Contract secrecy aside, Jauron can’t be blamed for all of Buffalo’s woes

By Anthony Bialy  |   Wednesday, December 17, 2008  |  Comments( 99 )

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Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron is either keeping his job through 2011 or getting fired in about a week and a half. The vague situation is no surprise for a franchise that hired Marv Levy in 2006 without first figuring out what job it was hiring him for, not to mention that the Bills never really got around to replacing general manager Levy with one guy once he left. The nebulous suspense the Bills and Jauron have teamed to create is annoying, and the bigger issue is not whether he’ll be back but rather if he deserves to be back.

Despite the obvious evidence against him in the form of this team’s sorrowful breakdown, there is a case for keeping Jauron. Other than the reality that owner Ralph Wilson wouldn’t throw out an Old Country Buffet coupon, much less pay a fired coach’s salary for three years, not nearly everything that’s gone rotten this season can be pinned on the chief.

For one, Jauron can’t be faulted for his quarterbacks’ spastic play. Emergency option J.P. Losman is devolving by the game, but more important is the fact that more important quarterback Trent Edwards has struggled with both consistency and injury this season. The Stanford product’s fragile nature is emerging as a troubling reality, while his sudden inability to deliver passes, at least to his own teammates, was an unpleasant wild card sprung in the season’s midst; that’s especially true in light of how this entire franchise was counting on Edwards to progress and not plummet. The responsibility to play to his potential is his, not Jauron’s.

Of course, the quarterback’s top blocker didn’t made life easier, as left tackle Jason Peters has also sabotaged many of this team’s hopes notwithstanding the risibly lunatic travesty that is his Pro Bowl selection. A player they were counting on to dominate has functioned as a liability, and he’s been embarrassed far more times than he’s shined in 2008. Peters didn’t show up for training camp, and hasn’t shown up this season; his fit over being owed money he hasn’t earned became a negative factor that’s again the fault not of the coach but rather of the player.

It’s also odd how Jauron’s teams have been stricken with injuries like they’re communicable, dating to his time leading the Chicago Bears and also including last season, when 73 Bills were hobbled by turf toe alone. While the squad hasn’t been nearly as beleaguered this season, those on injured reserve include key pieces like starting linebacker Angelo Crowell and premier end Aaron Schobel along with blossoming corner Ashton Youboty; while injuries should never be used as an excuse, it’s nonetheless tricky to steer a ship forward while coping with an incessantly leaky hull.

Still, he’s responsible for what goes on under his watch no matter the circumstances; plus, there’s no denying the reality of three seasons and three playoff misses when it comes to Jauron’s Bills, including a spectacular implosion this year about which you may have heard. Under those terms, the biggest issue for which the Yale man must be held responsible is a history of weak play-calling by either himself or his coordinator minions.

The intended course of action on the snap which resulted in Losman fumbling away a win against the New York Jets is clearly the most disreputable example, a call for which Jauron took responsibility whether he actually made it or simply gallantly claimed he did as a way of taking the heat for his offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. Given the outcome and ensuing fallout, it was a refreshing admission by the boss regardless of who made the actual decision to pass.

Regardless of the coach’s willingness to take the heat, the truth remains that they just can’t get the balance right: Running back Marshawn Lynch was run into the dirt last season, while Schonert has apparently tried to balance it out by shelving the rusher through maddening stretches this campaign. Luckily, there’s an obvious alternative candidate who should be allowed to show that he can call just enough each of runs and passes. Specifically, letting quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt take over play-calling responsibilities for these final two games would be a sign that Jauron is willing to address an obvious problem.

Van Pelt has some experience in the field of deciding what should happen on the field: He did call plays for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the Footballa Europa Liga in 2005, on top of the reality that this would finally be a way to thank him for minding Buffalo’s bench for so long and leading the team to more wins in 2001 than Rob Johnson did.

While a play-caller change could help, a change in Jauron’s personality is unnecessary: Even though some fans wish he could display more fieriness, the fact is he’s a low-key dude who is restrained by nature. More importantly, coaches don’t need to be psychopathic to be successful. It’s certainly not to compare the two’s careers, but Tom Landry won 250 regular-season games and had a middle school named after him in Arlen, Texas, even though he only used his indoor voice.

Also, there’s never been the sense that players have quit on their coach even during this losing epidemic. Players now have a chance to show they want their leader around: If those on the roster truly believe in Jauron, they can play not only competently but also with vigor during the last pair of games. If they want him and his steady manner retained, they must serve as a reflection of his positive tendencies in the time remaining this year. In the meantime, the Bills and the coach should learn the difference between understandably not revealing a contract’s length or amount and curiously not revealing that a contract exists at all.
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CommentsComments: 99  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
8and8Forever		10:04 AM
12/17/2008
A professional sports coach in Buffalo probably should reflect the fans and the area -- meaning far more emotional, and short...
No.2
Kegman		10:05 AM
12/17/2008
No, you can't pin the blame for this implosion on one guy - it's been a team effort from Wilson on down. I think it will be hard...
No.3
10:13 AM
12/17/2008
If Jason Peters had a pro bowl year then I may be the next president of the united states. what a f'n joke. Fat piece of lazy...
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