shelby
12-09-2007, 07:35 AM
Three months ago, in our season preview section, I labeled this a transitional year for the Bills and head coach Dick Jauron. I urged Buffalo fans to give Jauron the benefit of the doubt and said he could do a very good job with this team and still finish 6-10.
At the time, of course, I didn’t know that a dozen players would wind up on injured reserve through the first dozen games. Or that the quarterback position would be in a state of flux, or that Marshawn Lynch would sprain his ankle just as he was beginning to hit his stride, or that the team would be staggered by a devastating spinal injury to Kevin Everett.
But here they are, still alive at 6-6. They’ve reached my target for wins with a quarter of the season left to go. Even before the injuries hit, it was reasonable to assume they’d take a step back after parting ways with Nate Clements, London Fletcher and Willis McGahee. Instead, it has been a surprisingly successful transition.
Granted, it’s hard to believe the Bills are a .500 team when you look at the numbers. They’re 31st in total offense, 30th in defense, 32nd and last in third-down defense. They have 13 offensive touchdowns in 12 games, on pace to shatter the team record for fewest TDs in a 16-game season.
If you looked solely at the stats and guessed the team’s record, you’d figure 3-9 or worse. All six wins came against teams that currently have losing records. On the other hand, they could easily be 8-4, so the Bills don’t need to apologize to anyone for their record, not after all they’ve been through this season. So you have to give Jauron and his staff a lot of credit. Regardless of how they arrived at this point, they’ve done a good job overall. Jauron has had some sketchy moments. He made some dubious decisions at the end of close games. He was too loyal to Anthony Thomas. He was evasive and wishy-washy during the quarterback controversy.
The Bills are young and overmatched at times personnelwise. But they have sustained their belief and collective focus. Last week at Washington, when they seemed about to hit an emotional wall, they managed to steal a win and put themselves back in contention.
Through it all, Jauron kept reminding us what a good bunch of guys he has, and how much they love to play. Maybe it sounds a little Pollyannish, but people have taken notice. Peter King, the noted NFL writer and commentator, said the Bills strike him as “a bunch of guys who would play football for free.”
Jauron came here with a reputation as someone young guys loved to play for. Maybe they’re too young and naive to know better, but the Bills seem to follow his lead. A year ago, when they were 2-5, he told the team they weren’t out of the race. They won five of seven to climb back into it. This year, when they fell to 1-4 after the Dallas loss, he told them they were starting an 11-game season. Again, they went 5-2 and got back to .500.
The stats aren’t pretty. The only stat that flatters Jauron is the win-loss column. You could say much worse things about a coach. Around the league, Jauron is showing up on most of the short lists for Coach of the Year. Observed from afar, it’s been one of the more remarkable coaching jobs in the NFL this season.
full story (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/224795.html)
At the time, of course, I didn’t know that a dozen players would wind up on injured reserve through the first dozen games. Or that the quarterback position would be in a state of flux, or that Marshawn Lynch would sprain his ankle just as he was beginning to hit his stride, or that the team would be staggered by a devastating spinal injury to Kevin Everett.
But here they are, still alive at 6-6. They’ve reached my target for wins with a quarter of the season left to go. Even before the injuries hit, it was reasonable to assume they’d take a step back after parting ways with Nate Clements, London Fletcher and Willis McGahee. Instead, it has been a surprisingly successful transition.
Granted, it’s hard to believe the Bills are a .500 team when you look at the numbers. They’re 31st in total offense, 30th in defense, 32nd and last in third-down defense. They have 13 offensive touchdowns in 12 games, on pace to shatter the team record for fewest TDs in a 16-game season.
If you looked solely at the stats and guessed the team’s record, you’d figure 3-9 or worse. All six wins came against teams that currently have losing records. On the other hand, they could easily be 8-4, so the Bills don’t need to apologize to anyone for their record, not after all they’ve been through this season. So you have to give Jauron and his staff a lot of credit. Regardless of how they arrived at this point, they’ve done a good job overall. Jauron has had some sketchy moments. He made some dubious decisions at the end of close games. He was too loyal to Anthony Thomas. He was evasive and wishy-washy during the quarterback controversy.
The Bills are young and overmatched at times personnelwise. But they have sustained their belief and collective focus. Last week at Washington, when they seemed about to hit an emotional wall, they managed to steal a win and put themselves back in contention.
Through it all, Jauron kept reminding us what a good bunch of guys he has, and how much they love to play. Maybe it sounds a little Pollyannish, but people have taken notice. Peter King, the noted NFL writer and commentator, said the Bills strike him as “a bunch of guys who would play football for free.”
Jauron came here with a reputation as someone young guys loved to play for. Maybe they’re too young and naive to know better, but the Bills seem to follow his lead. A year ago, when they were 2-5, he told the team they weren’t out of the race. They won five of seven to climb back into it. This year, when they fell to 1-4 after the Dallas loss, he told them they were starting an 11-game season. Again, they went 5-2 and got back to .500.
The stats aren’t pretty. The only stat that flatters Jauron is the win-loss column. You could say much worse things about a coach. Around the league, Jauron is showing up on most of the short lists for Coach of the Year. Observed from afar, it’s been one of the more remarkable coaching jobs in the NFL this season.
full story (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/224795.html)