ESPN.com's Jauron report

[Lori]

Here's another question, Tim: In all the pro beats you've covered, have you ever seen a team keep contract info under wraps the way the Bills do? I feel like I'm watching the NHL playoffs, when the coach says "upper-body injury" to describe a guy with a busted ankle.

 

Sully's right. Why not announce it the week it was supposed to be done? The Bills were still a respectable 5-2 at that point, with the icebergs still off in the distance. Why the secrecy? I thought we were done with Donahoe and his paranoia.

[DonInBuffalo]

Hey, guys. Just wanted to drop a line about the alleged ESPN.com report that Jauron signed his contract extension Sunday.

 

I traveled today and might have missed it, but I did fly JetBlue and watched ESPN and ESPNews for three hours and nobody made mention of it. That doesn't mean somebody might have mentioned it on ESPN Radio or ESPN Canada or The Ocho.

 

The only place I have seen an inference that Jauron signed his extension on Sunday is a Pro Football Talk item from earlier today that claims that's the case, but there's no link to support it or any mention of the reporter who supposedly broke it. I work for ESPN.com, covering the AFC East, and I didn't report it.

 

Here is the story on our site:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3769872

 

There's no mention that it was signed Sunday, only that it has been signed. I'll admit it's not the best-written couple of paragraphs and perhaps misleading if you're prone to filling in blanks.

 

So I'm confused and curious if anybody can fill me in.

Are you sure about that?

 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-4-534...-delivered.html

 

Although it's just a gut feeling, I think Jauron will be back next year. All of my sources inform me he has signed the much-reported-yet-unconfirmed three-year contract extension. Even if the Bills were to fire Jauron, Cowher doesn't fit their modus operandi -- or their budget.

You're ESPN's AFCE beat reporter. If "all of your sources informed you" that the extension had been signed, is it possible that another reporter at ESPN took that and ran with it without getting your confirmation/approval?

[UConn James]

My take is not based on much more than educated guesses, but I think the Bills are being hush hush about it because they're emabarrassed about the situation and don't know how to turn it into a positive.

 

Easy. Put whipped topping on this turd and say that it's shoo-fly-pie. Ralph holds it up to his mouth with the spoon and hums, "Mmmm!" yet is careful not to take a bite (similar to how our mothers used to con us into eating pureed peas and liver).

[Lori]

Are you sure about that?

 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-4-534...-delivered.html

 

You're ESPN's AFCE beat reporter. If "all of your sources informed you" that the extension had been signed, is it possible that another reporter at ESPN took that and ran with it without getting your confirmation/approval?

 

He said he thinks it was signed ... but back in October, not on Sunday. Here's a post from early November:

Jauron plummets, Sparano soars in coach ratings

 

November 4, 2008 10:52 AM

 

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

 

Two games after we learned Dick Jauron had agreed to a contract extension, Buffalo Bills fans aren't pleased with their head coach.

 

And that mailbag was delivered on Saturday morning.

[Stussy109]

Hey, guys. Just wanted to drop a line about the alleged ESPN.com report that Jauron signed his contract extension Sunday.

 

I traveled today and might have missed it, but I did fly JetBlue and watched ESPN and ESPNews for three hours and nobody made mention of it. That doesn't mean somebody might have mentioned it on ESPN Radio or ESPN Canada or The Ocho.

 

The only place I have seen an inference that Jauron signed his extension on Sunday is a Pro Football Talk item from earlier today that claims that's the case, but there's no link to support it or any mention of the reporter who supposedly broke it. I work for ESPN.com, covering the AFC East, and I didn't report it.

 

Here is the story on our site:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3769872

 

There's no mention that it was signed Sunday, only that it has been signed. I'll admit it's not the best-written couple of paragraphs and perhaps misleading if you're prone to filling in blanks.

 

So I'm confused and curious if anybody can fill me in.

 

I heard Adam Schefter report it Sunday AM b4 the 1pm games. Signed 3 years through 2011, and mentioned how the Bills are "cash strapped" and it would be difficult to eat his contract. Schefter mentioned it was signed back in October.

[Corp000085]

Ok, here's what I really think happened:

 

 

a) DJ signed his contract in october

 

b) it has a clause in it only guaranteeing the contract based on a certain number of wins or making the playoffs this year. Hey, if this happened, it was a good idea. The bills were 4-0 and looked like they were in command. the opt out gave some insurance to ralph and the bills.

 

c) the legit news was leaked in october, which is why we started to talk about it then.

 

d) after the swoon, the taxi driver "leaked" the story to get everyone fired up so that ralph can swoop in and make the save the monday after the pats game.

 

 

 

 

 

If my scenario is right, honestly, neither side messed up too bad. The bills had t heir winner coach in october and now that hindsight has come, we see that he wasn't really a winner so ralph can fire him without penalty. The only bad thing about this story is the misinformation being leaked.

 

One think i'm 100% sure of is that this is a great soap opera for us.

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

Easy. Put whipped topping on this turd and say that it's shoo-fly-pie. Ralph holds it up to his mouth with the spoon and hums, "Mmmm!" yet is careful not to take a bite (similar to how our mothers used to con us into eating pureed peas and liver).

 

 

Now that's some funny stuff.

[BuffaloWings]

Ok, here's what I really think happened:

 

a) DJ signed his contract in october

 

b) it has a clause in it only guaranteeing the contract based on a certain number of wins or making the playoffs this year. Hey, if this happened, it was a good idea. The bills were 4-0 and looked like they were in command. the opt out gave some insurance to ralph and the bills.

 

c) the legit news was leaked in october, which is why we started to talk about it then.

 

d) after the swoon, the taxi driver "leaked" the story to get everyone fired up so that ralph can swoop in and make the save the monday after the pats game.

 

If my scenario is right, honestly, neither side messed up too bad. The bills had t heir winner coach in october and now that hindsight has come, we see that he wasn't really a winner so ralph can fire him without penalty. The only bad thing about this story is the misinformation being leaked.

 

One think i'm 100% sure of is that this is a great soap opera for us.

 

 

I think Corp is right on target here. If there were no stipulations, we would have heard confirmation from the Bills in October. It seems to be natural for info like this to leak, so hearing about something like this in October isn't so terrible.

 

But the way ESPN reported it is bizarre...approaching the "unprofessional" label to me. It makes the Bills' organization look bad...perhaps Mort is in charge of what stories get reported???

[Chandler#81]

Fort Erie race track is closing, maybe it's not too late for a Horse's head in Dick's bed!

 

Perhaps a horse's azz would be more appropriate..

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

But the way ESPN reported it is bizarre...approaching the "unprofessional" label to me. It makes the Bills' organization look bad...perhaps Mort is in charge of what stories get reported???

 

The Bills organization doesn't need to LOOK bad. It IS bad.

 

And it's going to be winless in division this year. Fantastic.

[Beerball]

Hey, Tim, thanks for dropping in.

 

On his regular WGR appearance this afternoon, Sully apparently blasted ESPN for making it look like the deal was signed yesterday ... so whatever the misunderstanding was, it went that far. I didn't hear it, but here's that thread: http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?showtopic=79297

And here's the link in the Audio Vault: http://audio.wgr550.com/m/audio/21666001/1...opp-bulldog.htm

 

Honestly? I think you, Chuck, and everybody else who came to the conclusion that the deal was inked back in October, were right. I also think the hed and the first sentence in your link -- the same story that set people off here -- were the source of the confusion you're trying to clear up now. "Bills coach Jauron signs extension" (instead of signed) and "Despite going on a 1-7 slide" do make it sound like the contract was signed after that stretch of futile football, no?

Tim--glad the child is doing well!!!

 

Lori (or anyone else who wants to chime in)--why why why why why why why why why why why why why why would the Bills not publicize the contract at the time it was signed?

 

Why do you renegotiate a coaches contract when he's in the middle of the final year? To set everyone's mind at ease. The team, the journalists, the fans, the coaching staff all benefit from knowing they are not working for a lame duck. So why all the "we don't talk about contracts here" BS? Think in terms of when the contract was supposedly signed and give me one solid reason why the team would not want to make it public. This puzzles me.

[Steely Dan]

Tim--glad the child is doing well!!!

 

Lori (or anyone else who wants to chime in)--why why why why why why why why why why why why why why would the Bills not publicize the contract at the time it was signed?

 

Why do you renegotiate a coaches contract when he's in the middle of the final year? To set everyone's mind at ease. The team, the journalists, the fans, the coaching staff all benefit from knowing they are not working for a lame duck. So why all the "we don't talk about contracts here" BS? Think in terms of when the contract was supposedly signed and give me one solid reason why the team would not want to make it public. This puzzles me.

 

 

Chutes and Ladders puzzles you.

[TimGraham]

Here's another question, Tim: In all the pro beats you've covered, have you ever seen a team keep contract info under wraps the way the Bills do? I feel like I'm watching the NHL playoffs, when the coach says "upper-body injury" to describe a guy with a busted ankle.

 

Sully's right. Why not announce it the week it was supposed to be done? The Bills were still a respectable 5-2 at that point, with the icebergs still off in the distance. Why the secrecy? I thought we were done with Donahoe and his paranoia.

 

I've encountered situations where a contract had been signed, nobody caught wind and the team didn't announce it until after a season. But I have never heard of a team refusing to acknowledge a contract extension once it has been reported.

[TimGraham]

I think Corp is right on target here. If there were no stipulations, we would have heard confirmation from the Bills in October. It seems to be natural for info like this to leak, so hearing about something like this in October isn't so terrible.

 

But the way ESPN reported it is bizarre...approaching the "unprofessional" label to me. It makes the Bills' organization look bad...perhaps Mort is in charge of what stories get reported???

 

This is how news gets out sometimes. One outlet reports something, so another outlet gets on the phone and contacts its sources to get the story confirmed independently.

 

Both times Adam Schefter, who is an NFL employee, broke the news. It's very simple for ESPN to call somebody, ask "I saw this on NFL Network. Is this true?" and be told "Now that it's out there, yes, it's true."

 

So what you see as unporfessional is how things are done and always will be done.

[Lori]

I think Corp is right on target here. If there were no stipulations, we would have heard confirmation from the Bills in October. It seems to be natural for info like this to leak, so hearing about something like this in October isn't so terrible.

 

But the way ESPN reported it is bizarre...approaching the "unprofessional" label to me. It makes the Bills' organization look bad...perhaps Mort is in charge of what stories get reported???

I'd like to think Corp is right, but I still remember the handshake agreement to not franchise Nate Clements. Sorry, but despite all our wishful thinking, I can't see either Ralph or Russ playing hardball with Jauron when the team was 5-1. Let's hope I'm wrong.

 

And as my bitter friend from downstate points out ... while ESPN's initial report may have caused confusion, the Bills are doing just fine at looking bad without any outside help.

[Haven Moses]

This is how news gets out sometimes. One outlet reports something, so another outlet gets on the phone and contacts its sources to get the story confirmed independently.

 

Both times Adam Schefter, who is an NFL employee, broke the news. It's very simple for ESPN to call somebody, ask "I saw this on NFL Network. Is this true?" and be told "Now that it's out there, yes, it's true."

 

So what you see as unporfessional is how things are done and always will be done.

 

I hate it when people are unporfessional.

 

I also doubt that the Bills were smart enough to have a clause in there for the amount of wins this year. These are the same guys who made Harvey Johnson and Hank Bullough head coaches.

[lets_go_bills]

Reports surfaced in October that DJ had signed an extension. It was in October, in the midst of our strong play. Knowing he was in the final year of his deal, I'm sure Ralph wanted to extend him early so that DJ wouldn't be coaching the season without knowing his future.

 

It was a good faith move on Mr. Wilson's behalf. They wanted to keep it hush hush at first, like always, citing "team policy", but I think after he signed it, it all went down hill fast and the Bills became embarrassed and didn't want to announce it because they knew fans would not approve. They also wanted to see if DJ could maybe right the ship and then announce it. But no.

 

Of course, all we can do is speculate and try and fill in the blanks left by reports from outlets like ESPN.com or Schefter on NFL.com

 

I truly believe that our worst fears are true, that DJ did sign it and Ralph won't want to eat it. But he may lose money on ticket sales in DJ is brought back, so he's probably weighing his options.

 

This whole thing really sucks. It's like there's a pink elephant in the room, we're all pointing at it, but Ralph won't even acknowledged its existence.

[Lori]

I've encountered situations where a contract had been signed, nobody caught wind and the team didn't announce it until after a season. But I have never heard of a team refusing to acknowledge a contract extension once it has been reported.

As someone posted on a different thread after watching yesterday's uncomfortable press conference, it almost makes you feel bad for Jauron. He has enough on-the-field issues to answer for, but since Ralph and Russ don't have regularly-scheduled availability, he's left holding the bag for this, too. Part of the job? In this case, I'm not so sure.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

As someone posted on a different thread after watching yesterday's uncomfortable press conference, it almost makes you feel bad for Jauron. He has enough on-the-field issues to answer for, but since Ralph and Russ don't have regularly-scheduled availability, he's left holding the bag for this, too. Part of the job? In this case, I'm not so sure.

I really don't mind Jauron, but this franchise as a whole has become an absolute circus. This is comparable to the Favre/Green Bay and Oakland/Kiffin fiascos, where the head coach ends up fielding a bunch of questions that really ought to be directed elsewhere.

 

The structure of this front office is a joke, and it hurts the team on the field and off it.

[BuffaloWings]

This is how news gets out sometimes. One outlet reports something, so another outlet gets on the phone and contacts its sources to get the story confirmed independently.

 

Both times Adam Schefter, who is an NFL employee, broke the news. It's very simple for ESPN to call somebody, ask "I saw this on NFL Network. Is this true?" and be told "Now that it's out there, yes, it's true."

 

So what you see as unporfessional is how things are done and always will be done.

What I meant by "unprofessional" was the implication that the extension was signed on Sunday, when there seemed to be absolutely no reason for the Bills organization (Ralph, Russ, & whoever else is involved with the contracts) to want Jauron to be extended after this meltdown.

 

It seemed that the outlets reiterating that the extension was agreed to were trying to emphasize it, thus making the Bills look bad. I guess the word "unprofessional" is too strong, in this case...and yes, I agree the media outlets don't need to make the Bills look bad - the Bills are doing a fine job of that, themselves.

 

Tim - as always, good info! I appreciate you clearing this up for us.