely drawn interest from other teams,'' Taman said Wednesday. "To lose him would have left a big hole in our defence. To lose Eddie Davis (in 2010) and possibly Lance was something we didn't want to do.''
Frazier indicated at the end of the 2010 season that he wanted to return. The Riders wanted him back. It sounded like it wouldn't take long to get a deal done.
"Negotiations are never easy,'' Taman said. "We had some moments that we were worried about and I'm sure Lance was worried too. He had a good representative and we able to get things done that helped us with our budget and looked after him.''
Frazier, 29, had considered becoming a free agent. He had never tested that market in a career that included stops in the NFL and NFL Europe. He was curious to learn what his value as a player might be on the open market.
"All football players want to experience that at least once in their career,'' Frazier said. "That was the only thing that really interested me. As far as leaving there was a tossup because it was the only place I had played in the CFL and it was one that I knew.
"Still, it's home for me. I couldn't really picture leaving the guys in the locker room that I had developed such great relationships with. The contract negotiations got a little sticky at times, but we were able to work it out.''
Frazier has enjoyed quite a career with the Riders. In 61 regular-season games, he has recorded 169 defensive tackles, 15 interceptions, eight pass knockdowns and one touchdown. During the 2010 playoffs, Frazier had 13 defensive tackles and two sacks.
Frazier is among the league's best defensive halfbacks and felt he should be rewarded as such. He did his research into what other players were making and brought that into the negotiations.
"Everyone wants the home-town discount, which is what the players call it,'' said Frazier, who had four interceptions and a sack during the 2010 regular season. "I don't think I was slighted at all. We were in the ball park with the other players and it was fair.''
Frazier has talked on the phone with Greg Marshall, the Riders' new head coach. Frazier said that Marshall wanted to talk to a number of veterans and possible leaders who are returning for the 2011 season.
"I was worried through the whole coaching process if we would get a guy who understands our locker room and what we're all about,'' Frazier said. "That's a huge factor because we've worked hard on the culture in our locker room over the last four or five years. From the conversation I had with him, he understands what Rider Pride is all about and respects what we have going here.''
mmccormick@leaderpost.com
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