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DL Simon Fraser (Official Thread)

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Dispatch

8/21/06

BROWNS
Ex-Buckeye Fraser pushing for playing time

Monday, August 21, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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BEREA, Ohio — Former Ohio State defensive end Simon Fraser felt he spent his rookie year with the Browns playing catchup.
The Upper Arlington native began his pro career in 2005 with the uphill battle of making undrafted free agent. From there Fraser worked primarily on special teams while learning to play the 3-4 defense.
This season Fraser has a much bigger goal in mind: He wants to prove to the coaches that he can be an every-down player.
The coaching staff has taken notice.
Fraser saw action in just three games last season, recording one tackle. This year he has already earned occasional reps with the first-team defense during training camp and the preseason.
"I understand the system more and I feel more comfortable in my technique and my responsibilities," Fraser said. "Last year I came in and had no idea what to expect. I learned on the run and tried to make up for time missed because I was down in school while they were in minicamp. Now that I’ve been here for a year, I’m a leg ahead of where I was last year."
Fraser spent his offseason in the weight room and gained 9 pounds of muscle, up to 295, to help him better handle offensive linemen. He’s been more assertive in training camp. Last week Fraser got into a brief skirmish with William Green after nearly horsecollaring the running back in practice.
It’s the type of feistiness that coach Romeo Crennel wants to see out of Fraser to place him in the rotation.
"I think Simon has gotten a little bit bigger and is more physical," Crennel said. "He still has to get the technique down and is working at that."
On the personal side, Fraser was married this summer to the former Mallory Harvey in Columbus.
"It was a dream come true. Everything went perfect that day," he said.
Marriage has changed Fraser’s perspective in terms of responsibilities, commitments and the fact that he no longer makes decisions for just himself.
In his free time Fraser still resides in Columbus and keeps close tabs on the Buckeyes. He contributed to Ohio State’s national title in 2002 and was part of one of the most successful four-year runs in school history.
Although this year’s team has a chance to duplicate Fraser’s 2002 squad, Fraser believes it’s a little early to compare.
"It’s a completely different situation," Fraser said. "In 2002 I think we started off No. 14 in the nation and nobody had us pegged to go anywhere. This year they have a huge bull’s-eye on their back, and everybody is going to be gunning for them. But at the same time they have the talent to do it and the coaches that will have them ready. That’s all you need."
[email protected]
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Defensive line injuries thrust Fraser into his first NFL start
Friday, September 22, 2006
James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



BEREA, Ohio ? For two seasons, Simon Fraser has been mostly invisible as a backup.

On Sunday, the former Buckeyes and current Browns defensive end might get his chance to break through. Fraser likely will make his first NFL start this week against the Baltimore Ravens. Injuries to starting defensive end Orpheus Roye and backup Nick Eason have brought the Upper Arlington native to the forefront. Roye is doubtful for Sunday because of a shoulder injury and Eason is out because of a sprained ankle.

Fraser received his first taste of extended playing time last week in a 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. As a reserve, he was in for 28 plays going head-to-head with tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones.

"I enjoyed it, you know. To be able to get out there and get consistent playing time for the first time in the NFL basically is a dream come true," Fraser said. "Now it?s given me a foundation to build off of. Going up against a team like Cincinnati you basically see where you?re at because they?re a strong team and their offensive line is seen around the league as one of the better ones, especially Willie Anderson."

Fraser is taking a workmanlike mentality into this week. Roye and Eason haven?t practiced, so Fraser has practiced with the starters all week. But Fraser is preparing to play as a starter or backup, knowing there?s still a small chance Roye could be a game-time decision.

"If it comes I?ll be very honored, but at the same time I?ve got to focus on some other things right now to make sure I can help this team get a win," Fraser said. "We?re going to have to all step up. If the worst-case scenario comes and we?re down to five (defensive linemen), that?s who we?re going to have to play with."

A year ago, Fraser could hardly crack the rotation. He was in uniform for all 16 games but was mostly on special teams. He played at defensive end in three games and finished with one tackle. But Fraser and the coaching staff believe he has grown as a player and benefited from a year in the system.

"He?s making good progress and he?s getting good playing time playing on both the left side and the right side," coach Romeo Crennel said. "He?s coming along. I think we can expect him to continue to improve."

Fraser?s assignment this week will not get any easier: He could face Ravens All-Pro offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, who is questionable because of a knee injury but expects to play.

"He?s a fantastic player," Fraser said. "I can?t recite how many Pro Bowls he?s been to, but he?s been to a good number of them. He?s been respected around the league since he?s gotten here, so obviously he?s a guy that will be a great test for me to go up against."


[email protected]
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Canton

Browns Fraser moves to front
Saturday, September 23, 2006
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By STEVE DOERSCHUK[/FONT]
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Simon Fraser recorded just one tackle in a limited number of appearances at defensive tackle in his rookie season of 2005 with the Browns. He is expected to get his first career start Sunday. repository
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BEREA - One magical season, Simon Fraser helped second-year Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel win the heavyweight championship of college football.
Four years later, Fraser is trying to help second-year Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel fight off the NFL ropes.
Fraser is expected to get his first NFL start Sunday, in place of injured defensive end Orpheus Roye, when the Ravens visit Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Roye, who has missed only one game in the last five seasons, said a sore shoulder will keep him out of Sunday?s game against the Ravens. That means the 6-foot-6 Fraser, the defense?s tallest player, faces the large order of playing a full game against a hot Ravens team.
The pressure on Fraser is increased by the fact Nick Eason, a key backup at defensive end, is out with an ankle injury.
?Injuries hurt any team,? Fraser said. ?What?s gonna have to happen is younger guys stepping up.?
The second-year pro said it will be important to be patient and smart.
?Everyone wants to make a play,? he said. ?If you have a certain gap and the running back wants to go to another gap, your tendencies take you over to that gap.
?That just opens up a bigger seam in the defense and the running back will find that. It takes a lot of patience. If you try to do too much, it sometimes kills a defense.?
Abandoning gaps was one reason Jamal Lewis set an NFL record with 295 rushing yards against Cleveland on Sept. 14, 2003.
The 2006 Browns hoped to sizzle on defense with a mix of veterans and fresh talent.
The veteran factor has been neutralized.
Roye, 33, got hurt at Cincinnati last Sunday. Eighth-year pro Daylon McCutcheon didn?t play and since was put on injured reserve. Ted Washington, 38, hasn?t been the force envisioned at nose tackle. Willie McGinest, 34, sat out the Cincinnati game with a calf problem.
Roye has been the team?s steadiest defensive performer of the expansion era. McGinest was supposed to have enough left to be a force this autumn.
Listed as questionable for the Ravens game, McGinest was angered Friday by a question about his will to play on as a 13th-year pro.
He explained why he dressed but did not play at Cincinnati.
?We all think we are Superman and can play through anything or get it shot up,? he said. ?Instead of one week, it ends up eight or nine.
?I hate watching the game and being hurt. I don?t want to jeopardize more games than I have to.?
McGinest worried that his calf was ?messed up? and might tear if not rested.
?If I could have played, I would have. ... If you can?t run, you can?t play.?
Outside linebacker is a team strength when the team can use McGinest, Matt Stewart and first-round pick Kamerion Wimbley in a rotation.
McGinest was an iron man in New England, playing in 72 of 74 games (eight postseason) over the previous four seasons.

DROUGHNS WATCH
Preseason sensation Jerome Harrison said he doesn?t know whether No. 1 running back Reuben Droughns? shoulder injury will keep him out of the Baltimore game.
If it does? Harrison would probably get five to 15 carries against the NFL?s No. 1-ranked defense.
?They just run a lot of different fronts,? Harrison said before Friday?s practice. ?Those guys are no different than no other defense, man.?
If that didn?t come out quite right, it was clear Harrison isn?t intimidated.
What if Harrison gets the ball 15 to 20 times?
?That?s a running back?s dream, to carry the load,? he said. ?That wouldn?t be no problem.?
If Droughns can?t play, Harrison realizes he would be used in some combination with third-year pro Jason Wright. Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected].
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Fraser makes most of chance to play
By MIKE McLAIN Tribune Chronicle


CLEVELAND ? Maybe it was hearing the sounds of The Ohio State University marching band playing before the game and at halftime that got defensive end Simon Fraser?s juices flowing.

Then again, maybe the Ohio State product just needed some playing time to show that he can make a living in the NFL. Having the Ohio State band in attendance was a coincidence.

Logging the most plays of his two-year career because of injuries to the Browns? defensive line, Fraser made the most of his opportunity. He registered four tackles, including his first career sack, and had two quarterback hurries.

?I was really excited about getting the opportunity to play,? Fraser said. ?The coaches came to me and told me I needed to step up. With everyone around me and the way Willie (McGinest) and Ted (Washington) in the middle and Andra (Davis) played, it opened it up for guys to make plays.?

The Browns played without defensive end Orpheus Roye and defensive end Nick Eason. Roye is out with a shoulder injury, and Eason is nursing a sore ankle.

The absence of the two meant more time for Fraser and Ethan Kelly, who split time between end and nose tackle. Considering the defense was giving up more than 150 yards a game on the ground, limiting the Ravens to 86 yards was impressive.

?As a defense I thought we played real well against the run,? Fraser said. ?We did some adjustments, and we executed. That?s what was killing us before. Here and there we were missing some gaps and some assignments, and they were breaking them on us. Today we played good fundamental football and were able to execute.?

Fraser?s sack of Ravens quarterback Steve McNair came in the third quarter. The Browns had good coverage on the play, allowing Fraser time to locate McNair and take him down.

?The backs had real good coverage,? Fraser said. ?He had nowhere to go but right up the middle, which is where I was.?

When players score their first career touchdown or make their first career interception, they usually keep the ball. There?s not much to signify Fraser?s first sack.

?You just record the play and put it in the video file,? Fraser said.
 
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Fraser then performed a sack dance.

"I threw up the ?O-H.? That?s my little thing," Fraser said with a smile. "Orpheus got his little (Florida State) Seminoles chant, so I got my ?O-H? in there, especially with the band here today."


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Fraser breaks through

Second-year defensive lineman Simon Fraser of Ohio State had his first career sack, dropping Steve McNair for a 3-yard loss in the third quarter. Playing on passing downs, he also contributed four solo tackles and two hurries.

``It was great. You work so hard all week long,'' he said. ``To have the first sack here at home, the whole family got a chance to experience it, that was very special.''

And what was he doing when raised his arms afterward?

``Actually, I threw up the O-H,'' he said.

Fraser said 11 family and friends were watching. But he was also inspired that the Ohio State band played before the game and at halftime.

``I went out and watched them warm up,'' Fraser said. ``It was a beautiful thing.''

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DDN

Former Buckeye finding foothold with Browns


By Sean McClelland
Staff Writer

Friday, September 29, 2006

BEREA ? From the Ohio State marching band to the roar of the crowd, it seemed like college all over again for defensive end Simon Fraser.
Playing Sunday for an injured Orpheus Roye, Fraser notched his first career sack in the Browns' 15-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
"I was really excited," said Fraser, a second-year pro from OSU who signed as a free agent last season after going undrafted. "To have my first sack at home was really exciting, especially sharing it with my teammates and my family."
Fraser, who grew up in suburban Columbus, also stood out when he foiled a screen pass by desperately diving at the legs of a ballcarrier breaking into the clear.
One could surmise he drew inspiration from the OSU band, which performed before the game and at halftime.
"Being with them for four years, they kind of grew on me, so it was great to see those guys," Fraser said with a smile. "Best damn band in the land."
The Browns were missing not only Roye (shoulder) on Sunday, but also backup end Nick Eason (ankle). Both are questionable on this week's injury report, so Fraser probably can expect a similar workload in Oakland, although he, too, is listed as questionable with a shoulder problem.
To gain a greater foothold in the defense, Browns coach Romeo Crennel says Fraser needs to improve against the run. Roye, who joined the Browns in 2000, has helped.
"A guy like Orpheus, I can vent to," Fraser said. "Say I'm having difficulty with this or that and he's like, 'When I was in my second year, this is how I kind of handled it.' We lean on each other, we help each other out."
That camaraderie will be important in Oakland. Raiders fans exist to intimidate, but the Browns overcame the atmosphere last year and won in quarterback Charlie Frye's first NFL start.
Next game
Who: Browns (0-3) at Raiders (0-2)
When: 4:15 p.m. Sunday
 
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CPD

BROWNS INSIDER
NFL fines Fraser for hit on Roethlisberger


Saturday, November 25, 2006


Browns defensive lineman Simon Fraser's hit on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the 24-20 loss to the Steelers cost more than a possible score, it also cost Fraser $5,000.
Fraser was fined by the NFL for his second hit on Roethlisberger after cornerback Daven Holly intercepted a pass and was sprinting toward the end zone. Fraser hit Roethlisberger not once, but twice. The flag, 15 yards for a personal foul, was thrown after the second hit.
The penalty, offset by a Steelers face-mask penalty, cost the Browns 40 yards in field position, from the Steelers' 4 to the 44.
The Browns were almost assured of at least a field goal. Instead, they came up empty and went into halftime with a 10-0 lead.
The next day, Browns coach Romeo Crennel complained that the quarterbacks rules are unfair and he defended Fraser's actions.
Fraser said Sunday that officials were trying to protect Roethlisberger. Fraser was not available for comment Friday.
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Off topic but for those that don't know Simon lives in Columbus during the off-season... He and his recent bride (congrats to him btw) have applied for social membership to Scioto Country Club... Looks like he plans to stick around town for a while... great kid, will be a great member to central Ohio's community...
 
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CPD

Browns sign Fraser, Unck

Posted by Staff reports April 25, 2007 17:39PM

The Browns announced today that defensive end Simon Fraser and linebacker Mason Unck have been signed to one-year contracts.
Fraser, is the former Ohio State standout who has made an impact on special teams in his two seasons with the Browns and saw increased playing time on the defensive line last season. He appeared in all 16 games last season, including five starts at defensive end, and had a career-high 36tackles, four and one-half sacks for 11.5 yards, two quarterbackpressures, one forced fumble and three passes defensed.

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scout

Former Buckeyes Take Part In Camp

Posted Jun 30, 2007

Two former members of The Ohio State University Football program give back to a local Ohio football camp on Saturday. The two better known as Will Connery (letter winner 1995) and Simon Fraser (letter winner 2001,02,03,04) took different paths during their career, but each share the bond of brotherhood that only having lived as a member of the OSU football team could know.

The path to greatness is never the same for anyone. Some will find it comes easy while others can recount each step in the process to achieve the goals set forth. For Will Connery and Simon Fraser the paths couldn?t have been more different. That?s why on Saturday each was enjoying the friendship they've built over the years and doing what every former Buckeye has been taught in "Paying Forward".

The weather was great as the 2007 edition of the Big Skills Camp took to the practice fields of Miamisburg High School. With 124 offensive and defensive linemen taking part in the camp ran by Miamisburg Head Coach Zach Cline, the event continues to see great growth as players receive great instruction by top Miami Valley area coaches and several current or former college players.
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Coy Bacon, Will Connery, Coach Cline, Simon Fraser[/FONT]

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