More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

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Before the 2008 NFL regular season ended - which, for the Buffalo Bills and even-then-embattled coach Dick Jauron, came in particularly brutal fashion - Bills fans across the nation began calling for a change at head coach. When their wish was not granted in late December of 2008, the countdown was officially on. Jauron's 2009 coaching seat was hot from the moment owner Ralph Wilson chose to keep him days after the close of the 2008 season, and after a 3-5 start in '09, Jauron's seat remains one of the hottest in the NFL.

There are websites, billboards and petitions dedicated to Jauron's ouster. As with any lingering desire, aspects of the campaign have reached irrational levels in some circles. No matter what happens over the second half of this season, selling Jauron and the current regime of decision-makers at One Bills Drive to an understandably impatient fan base next season could prove difficult. Still, fans are only part of the rationale behind any given football decision, and even with all of the angst directed towards Jauron from every angle, there are ways that he can survive the 2009 season in Buffalo.

With the Bills set to embark on an eight-game path to either success or mediocrity-with-a-side-of-regime-change, I thought it would be prudent to lay out the ways in which Jauron can save his job as Bills head coach. (And yes, I understand, though certainly don't condone, that many of you will be visited by the temptation to bypass the article entirely and drop some form of "he needs to go no matter what" or "i hope none of these happen" in the comments section. Hooray, redundancy!)

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More photos » by David Duprey - AP

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The Buffalo Bills face a curious problem at the safety position right now. Opening day starters Donte Whitner and Bryan Scott have each missed at least four starts this season, and while they've been down, rookie Jairus Byrd has established himself as one of the elite young players at his position. Now that Whitner and Scott are close returning to the lineup, the Bills have three legitimate starting safeties, but only two starting spots to occupy.

Luckily for the Bills, Bryan Scott is a multi-faceted weapon. He's also a team player and a genuinely good guy, which makes removing him from the "starting" lineup all the easier. Byrd is a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year and the team's best defensive playmaker by miles, so he's not going anywhere. Whitner won't sit, either, considering his versatility in coverage and the level of play he exhibited prior to his various injuries.

Even if Scott doesn't start - and if both Byrd and Whitner are healthy, he won't (not at safety, anyway) - you're going to see a lot of him. He might just be Buffalo's best run defender, and given the fact that the Bills sport the No. 32-ranked run defense in the NFL, Scott's return to the lineup may be of critical importance, even if he's not technically a starter.

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More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

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The Buffalo Bills returned to the practice field on Monday after their weekend of rest, relaxation, and with any luck, dramatically increased football skill. The week's hiatus appears to have done some good for the team's overall health, as a report from WGR 550 this morning indicates. Here's a quick glance at where the Bills are getting healthy, and where they're still hurting.

+ Trent Edwards practiced fully today and, according to the WGR report, it's looking like he'll be ready to resume starting duties next Sunday in Tennessee. Edwards practiced fully last week, but it appears he got through the weekend unscathed and is ready to get back into the lineup.

+ BuffaloBills.com reports that Shawn Nelson returned to the practice field on Monday as well.

+ Jonathan Scott practiced fully and also appears ready to return to the lineup, according to BuffaloBills.com - which is good timing, really, as fill-in Jamon Meredith missed practiced Monday and is expected to miss another week or two. Scott would, as usual, start at right tackle against a still-feisty Titans pass rush.

+ Aaron Schobel and Kyle Williams missed practice on Monday. Schobel is dealing with a groin injury, while Williams' knee injury was expected to keep him out 2-3 weeks. It's quite early in the week, so there's still a (strong?) chance that both will play this weekend, but clearly the defensive line as a whole is a situation worth monitoring.

+ Keith Ellison also missed practice Monday. Buffalo's leading tackler has a lingering quad issue. If he can't play, Paul Posluszny will likely be flanked by Chris Draft and Nic Harris on Sunday. Yikes.

+ The defensive backfield is getting quite healthy. Terrence McGee, as we mentioned early last week, had his knee scoped and is not yet ready to return to the practice field. There's an outside shot that he plays this weekend, but it's more likely that he returns on November 22 in Jacksonville. If he can't play, Reggie Corner and Ashton Youboty would see increased playing time. The health is coming at safety, where Jairus Byrd, Donte Whitner and Bryan Scott all practiced fully. With the emergence of Byrd, that's as solid a trio of safeties as you'll find in the NFL.

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

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Happy Monday morning, Rumblers. By now, I'm sure most of you are aware that former Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy, on last night's telecast of Football Night in America on NBC, named the Buffalo Bills as a potential landing spot for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick should the Eagles see fit to move him next off-season. First, the quote, in its entirety, courtesy Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com:

"If they want him back, he has to stay there. If they don't, there are some teams looking for quarterbacks - Cleveland, St. Louis and Washington. But I think a dark horse is Buffalo... They talked originally. There was some communication there. I think that could be a good spot."

Obviously, "they" are the Eagles, and all forms of the word "he" is referring to Vick. Before y'all get into a big row in the comments section - which, I realize, is inevitable, given that Michael Vick is the topic of conversation here - there are a few important points to make.

"They talked originally." This isn't completely irrelevant, because the implication that Dungy brings to the table - that Buffalo talked about bringing Vick into the fold as recently as this past August, when Philadelphia signed him to a two-year deal - is interesting in and of itself. Bills COO/GM Russ Brandon denied any such talks taking place when rumors swirled of exactly that notion during training camp, but if Dungy's words are true, Brandon obviously hid it from the press. Which isn't surprising, of course, but it is interesting, because contradictions are always interesting.

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More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

2 days ago: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) looks for a receiver downfield during the first quarter of their NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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No matter what happened on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills - enjoying their bye week this week - would have technically remained in last place. So, even though the New England Patriots held home field advantage and handed the Miami Dolphins their first division loss 27-17, the Dolphins' 3-5 record bests the Bills' 3-5 record because of Miami's 38-10 walloping of Buffalo in Week 4.

The Dolphins did, however, flex their muscles at Gillette Stadium, imposing their will for stretches and playing the Patriots as tough as expected. In a quarterbacks' league, however, Tom Brady will always trump Chad Henne, particularly when New England's passing weapons are much better than Miami's. Brady made a few big throws, Henne didn't, and the rest is history.

The New York Jets (4-4) joined Buffalo on the bye this week. New England now has a two-game lead over the Jets in the division, with the Bills and Dolphins three games out. Only the Patriots (2-1) and Dolphins (3-2) have multiple wins in the division, with the Bills (1-2) and Jets (1-3) bringing up the rear. The standings as the second half of the season commences:

Week 9 of the 2009 NFL regular season is set to kick off at 1:00 PM ET today, and the authors of Buffalo Rumblings are back to provide our picks for all 13 games on the docket.  Nine of us are participating, and once again, we encourage you to leave your own picks in the comments section.  All of our picks are after the jump.  The standings after eight weeks of NFL action:

#1: Brian Galliford (82-34)
#2: poz (80-36)
#3: krytime (79-37)
#4: Ron From NM (77-39)
#5: Kurupt (76-40)
#6: MattRichWarren (75-41)
#7: MARVelous (74-42)
#8: sireric (72-44)
#9: WABillsfan (70-46)

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More photos » by David Richard - AP

3 months ago: The Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans helmets lay on the ground before the the Hall of Fame football game at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

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It's the bye week for the Buffalo Bills, and no matter how comforting the fact that the Bills cannot lose this weekend is, a weekend without Bills football is still kind of a drag. We'll equip you for the weekend ahead with prediction and open game threads for Week 9 football, but as it's still only Saturday (the first week of a two-week layoff is always the longest), we'll table that for the day and instead focus on taking a peek at the rest of the Bills' schedule this season. The short version: as usual, the Bills have some very tough matchups.

November 15: at Tennessee Titans (1-6)
- Chris Johnson has firmly established himself as one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL. The second-year running back out of East Carolina is averaging a whopping 6.9 yards per rush this season, and currently leads the NFL with 824 rushing yards. He is one of only a handful of offensive weapons in the league capable of scoring whenever he touches the football. The Titans are just 1-6 on the season thanks to horrendous play from their defense and a very difficult schedule (their opponents are a combined 29-15), but as long as Johnson is on the field and their defense limits big plays, this team is still talented enough to compete with anyone out there.

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More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

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It's fairly easy to blame coaching for every little problem with a given NFL team, and just as easy to ignore giving credit where credit is due to a coach for team strengths. For Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron, credit is hard to come by these days - his Bills are currently 3-5, and as they're also on the heels of three straight 7-9 seasons, consternation surrounding the coach and his team is at an all-time high.

For all of Jauron's faults and virtues, one fact was continually glossed over throughout Jauron's first three years in Buffalo: his Bills teams were some of the most disciplined and technically sound in the game. Jauron got little credit for that. This season, thanks to the Bills taking the youth route at key positions - admittedly, decisions that Jauron had heavy influence in - the Bills are uncharacteristically mistake-prone. Here's a quick history of Buffalo's discipline (or lack thereof) under Jauron.

In 2006, Jauron's first season in Buffalo, the Bills committed 87 penalties on the season - between 5 and 6 per game. That total was tied for the eighth-lowest in the NFL.

In 2007, the Bills improved in the penalty department under Jauron, committing just 78 on the season (4.9 per game). That total was tied for the seventh-lowest total in the league, and the Bills shared that honor with Bill Belichick's 16-0 New England team.

In 2008, the Bills once again improved in this area, dropping their penalty total to 71 on the season - 4.4 per game, and good for the second-lowest total in the NFL (tied with New England again, and behind Atlanta).

In 2009, we've seen a complete regression, thanks mostly to the youth issues along the offensive line. Through just eight games, Buffalo has committed 59 penalties - the highest total in the league at 7.4 per game, or three more penalties per game than they averaged a year ago.

The lack of discipline has undoubtedly been a key factor in the Bills' struggles this season. (Buffalo's opponents have been helpful, committing 36 penalties to the Bills' 18 in their three wins.) Jauron's decisions to make wholesale, youthful changes along the offensive line and in other key areas have led to these issues, and it may ultimately cost him his job. To his credit, however, the penalty issue has gotten slightly better as the season has worn on; after committing 28 penalties in Weeks 1-3, the Bills have totaled 31 penalties in their last five games, a difference of 3 per game. In addition, in their last two games, the Bills have committed just 7 penalties while going 1-1.

More photos » by David Richard - AP

3 months ago: Former Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins player Bruce Smith speaks during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

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Fans of the NFL do not have a vote when it comes to placing players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thanks to an NFL partnership with Van Heusen and JC Penney, however, NFL fans now have a voice and public acknowledgment in the Hall of Fame voting process. The Van Heusen Fan's Choice vote is the result of that partnership, and gives fans some (unofficial) say in the Hall of Fame voting process.

The Buffalo Bills have been fortunate enough to place key members of the organization into the Hall of Fame in recent years, including Marv Levy, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and team owner Ralph Wilson. There are, however, still players deserving of that honor - Andre Reed, Steve Tasker, Darryl Talley, Kent Hull and Cornelius Bennett, as examples - that aren't being hyped up enough. In the Fan's Choice vote, for example, Reed is the highest-voted former Bill, but he's approximately 10,000 votes behind leading vote-getter Jerry Rice. I urge everyone to head on over to the voting page and make that change a little.

Again, even though the fan vote does not officially count towards the actual Hall of Fame voting process, the results of this vote will be announced by NFL Network shortly before the official results are announced early next year. Go vote! And, if you've never seen this video... well, let's just say that I've been looking for an excuse to post it for a couple of weeks now, and this is the perfect spot for it.