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Not so fast Bills fans, Dick may be back.
We all love to hate him, but that doesn't guarantee him leaving
-BillsWin
-BillsWin
Head coach Dick Jauron smiles and walks off the field following a 20-9 win over the Carolina Panthers in week 7.
Dick has not lost 12 or 14 games in a season. But often times, middle-of-the-road can be just as bad as bottom feeder when it comes to the national football league. 7-9 three seasons in a row does just enough to keep you out of post season contention, and just enough to keep you from landing top ten talent.
Jauron is 24-31 as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, and the loyal fan base of the team is fed up with mediocrity. The "fire dick" movement has gained as much momentum as to have fans raise money to put up billboards. Fans wear bags over their heads at games and make signs clamoring for team owner Ralph Wilson Jr. to make a move.
Just when Buffalo fans thought they would get what they wanted with the team hitting rock bottom, something extraordinary happened. The Bills started to win. Ugly though it has been, the Bills have won two in a row, both on the road and one against a division opponent. It was Buffalo's first division win since 2007. Their defense has picked up the slack that their anemic offense has created and early mistakes made on special teams have been at a minimum.
At 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the division, Buffalo is still in playoff contention. In fact, if Buffalo were to win against the Houston Texans this weekend at home and Baltimore loses along with Miami beating the New York Jets, the Bills have possession of the 6th seed heading into their bye week. It doesn't mean much this early in the season, but it is mind boggling how this team is still alive after such a brutal start to the season.
So Bills fans, although you may enjoy talking about new head coach possibilities and yes, there are alot of big-names and shiny prospects out there, hold your horses. Dick ain't done yet.
There are three main reasons why owner Ralph Wilson would keep Dick one more season.
1. If he makes the playoffs.
2. If he comes very close to making the playoffs.
3. If Wilson does not feel like dishing out the $6 million it would take to buy out his contract.
There are others potential reasons for continued employment of course, such as people close to Wilson having Jauron's back, the players having Jauron's back and the "injury excuse" etc. etc. etc.
Jauron is no where near the best option at the head coaching spot. For every pro he brings to the team, he brings several cons. The one main thing he has working for him is the fact that he can get players to play above their payroll and another thing, his players won't quit on him. That would be great, if he knew how to win ball games and not just ones against teams with losing records or quarterbacks who give balls away like candy on Halloween.
The main thing to remember is that Buffalo and its fans may have to face the fact that not only will Jauron maintain his job through until the end of the season, but that they may have to endure another year of Dick.
Jauron has a favorable schedule ahead of him. If the Bills can get to 4-4 after this Sunday, they have a bye week. Then they face five teams with defenses ranked 20th and under in the league. Along with the Jets (10th ranked) whom they have already beaten. They have a stretch of games coming off a bye in which they play Tennessee (0-6), Jacksonville (3-3), Miami (2-4), New York Jets (4-3) and Kansas City (1-6).
Right now, the Bills may be staring down the barrel of their fourth straight 7-9 season, but then again maybe they're looking at a slightly better season than last year. If the Bills go 9-7 or 10-6 this year and miss the playoffs by very little, Wilson may just be convinced enough to keep him one more season. I know that seems like a bad thing, but there are some other problems on this team that if fixed, even a Jauron could win with.
First step is finding a franchise quarterback, which the Bills have not had since Jim Kelly. They need to get healthy on the offensive line, and find a dynamic left tackle to shut down the outside pass rush and protect what should be a young quarter back next season. The Bills need a game changing outside linebacker, and a wide receiver to replace Terrell Owens who will most likely not be a Bill come next year. Not to mention needing an offensive coordinator who can put his players in a position to score points.
If the Bills can work on a few of their glaring holes it sets them up for a nice run. And while we would all like to see someone else on the sidelines calling the shots, there is a chance "skeletor" will be back for one more run as a head coach in Bills colors. So brace yourselves and cheer the Bills on if they continue to win, but be warned that with every win Jauron will get closer to keeping his job for just a little longer.
" ~ yordad
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