Best Case Scenario

[DrDawkinstein]

OK, let me ask you to give me a list...Please list all games that the Bills have won during Jauron's reign where you were skeptical of our chances going in.

 

 

all of them except maybe the dolphins games. and even then i know better than to EXPECT a win.

[ax4782]

Won loss record is disputed?

 

Having Steve Fairchild call play for the final games last year is in dispute?

 

All thumbs handling of our QBs last year is in dispute?

 

Common axle, you certainly can do better than that.

 

 

OK, let me ask you to give me a list...Please list all games that the Bills have won during Jauron's reign where you were skeptical of our chances going in.

 

The reason for the win/loss record IS disputed. You blame Jauron entirely, I think there are a lot of other factors that have contributed to it.

 

The Fairchild playcalling fiasco, in your opinion is completely Jauron's fault. I believe that was a call made by the front office and Jauron was saddled with him. His comments last year indicated for the bulk of the season that he wasn't pleased with the playcalling, but nothing was done. Whose fault was it really? I don't know, maybe a bit of both, but not entirely Jauron's IMO. Clearly a dispute.

 

The "all thumbs handling" that you describe is also up for debate. I thought Jauron did a very good job managing the situation. When JP got hurt, TE was put in and he played very well. He then got hurt, and JP came in for four weeks. TE may have been ready for J-Ville, but Jauron decided to wait and let him heal and to give JP his last chance at keeping the starting job. JP proved he couldn't cut it and the Bills put TE back in and stuck with him. They have since stated that TE is the starter for next year. I think they did a very effective job with the situation, working out three problems. One, seeing if TE could play, two finally seeing that JP could not cut it as a starter, and three making a solid decision on the future of the position by naming TE the starter and seeing if he could hack it last year. There are still questions, but at least we have a plan going forward. Seems like a sound decision IMO. Again, clearly a dispute.

 

No matter how good a team is, I don't EXPECT us to win. On any given Sunday, one team can beat another. That's the parody problem in the league now. I will say that regardless of your position, whether we won games we weren't supposed to, Jauron has kept this team competitive against opponents that we weren't even supposed to be competitive against. NE being the exception, but ALMOST no one was competitive against them last year, so I would toss that one out. Buffalo was a good team last year and they are getting better by most accounts. Let's see where we are at the end of the season before we start trying to run another coach out of town.

[Dibs]

My take on Jauron:

 

1] In all the years of coaching, this coming season for the Bills will be the most talent he has ever had on a team, and that talent is around the middle of the pack. He has never coached a team with any real talent. So it's impossible to say what kind of coach he will be with any talent.

 

2] NFL head coaches have to be able to do MANY things well all at the same time. Most of them are good at one or two of them, a few of the best are good at most all of them. In short, they are 1] win, 2] motivate their players and get the best out of them, 3] game plan for the upcoming game, 4] make in game decisions and changes. (Some coaches are also responsible for stocking their teams, and Jauron is a person who has a lot of say but not all)

 

Looking at it this way, Jauron has only shown so far to be able to motivate his players and get the best out of them. He has not been able to win, he is not a master-game planner, and he has not really shown that he consistently makes good in game decisions and changes. A lot of that has to do with the talent he was given, and what he has proven is that he can get the most out of a team with marginal talent. That's why he still has a job and that's why he deserves a chance this year.

 

But what he is clearly good at doesn't matter any more, because he has some talent, and he now must prove he can do the other essential things that a coach must do: win, game plan, and make good in game decisions that lead to wins. All three of those things are unknowns at this point. But IMO must be proven this year.

 

One could argue, and I am one who believes this, that he has shown a decent ability to game plan because he got the Bills to play above their talent level and in a position to win games they probably shouldn't have won. In some respects that's true. But it's only half the equation, and that conservative style won't beat you good teams on a consistent basis and won't get you far in the playoffs unless you have a completely dominant defense. So while his game planning did well with what he had to work with, he still hasn't shown any ability to get a team to just go out and beat the other team. It may not be his fault but you cannot assume he can do it, because nothing in his history has shown that ability. The jury is out for him and he needs to prove it early this September.

 

3] In regard to respect around the league, Jauron seems to be very highly regarded, but that IMO has nothing to do with his qualities as a head coach. It has only to do with his qualities as a man. Players love to play for him because he treats them with respect. Management loves him because he's a smart, solid, experienced professional. The press loves him for the most part because he's a good guy and he respects them (although they can never get much out of him). So when all these accolades come out about what a great reputation he has around the league, it is very well earned, but really has little to do with his coaching abilities.

Very nice post Kelly......though I don't agree with every aspect the crux of it is IMO spot on.

The jury should be still out regarding DJ.

[Dibs]

............The ones who agree with me are tired of hearing how Jauron is the next Tom Coughlin or Bill Belichick.........

Who's saying this? Seems to me that people who are not convinced that DJ is a dud of a coach are simply defending their views ......not promoting him as the next 'great' coach at all.

[Sisyphean Bills]

And ten years ago, the opposite was true.

And this absolutely nothing to to do with today's Bills and front office.

 

I find it rather ironic that you keep comparing Jauron to Coughlin. Jauron's best professional success came when he worked for Tom Coughlin (other than the "Mike Brown saves us again" season). In fact, Dick Jauron would, arguably, never have been considered for a head coaching job without the strong start Coughlin displayed with an expansion team. And since there are some that want to marginalize that achievement, it should be said again: that was an expansion team. Compare what they did out of the gates to the Browns, Texans, and Panthers. Sure, mistakes were made, but Coughlin did an incredible job and the small market Jaguars continue to be a formidable football organization.

 

Who's saying this? Seems to me that people who are not convinced that DJ is a dud of a coach are simply defending their views ......not promoting him as the next 'great' coach at all.

He's not the next great coach. He is the great coach. He just needs a chance to show it. Damn front office and bad players keep dragging him down.

[ax4782]

And this absolutely nothing to to do with today's Bills and front office.

 

I find it rather ironic that you keep comparing Jauron to Coughlin. Jauron's best professional success came when he worked for Tom Coughlin (other than the "Mike Brown saves us again" season). In fact, Dick Jauron would, arguably, never have been considered for a head coaching job without the strong start Coughlin displayed with an expansion team. And since there are some that want to marginalize that achievement, it should be said again: that was an expansion team. Compare what they did out of the gates to the Browns, Texans, and Panthers. Sure, mistakes were made, but Coughlin did an incredible job and the small market Jaguars continue to be a formidable football organization.

 

 

He's not the next great coach. He is the great coach. He just needs a chance to show it. Damn front office and bad players keep dragging him down.

 

And every head coach had to work for someone else. So what? My point isn't to say that comparing them game for game and say oh, well they are the same. My point is that when Coughlin was coaching solid teams in J-Ville, he did fairly well, but when he has been in NY with crappy teams he hasn't done good. Then this year, lightning struck and now he's the "best coach ever" and our coach should be like him. The point is, if you give a coach decent players to put on the field, almost anyone can win ten games. Belicheat couldn't tell his ass from his elbow in Cleveland and the fans ran him out after two or three years. Also note that those winning seasons in J-Ville started in Coughlin's THIRD year in J-Ville, 1997. He had coached two mediocre teams in 1995 and 1996 their first two years in existence. And while Jacksonville had good regular seasons, they did not play well in the playoffs. I also like the fact the YOU continue to call Jauron's good campaign a fluke, but continue to credit Coughlin one hit wonder as something expected. Anyone in NY would have told you before last season that they wanted the guy gone, that he was wasting the talented team they had in NY and that he couldn't coach. What a difference a year can make for the overall perception of a coach and the job he does.

 

And by the way, even the greatest coaches have a hard time winning when their team doesn't perform. Bill Parcells sure did a heck of job in coaching the Jets those three years. And Jimmy Johnson was fabulous with those Dolphins teams of the late 90's. And Herm Edwards has been a real hit down there in KC. Even Joe Gibbs had to give up because he couldn't get a less than mediocre Washington team to better than a 9-7 record in his coaching return. I guess those guys should have never been coaching either.

 

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT COMPARING JAURON TO ANY OF THESE COACHES. HE IS CLEARLY NOT (YET) EVEN CLOSE TO BEING THAT CALIBER OF A COACH. MY POINT IS ONLY THAT EVEN GOOD COACHES HAVE TROUBLE WINNING WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE TALENTED PLAYERS ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS COMMENT OUT OF CONTEXT.

[Lurker]

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT COMPARING JAURON TO ANY OF THESE COACHES. HE IS CLEARLY NOT (YET) EVEN CLOSE TO BEING THAT CALIBER OF A COACH. MY POINT IS ONLY THAT EVEN GOOD COACHES HAVE TROUBLE WINNING WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE TALENTED PLAYERS ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS COMMENT OUT OF CONTEXT.

 

Good luck with that one....

[Adam]

And this absolutely nothing to to do with today's Bills and front office.

 

I find it rather ironic that you keep comparing Jauron to Coughlin. Jauron's best professional success came when he worked for Tom Coughlin (other than the "Mike Brown saves us again" season). In fact, Dick Jauron would, arguably, never have been considered for a head coaching job without the strong start Coughlin displayed with an expansion team. And since there are some that want to marginalize that achievement, it should be said again: that was an expansion team. Compare what they did out of the gates to the Browns, Texans, and Panthers. Sure, mistakes were made, but Coughlin did an incredible job and the small market Jaguars continue to be a formidable football organization.

 

 

He's not the next great coach. He is the great coach. He just needs a chance to show it. Damn front office and bad players keep dragging him down.

This is the result of years of bad drafting. Being a great coach doesn't always translate to a winning record. It really depends on where you are, and what you have to work with.

 

Look at Levy before the Bills and Torre before the Yankees- they were not different coache, they just had better players....they ALREADY were great coaches

[Sisyphean Bills]

This is the result of years of bad drafting. Being a great coach doesn't always translate to a winning record. It really depends on where you are, and what you have to work with.

It's not really so starkly black and white. Great coaches get the most out of the players they have. These hypothetical great players don't just get beamed into the organization by Scotty. It's disingenuous to say that great leadership comes from having a "perfect team". With a perfect team, a wooden post could be a great leader.

[Beerball]

The reason for the win/loss record IS disputed. You blame Jauron entirely,

Common now dood, find my quote where i say that. Your silly about this and that is fine by me, but don't put words in my keyboard. I have a very balanced outlook regarding this team.

[ax4782]

It's not really so starkly black and white. Great coaches get the most out of the players they have. These hypothetical great players don't just get beamed into the organization by Scotty. It's disingenuous to say that great leadership comes from having a "perfect team". With a perfect team, a wooden post could be a great leader.

 

And I would say that getting as far as we did last year on a team with 12 guys on IR and a lineup filled with PS players on defense, that Jauron got the most out of the players he had left. No, it wasn't the outcome that we all wanted, but Jauron got the players to play their hearts out every week. IMO, if Buffalo had had all of its starters on the field on D, we win at least two more games last year. I'm not saying Jauron needs the perfect team to succeed, but one that isn't injury plagued and filled with PS players would be a start. Let's see how this season goes before we start judging whether or not he should get another year.

[ax4782]

Common now dood, find my quote where i say that. Your silly about this and that is fine by me, but don't put words in my keyboard. I have a very balanced outlook regarding this team.

 

I don't think looking objectively at the situation and realizing that Jauron hasn't had enough time with this team to make a determination about his coaching abilities makes me "silly about this." And for a guy that has a "balanced outlook regarding this team" you sure do put a lot of blame on an HC who has been operating in difficult quarters during his first two seasons with the Bills. I would say that if the Bills have a terrible year this season without a lot of injuries, then you have more significant grounds for pointing to Jauron. Particularly if the playcalling isn't any better and the D is the same or worse. Fine, then I'll happily say that Jauron has failed. But at this point there is nothing upon which to base such an argument. What he did in Chicago is not what he is doing now. Different team, different conference, different time. Looking at what he has done in his first two seasons in Buffalo he has really started to get this team on the right track. Many are suggesting that the Bills may be contenders for the playoffs this year, a preseaon prognostication that I haven't heard from anyone in a long time. Could we see where Jauron is with the roster he has helped build when the end of the season comes around before we start predicting doom and gloom and start running yet another coach out of town?

[1billsfan]

And I would say that getting as far as we did last year on a team with 12 guys on IR and a lineup filled with PS players on defense, that Jauron got the most out of the players he had left. No, it wasn't the outcome that we all wanted, but Jauron got the players to play their hearts out every week. IMO, if Buffalo had had all of its starters on the field on D, we win at least two more games last year. I'm not saying Jauron needs the perfect team to succeed, but one that isn't injury plagued and filled with PS players would be a start. Let's see how this season goes before we start judging whether or not he should get another year.

 

That would be a touching sob story if it weren't for the fact that the Jets and Dolphins were about inept offensively as an NFL team could get. They were ranked 26th and 28th respectively. That's four of Jauron's wins right there. Sorry but us stopping them was not the miracle you are making it out to be. As for the practice squad level comments, I'd argue that the replacements played as good or better than the starters at the beginning of the year. Greer is way better than Webster, was Poz going to play that much better than Digiorgio did last year? No. Wilson played as good of free safety as the still very average Simpson has ever had for this team. Kelsay sucks, so a wooden door would have played as well as him. Stop making last year into this epic season of attrition. It wasn't. I saw with my own two eyes this team badly being outcoached when not facing the NFL's version of the little sisters of the poor. I'm still angered by Jauron's lack of imagination and unpredictability in his gameplanning. We all hope our opinions on this matter are wrong, but his history tells us another story. Last year was the final straw for me, I gave him a chance to show me what he has in terms of head coaching ability and came to the conclusion that the Chicago Bears were right in firing him. He doesn't have what it takes. You all are waiting for the perfect team for him to coach, THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN HERE! We need a coach that can get the most out of a flawed team. Not someone who pads his feeble coaching wins stats on the NFL's most inept teams then gets killed when facing a well coached team.

[DrDawkinstein]

That would be a touching sob story if it weren't for the fact that the Jets and Dolphins were about inept offensively as an NFL team could get. They were ranked 26th and 28th respectively. That's four of Jauron's wins right there.

 

and we were what? 30th? so the Bills were the weaker team.

 

shouldnt they have beaten us each time?