Firing Jauron Just a Start for Overdue Bills
Clifton Brown - SportingNews.com
Nov 18, 2009
Making poorly timed decisions is nothing new for the Buffalo Bills. They should have fired Dick Jauron at the end of the 2008 season, following his third consecutive 7-9 campaign. A coach who had three consecutive losing seasons, with his team showing no improvement, did not deserve another chance in today's NFL.
The competition is too fierce; the decisions that coaches make are too pivotal. Jauron already had enough time to prove he had the Bills headed in the right direction. He didn't. And the Bills paid for it with another disappointing season, leading to Jauron getting the ax on Tuesday.
This is the time for owner Ralph Wilson to take a hard look at his franchise, from top to bottom. Hiring the right coach is just the start. The Bills need a quarterback. They need a better offensive line. They need a pass rush. They need to make crucial long-range decisions.
Wilson must see if he can lure a proven NFL coach to Buffalo, with Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, Brian Billick and Jim Fassel on the market. Top assistant coaches like Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera could also get a look, as will interim coach Perry Fewell if the Bills play well the rest of the season.
Wilson must also decide if general manager Russ Brandon, hired in 2008, is the right person for that job moving forward. The Bills also must draft better. Since 2000, two of their first-round picks have made the Pro Bowl while with the Bills -- cornerback Nate Clements, now with the 49ers, and running back Marshawn Lynch. Meanwhile, the Bills have let other talented players, like Phiadelphia Eagles left tackle Jason Peters and Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, get away.
Look at how the Bills handled this past offseason. Young left tackles like Peters are hard to find. If this was really a make-or-break season, why not sign Peters to a long-term deal? Instead, they traded him and opened the season with an unproven line and an unproven starting quarterback in Trent Edwards.
As a result, the decision to sign free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens was a waste, with the Bills unable to get Owens the ball consistently. "The offense not playing well, I think definitely had something a lot to do with the decision," wide receiver Lee Evans said. "I'm sure there are other reasons, too."
You could sense more trouble when Jauron fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert in September, just a week before the season began. It seemed like a panic move then. In hindsight, it still does. The Bills have had three offensive coordinators in the past three seasons -- not exactly the best way to bring along a young quarterback.
If coaches are fired during the season, it usually happens during the team's bye week. Jauron survived the Bills' bye in Week 9, but apparently Sunday's 41-17 loss to the Titans was too much for Wilson. But languishing at 3-6, the Bills have little chance to salvage this season.
So here we are, with the Bills likely to miss the postseason -- again. They have not made the playoffs since 1999. When you have struggled for that long, you need more than a new coach -- you need a new direction. Firing Jauron was overdue. And a contending team remains long overdue in Buffalo.
This story appears in Nov. 18's edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today.
Senior writer Clifton Brown covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.
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