SB Nation User Blog: MARVelous

Dick Jauron: What a Leader

MARVelous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:27:39 -0000

I know I'll get bashed if I write anything pro-Dick Jauron, but I have no issues defending this man. Regardless of what you think of Jauron, one thing you can never say is that he is not a great leader. What is leadership? Defined by Webster:

"process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task"

Anyone who is a coach, and is in it for the right reasons, knows the right reason is to accomplish goals as a team. It's not for individual success to gain in their profession, or any other reason, but simply to accomplish the goals they set out. Each coach will have different ways of motivating his players, each coach has unique personalities, and each coach is shaped by their experiences as a player/coach, mentors and their overall coaching/teaching philosophy.

I have never seen Dick Jauron lose a football team. In fact, under the most dire of circumstances, I see Dick Jauron is capable of rallying his team to play at their highest of levels, with energy and passion. Again, I'm not talking about scheming, game management, or x's and o's, I'm talking simply about leading a team to unite, to play to their potential, and to never quit on the overall goal: to accomplish a common task as a TEAM.

I thought Ralph Wilson's quotes today in the Associated Press were very fitting, and something all of us should take stock in during these turbulent times as a Bills fan:

"The only stat that matters is the `W,"’ Wilson said. "All things considered, for a lot of the heat that our coaches have been taking, guys getting injured, adversity comes in a variety of ways. It’s how you respond to it. And we did a phenomenal job of following coach Jauron’s lead by staying poised and composed."

For all of us, in our life, we should be lucky if we can find ways to stay as poised and persistent as Jauron has through all the billboards, losses, and fan anarchy. We live in a media world that demands instant gratification. It's part of the deal, and Jauron has never shied away from that. But he has also never handled himself with anything other than class and integrity, and I think that is to be commended. (I take that back. I know that is to be commended.) When we all go through struggles in our personal lives with family and at work, it's often easy to throw our hands up in the air and say the hell with it when times become too tough.

When Trent Edwards left the Jets game and the other injuries kept piling up, as a fan I'm sure many of you were saying "seriously, what else can go wrong?" You don't think that crossed Jauron's mind as well? When Lindell missed the kick in regulation many of you, alongside most of the nation, said "typical Bills, just can't pull through." However, what I saw yesterday despite the ugliness of the win was a team reflecting their coach. Just as we reflect our parents and our mentors that shape our lives, the Bills' players reflected Jauron. When Edwards walked off, I saw Evans going up to Ryan Fitzpatrick and giving him words of encouragement in that dire situation. I saw Eric Wood picking our running backs up off of the turf, and he was quick to stand up for his QB when they got hit. I saw Paul Posluszny play with pride and passion that diffused throughout the entire defense.

People get perplexed when Dick Jauron isn't animated on game day. That's because he understands the preparation was done before the game. In the heat of the battle, his job is to stay poised, keep his thoughts clear, and be the leader. I hate when people say "I don't care if the team loves Dick Jauron, they stink and he doesn't show emotion and he's too soft on these guys." I believe that is very much the wrong take. If you think another coach's scheme is better... fine. If you think another coach could teach football better... fine. But if you think for one second anyone could motivate or lead better, you are sorely mistaken.

While no one knows where this season will go next, the one thing I know is that a Jauron-led football team will never give up. Michael Lombardi named Dick Jauron coach of the week in his Monday Tavern Column.

He’s been very professional dealing with the uncertainty of his position, and his players have played hard for him in every game. They’re not the most talented team in the NFL, but yesterday they got a win against the reeling Jets. Wins will be hard to come by for Jauron the remainder of the season, but getting his team to play hard won’t be a difficult challenge.

If you think firing Jauron, and letting Bobby April or Perry Fewell run this team is a good idea, you are again sorely mistaken. Jauron will face the storm of adversity head on, like a true warrior, and continue to rally the troops until Ralph is forced to make a move. Until that day, Jauron will instill hope to do what Calvin Coolidge so eloquently said is the only thing one can possibly do when facing adversity... "Press On."

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race"

So, while many of you have given up hope on this season, I still have some, and the only reason there is any left is because of the Bills' head coach. The Bills' misfortunes are an organizational problem, not a HC problem. The problems lie much deeper, and some have been well-documented here at Rumblings. The HC takes the heat, and Jauron understands that. So shoot me for yesterday, feeling good for Jauron after all the criticism he has been taking. I tipped a few back for Dick, as he looks like he hasn't slept in weeks, and I guarantee you know one is working harder to try and make this team a success THIS season, than Dick Jauron.

How are Bills' Players Affected by Jauron's Hot Seat?

MARVelous — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:12:41 -0000

How are Bills' Players Affected by Jauron's Hot Seat?

Good write up by former Ross Tucker of cnnsi.com

No Plan = No Results

MARVelous — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:31:09 -0000

I had to put this up into a fanpost, in light of the 1-4 start, and the dysfunction of our favorite football team. This is from Michael Lombardi over at the National Football Post.

Bills GM Russ Brandon on the 6-3 loss: “It is frustrating. I said it last week and I will say it again this week, this is a low point for the organization and for the fan base. We worked our tails off in the offseason to put us in a position that should be better than where we are now. Certainly, we understand the frustration of our fans and everyone that supports this organization.” Working your tail off doesn’t ensure success in the NFL. Working your tail off and making the right moves, however, do ensure success. The Bills placed too much faith in quarterback Trent Edwards, believing he could be their answer as a starter. He’s not a starter. News alert: The Bills need a quarterback.

I could make many points here, but the main point I want to make is about the Bills Front Office. There are many flaws in Buffalo's organizational structure....but work ethic is not one of them. It's not like Brandon, Jauron, Modrak, Guy, etc are lazy people. The problem lies in the fact that there is no one LEADER. The APPROACH and ATTITUDE of this organization is defined by a committee of people rather than one VOICE, which is why we have no identity as a football team. There is no football vision. What are we? The only thing about the Bills under Dick Jauron that is clear, is that we are a Tampa 2 defense that plays extremely hard, and usually under Bobby April has spectacular special teams. There is no offensive identity. They have clearly misevaluated the talent of the OL, and the capability of Trent Edwards as a starting caliber QB in this league. What separates good businesses from great businesses in any sector is not work ethic, because everyone knows you must work hard to succeed. It's knowing how to fix things when they go wrong. It's admitting mistakes and fixing them. Dick Jauron has had no clue what to do on the offensive side of the ball during his entire tenure and neither has anyone else in the organization for that matter, which is why we have had 3 OC's in 4 years.

Simply put. Dick Jauron is a great coach, a great leader and a great person. He is not however, a General Manager a talent evaluator, nor is he the one clear voice in the Bills organization. He clearly has his flaws, but those flaws are due to the committee approach of the organization and his lack of ability to make football decisions. They obviously screwed up big time spending all those FA dollars on Dockery & Walker. They have yet to find a QB, or an offensive coordinator. They have yet to find an identity in 3+ seasons.

Last thing I'll say. Everyone was giving so much kudos to the no-huddle approach in the off-season. This was clearly Dick Jauron's attempt at trying something new, something different to finally score enough points. In theory it was a good idea. However, he failed to think about having such a young and inexperienced OL and what it would take for them to run this system. The failure to think ahead about the APPROACH, led to the disaster and atrocious discipline of yesterday's circus of false starts. Trent IS NOT Peyton Manning. He cannot read a pre-snap defense and get them in the right play like they had hoped the no-huddle would allow him to do. They did not evaluate him correctly, or maybe they aren't putting him in the best position to succeed. He has regressed. Why? Remember when you were in school and the teacher was teaching you something you already knew? What did you do? You sluffed off and didn't pay attention because you knew it all already. Or how about when a teacher was shuffling through notes, trying to figure out what to say next? I feel this is what the OC position for Edwards has been like. No clear identity, no clear vision, and thus Edwards has not progressed, but rather has regressed because he spends his time trying new things that AVP/DJ are pulling from you know where. Has he worked hard? No doubt. Is he of high character? Yes. But he has not progressed because no one has any clue what the offense is supposed to look like in Buffalo. The APPROACH stinks and the attitude suffers because of it.

For the last 3 years on this blog, as the Bills have suffered, at some point every year it comes time to talk about firing the coach, time to rebuild, and etc. Every time we have this conversation it ends with the same conclusion in my opinion: As long as Ralph Wilson is the owner of this team, the Buffalo Bills will never build a consistent winner. The days of Jon Butler and Bill Polian seem like light years ago. And until or unless Ralph or some new owner realize this, that you have to have one voice, one leader, one man in charge of your organization, the only time of year we will have any amount of excitement will be between February and August. Because, when the games count, and they start counting wins and losses, the teams that have carefully executed their approach and plan for success (i.e Pitt, Indy, NE, Denver, Balt to name a few) will always be light years ahead of (Buffalo, St Louis, Cleveland, Washington).

MARV's Mindless Meanderings

MARVelous — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:55:01 -0000

The NFL is such a ridiculous phenomenon. No other professional sport has one game a week, to allow fans, media and critics bash or praise each team based on one game. Literally, week to week, if you were an outsider with no clue on how the NFL works, you would think people were completely 100% bipolar. How else can you explain it? The Bills leading up to week 1, were predicted to lose by 10-50 points to the Pats. After week 1, some said what an effort, others destroyed McKelvin's property. After week 2, some said look at what this offense can be, others said "eh it was the Bucs." After week 3, we are back to how most felt after the pre-season, thinking Trent-ative is back, T.O. is about to go Chuck Norris on Edwards, and Dick Jauron has no clue on game-day management (see 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter).

I'm here to tell you that perspective is a tool all people need to use. Great leaders in business or sports know how to first identify the problem, find the best possible way to correct the errors, and if that doesn't work, have the BALLS or courage to CHANGE and try something else. The best leaders call it knowing when to admit that your way is not the best way, and having the courage to change for the betterment of the T-E-A-M. Dick Jauron has shown that. He fired Turk Schonert, he cut Langston Walker, he traded Jason Peters, signed T.O., drafted Shawn Nelson, and most notably went to a complete no-huddle offense. These are drastic changes that were made after 3 years of winning just .438% of there games.

But now we are in full regular season mode. While game planning and X's and O's are undoubtedly crucial to success, more so than anything is what you have don ein minicamps, OTA's, training camp and practice leading up to this point. Week to week game plans change, but the fundamentals of football do not change.

I go to one Bills game every year. This was my 4th straight trip. I have never once met a casual friend or stranger that understands why I depart my hometown of Minneapolis every Fall to travel to Buffalo to see a Bills game. I tell them it's because I love my team, I love the NFL, I love the city, and I feel a commonality with Bills fans that I can only get by attending the Ralph. However, I have yet to see a Bills victory in my travels. Not that I am here for sympathy, but my last two trips, (last year vs the NYJ, and this year vs NO) have been very troubling. Both games Dick Jauron's teams have looked flat, prone to mental errors especially on offense, and have lacked discipline in the kicking game, and in their offensive assignments. Trent Edwards looked miserable on Sunday, but the real question is WHY? The kid prepares like no other, has an unreal work ethic, wants to be the best, and does not get rattled. But why then, can he not step up and play more consistently?

This team reflects its leader, Dick Jauron. Players work hard, don't throw teammates under the bus in the media, are classy and full of character, and treat each other with respect. That all stems from the HC. Mike Lombardi said about the Bills the following: they are hard to play but not hard to beat. What does that mean? Different interpretations can be made but I think it means their effort is always 100%, they don't beat themselves on defense, and they always come to play on gameday. However, they don't challenge good opponents into the 4th quarter. They don't put the pressure on the opposition. Yesterday, the defense played with heart, and Chris Kelsay, IMO, had one of his best games as a Bill. He was great in dissecting plays, read and reacting and making tackles when the opportunity presented itself (I had to throw that in there for K).

If the Bills want to go from a 5-7 Win team (which they looked like on Sunday) to a 8-11 Win team (which Jauron needs to keep his job) they have to go from preparing to play, to preparing to Win. I felt going into this season that Jauron was ready to make change because "it was necessary." His job is on the line, he is desperate to win, to keep it, and to accomplish something no coach in Buffalo has done in 10 years....make the playoffs. He did that in off-season personnel changes, and now he needs to do it in the way his teams play on Sundays. The OL looked like a bunch of rookies on Sunday. Trent Edwards looked like the check-down QB afraid to make a mistake, we saw last year in Cleveland. Why does this persist? Why is Captain Checkdown one of Trent's bipolar characters? Maybe it's his genetic disposition. Like when golfers are under pressure, they often have a swing that "comes out and rears its head." It's the golfers who can go to a "get me over swing" in those situations or can thrive in those situations that separate Tiger from say your run of the mill tour pro.

To sum up, we can argue why Trent goes to his conservative ways, or why the Bills struggled vs NO and may continue to struggle vs above-average teams this season. But the bottom line is the proof is in the pudding so to speak. Coach Jauron always prepares his team to play, but does he prepare them to win? Mental mistakes, penalties (most penalized team in the league), lack of effort, are results of inconsistent mental performance. This is troubling, yet also breeds optimism knowing these are correctable errors. Perhaps the offense (AVP, Trent, EVERYONE) got complacent after beating Tampa Bay. Perhaps they thought they were on the right track after success in NE and vs TB. The weapons are available, and it's the job of Edwards to get them the ball. From the stands it was clearly evident to see T.O. "doggin it" on plays where he felt he wasn't going to get the football. You can see how this adversely affects Edwards. Then when he needs a big play from T.O. should Trent have confidence in T.O. to be there, to run his route 100% when he has seen his body language go to sour grapes as the game wore on? Frustration yields inconsistency in play and performance. I saw it first hand on Sunday.

Here's the Bills offensive possession results from Sunday:

1 - Punt

2- FG - Fake results in TD

3 - Punt

4 - Punt

5 - Punt

2nd Half

6 - Punt

7 - INT on throw to T.O.

8 - Punt

9 - Punt

10 - Punt on 4th and 1 from own 28 with 7:30 left

11 - TO on downs

12 - Punt on 4th and 10 form own 20

Not exactly lighting up the scoreboard. The Bills owned the ball for 26:26, were 2-14 on 3rd down, had 13 first downs, and completed just 20/35 passes (not including Moorman's) for an avg of 4.4 yds per attempt. One stat Lombardi loves is passes completed plus rushing attempts. NO was (16 completed + 38 rushing attempts = 54). The Bills were (17 completed + 21 attempts for 38). That is a huge disparity and tells the story.

I could go on and on, and this has turned into a mind dump here, but the bottom line is you expect to see progress with this offense, unfotunately on Sunday we saw regression. Edwards and AVP never figured out how to beat the NO defense. With a poor rushing attack, the Bills struggled, and it can be argued they didn't run it enough. If this offense could somehow, eliminate mental errors, and build some confidence, I believe the potential is there. With 5 games before the bye week of (@ MIA, vs CLE, @ NYJ, @ CAR, vs HOU) the Bills can pretty much determine if they will contend the 2nd half or be a non-factor. You have to think a record of 4-4 at the Bye week is an absolute minimum to have any shot at the playoffs, and with a much tougher second half of the schedule, I don't see how they can be worst than 5-3 and have any shot. It's often said that games in September are tough to decipher as teams build their foundations and get a feel for other teams schemes and effectiveness. Well, September is over, the Bills went 1-2. It's now time to shut up or put up. It starts this Sunday in MIA, and if ever there was a time to Dick Jauron to summon that desperation to keep his job, to get his team to play with such conviction and emotion as they did in week 1 @ NE, that time is now. Now is the time. This is the week. Let's see how it. "When it's too tough for them it's just right for us" As Marv Levy used to say, well that couldn't be more true than this week against MIAMI. I

Let's Get it Started - 2009 Buffalo Bills Edition

MARVelous — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:09:49 -0000

You play to win the game. The 2009 season is about to begin for our beloved franchise the Buffalo Bills. Back in April of 2007, Brian Galliford initiated this blog here at Buffalo Rumblings, and it went from a couple of users like myself, to the thousands of hits it now receives daily. Since that time I have been a loyal reader, active participator, and always a die-hard Bills fan. The growth at Rumblings over the last two years has been fun to see, the site has gotten better, the tools are improved, you can have an avatar for example, and the quality of the content has indeed improved, thanks to the great writers Brian has assembled. The one thing that has remained constant is that the Bills have continued to be mired in mediocrity, and Kurupt still hates Chris Kelsay more than ever.

Why am I mentioning all of this? Well, because this blog has developed and grown into something Dick Jauron and his staff has not in his three-plus years on the job. Entering year four, there are a million questions surrounding this Bills team, mostly on the offensive side of the football. I am here to give my take on the upcoming season, to use logic and analysis, and to try and calm some fears that many of the national media critics and fans have ingrained into their brains before the season has even begun.

Oh, what a difference a few months make. Back in March of 2009, T.O. signed a one year contract with the Bills on a seemingly boring Saturday afternoon. I couldn't believe what I was reading on ESPN's bottom line ticker. Just days earlier, he had been released from the Cowboys and now was a Buffalo Bill? Emotion was riding high, fans were mostly excited, and getting used to thinking that T.O. was now a Buffalo Bill was hard for me to really comprehend. The thought of pairing T.O. with Lee Evans, revamping the OL to a more nasty style, and moving to a more up-tempo no-huddle attack was supposed to bring points to the Bills offense in 2009.

Why then, a week before the season are we so negative on the expectations for this offense? Yes, I know they fired Turk Schonert and I know they released Langston Walker, but is that really all that big of a deal? I understand the argument that the Bills should have acted sooner, that putting Walker at LT was a severe miscalculation, and that Schonert should have been canned last January, but to see things clearly you must look at it objectively.

However, I believe it is prudent to also give credit to an organization for making such bold changes in the face of a must-win season. I agree, these decisions should have been made earlier, but Bell is no worse than Walker at LT. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in athletic ability and skill, along with motivation. I haven't been a fan of Schonert since he took over for Fairchild, and I am not a fan of Alex Van Pelt for various reasons. However, canning Schonert was one of the most important decisions Dick Jauron could make. Great leaders are successful because they have the nerve to make decisions that will affect people personally. Firing a man affects his family, people around them, and their future. However, if that person is not "all in" into the Standard of Performance (Bill Walsh term) of that organization, then they cannot be tolerated and must be dismissed.

In my opinion, Dick Jauron has two major weaknesses as a Head Coach:

1) He has not hired an offensive coordinator that can get the job done. In hiring a coordinator you need someone that shares your coaching philosophy, that will do whatever you as the head coach ultimately say, and is creative in developing schemes that maximize the output from your personnel.

2) Call it being loyal to a fault, call it protecting his players/staff, call it being too nice. Whatever you want to call it, because Dick Jauron is such a believer in what he does, and more importantly a believer in people, he does not see things objectively enough. A great leader must plan for every situation, must build an organizational culture (Standard of Performance) that permeates throughout the building from the secretary to the water boy. I believe it is this second point that Dick Jauron has somewhat, to a varying degree been underminded by Ralph Wilson. I cannot state that matter of factly, but I do believe that some decisions, to whatever degree have prevented Jauron from some moves, and have aided Jauron in other transactions. John Madden often said "when you have a lot of something you have nothing." That's how I feel about the Bills Front Office. They have a lot of people that have a voice in the organization, but no one true leader. The 49ers with Walsh, the Cowboys under Jimmy Johnson, the Patriots under Bill Belichick are all examples of how having one true voice leads to success. For whatever reason, Ralph Wilson refuses to see what worked in the late 80's through the mid 90's with Bill Polian and Jon Butler, and continues to allow the committee approach. But I digress....

So what does this all mean? I have never had so many negative feelings going into a season as I do this pre-season, just hours before Monday Night Football in New England. I am ticked at the media, Jauron, the organization, Trent Edwards, etc for this feeling. I feel cheated that I can't have the hope that was there in March/April with the T.O. signing and the draft, because I'm led to believe the organization is dysfunctional, and Dick Jauron is a lame duck coach.

What my eyes tell me is that this offensive line is much better. Across the board I believe the combination of Bell, Levitre, Hangartner, Wood and Butler are much, much better than last year's version of Peters, Dockery, Fowler/Preston, Butler, Walker. Will they suck sometimes? Yes. However, trust me in the fact that they cannot be worse than last year's OL unit (Side note, if any of you watched the Redskins yesterday, Derrick Dockery was abysmal, whiffing on blocks CONSISTENTLY). I also believe that the addition of T.O. dramatically changes this offense. In 2006, Owens first year with the Cowboys they won 9 games and Owens collected 85 balls and 13 TD's after the Cowboys had won 9 games the year prior. In 2003, the Eagles won 12 games, and when T.O. arrived in 2004, they won 13 games, Owens caught 77 balls and 14 TD's in just 14 regular season games, and of course made the Super Bowl. Owens impacts teams in positive ways. Sure, his mouth never stops running and he can become annoying to teammates but the guy always shows up on Sundays, which is what matters the most. This is an unique position for Owens as he now tries to help a 7-9 team, improve its record by 3-4 wins to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade. However, Owens will contribute in a positive way, and if he does act out, it'll do nothing but add some extra ESPN attention to an otherwise boring season anyhow.

The 2009 season we are told by the "experts" is one in which we are told to prepare for massive failure. We have been told our OL is too young, QB is too Trent-ative, and our coach is too conservative. These things may all come to be true. However, a great leader that has the respect of his players through good and bad times as Mark Guaghn of the Buffalo News so nicely laid out in his column on why players love Dick Jauron, will ultimately win in the end. Because preparation, work ethic and team work ultimately lead to success on the field. However, having a solid plan (offensive scheme), evaluating talent (player personnel) also are obvious keys into achieving the kind of success that Belihick and the Pats have endured this past decade. After all the great John Wooden sums up coaching when he says "don't confuse being active with achievement." Meaning, working hard, persevering, and having high character all crucial to success, but if you are working at the wrong things, you will never find victory in the end. If you want to know why the Bills Front Office struggles read this article penned by Michael Lombardi over at the Post. Brad Butler had this to say about Jauron:

"I think it's important a good leader has a vision and that he's able to paint a good picture for everybody he leads," Butler said. "I think he does a good job of that. We understand where we're trying to go and it's going to be a week-by-week and day-by-day process."

Take it for what you wish. Maybe, after all Jauron is just a good guy, who works extremely hard, but just doesn't know how to develop successful schemes or evaluate talent. I think that hardly is the case, however at the position that matters most, QB, he has clearly tied his wagon to Trent Edwards. Edwards is mini-Jauron. He talks like Jauron, he works extremely hard, is intelligent, and after all is only 25 years old. However for the Bills to be successful the season rests on the shoulders of these two men. How well can Jauron prepare this team to win, and how well can Trent Edwards play? Last year in weeks 13 and 14 with must win games at home vs SF and MIA, the offense produced 6 points? That isn't going to cut it. The defense is definitely capable. A healthy Shobel, the addition of Maybin, and the experience at DT, LB and in the secondary with players who know their roles and scheme, lead me to believe the table is set for Trent Edwards and this Bills offense. Now is their time, the future is now. There will be no season 5 for Jauron's staff, if there are not significant improvements in overall team success in 2009.

There is no doubt this team will fight to the end in 2009. Jauron will not go down without a fight. He is prepared to open it up on offense, because he believes he has a defense in Buffalo that can stop by people, especially if his team can lead games in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Jauron wants to take on the Indianapolis Colts identity. Jauron stated over and over again in the off-season that he wants to lead more games, score more points, and put his defense in position to make TO's and get (gasp) sacks. Regardless of what you think of our DE's and this defense overall, Jauron thinks the world of it, and you wouldn't expect anything else from a defensive-minded coach who built this defense. I assure you they will be ready tonight to play.

The day is here Bills nation. Another season of hope and dreams is about to be embarked on. I encourage you regardless of what happens tonight or in the next two games versus the Bucs and Saints that you remember that who wins in September has little bearing on who wins in January. We want instantaneous results. We want to see T.O. celebrate in the end zone, Schobel/Maybing reek havoc on Brady, and McKelvin take one to the house. Be patient. It is what it is. Jauron is our coach, Edwards is our QB, and this is our team. Let's stand up and cheer and fight for them like we want them to do tonight in New England. Tonight we hope our team can go and make us proud, and I have every reason to believe they will. Monday Night Football, in New England, ESPN, T.O. Brady's return, year four of Jauron. Enjoy it. It is out of our control. Don't get too high or too low regardless of tonight's results. But, remember to have the whiskey at all times within arms reach. For a moment today imagine being in the shoes of Dick Jauron; the off-season, the investment, the pressure weighing down. He's ready to fight, and so is this team. LET'S GO B-U-F-F-A-L-O, LET'S GO B-U-F-F-A-LO, LET'S GO B-U-F-F-A-L-O!

Poll

Do you believe Dick Jauron will lead this team to better than 8 wins in 2009?

Yes

234 votes

No

432 votes

666 votes | Poll has closed

TMQ - A look at the Bills

MARVelous — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:27:31 -0000

TMQ - A look at the Bills

Greg Easterbrook, breaks down the AFC in his preview. In it, he highlights Buffalo's ultra-conservative offense, their conservative coach and OC, and comments on their amazing special teams. No matter how you slice it, if Buffalo cannot produce points, and in bunches, this team is no different than any other Dick Jauron team.

Which Way to Roll the Coverage?

MARVelous — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:35:23 -0000

With the addition of T.O. much has been said about not only what T.O. can bring to the passing game in Buffalo, but also what effect he will have on Evans, Reed, Parrish and company. Mainly, what will this do to Lee Evans? Evans has been a legit #1 in Buffalo since he arrived in 2004. With sporadic QB play, Evans leads the league in big play TD catches in the last 5 seasons. He is the definition of a "big play guy." He is 28 years old, entering his 6th NFL season, has a career high of 82 catches in 2006 and caught a mere 63 balls last year. He has speed, he handles his body well, and he has strong hands. He has never been the premier WR like Andre Johnson, whom despite many losing seasons has been able to put up Pro-Bowl numbers. However, Evans possesses good route-running, ability to separate off the line of scrimmage, and ability to always have DB's thinking in the back of their heads "this guy can beat me deep all day."

Michael Lombardi wrote in his column for the National Football Post yesterday about how Amani Toomer and T.O. struggled to separate from DB's last season, which is the main reason these veteran WR's have diminished skills. I have a die-hard Cowboys fan who is a great friend of mine, who said the Cowboys were forced to slide T.O. in motion a lot to try and give him a head start on separating from DB's. Add to that that T.O. led the league in drops last year, and you really have to question about the player we are getting. Make no doubt about it, T.O.'s skills have diminished. However, his work ethic, influence on this team and fan base, leadership, and ability to teach James Hardy make the signing a no-brainer in my book. The real WR on this team is Lee Evans, as he is in his prime, has developed a rapport with QB Trent Edwards for the past 2 seasons, and is coming off signing his mega 4 year deal for ~$36 million. Lombardi had this to say in his column about T.O. last year and more importantly about how teams will play the Bills this season:

Many people feel Terrell Owens was dismissed from Dallas for his poor behavior, but just as important was his inability to consistently beat press coverage, which made him a liability at times and resulted in his termination. When teams rolled to Owens, he was not the same player, so the Cowboys had to motion to create space. Since the NFL is not the CFL, teams can only motion one player at a time. If you’re a team that has too many receivers who struggle to separate from bump, your passing game is going to struggle. In Buffalo, Owens will not face rolled coverage -- Lee Evans will. If teams don’t roll to Evans, he’ll put 100 yards on them before halftime. Trust me on that.

Why do I bring this up? Because Lee Evans will still be facing the double coverages. Teams will play that safety high on Lee's side to prevent the big play. So while many people think the addition of T.O. will be like relieving a log jam in a struggling to flow stream, I believe that the addition of T.O. only helps if he can also make big plays on the other side OR open it up for the skill players Lynch, Jackson, Parrish, Reed, etc to make plays in the underneath game. And I will be the first to say I really doubt whether T.O. can be a legit #2 across from Evans in the ultra-competitive AFC, in which Owens has NEVER played a full season in.

If T.O. cannot effectively get off the line and win 1-on-1 battles especially on 3rd down, then this offense will not be much more effective than last season. And if Trent and Turk FORCE the ball to T.O. that will end up in an even worse situation. While revamping the OL was something that had to be done, if they can be effective in the run game, and handle these 3-4 fronts, the Bills offense I don't see how it will be any better than last year. Point blank, this team HAS to up its scoring average from 21 per game of last season, to 23-24 this season, unless the defense becomes Top 10 which I don't see possible with Kelsay still on this roster.

The no-huddle, the addition of Rhodes and Shawn Nelson, the hopeful improvement of Steve Johnson, Derek Schouman, Derek Fine, and most importantly Trent Edwards is what fans, media and observers are looking at as reasons this offense can improve BESIDES the most obvious and T.O.

Prediction: If this team wants to go to the playoffs, there is no doubt who should lead this team there in the WR corps and that's Lee Evans. Maybe he will continue to get double-teamed but that will just open up the run game, and other skill players, and Trent needs to finally recognize this. If I have to hear about 8 man coverages and how they are doubling Lee over the top, I'm going to puke. Make an ADJUSTMENT, run the ball effectively, and utilize the short-underneath passing game and no-huddle to make teams get out of those coverages! T.O. should be a role player this season, and not a focal point. If he is a focal point, sure he'll get his stats (and he'll drop a ton of balls), but I guarantee we won't be going to the playoffs. The Bills want to go to the playoffs for the first time in a decade, Lee Evans is the guy that should and can lead them there.

Poll

If the Bills are to win enough games to go to the playoffs this season, who should lead the team in receptions?

T.O.

46 votes

Lee Evans

79 votes

125 votes | Poll has closed

Byrd Deal Close, Wood's Being Reviewed

MARVelous — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:59:36 -0000

Byrd Deal Close, Wood's Being Reviewed

The AP's John Wawrow reports that Russ Brandon says a deal with Jairus Byrd is "close" and the Eric Wood deal is tentative and if it gets done today Wood will be at practice starting Thursday.

Jets & Dolphins War of Words in June

MARVelous — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:27:17 -0000

Jets & Dolphins War of Words in June

This is some great stuff. I don't like this Ryan character already but I gotta give him his due, at least he is willing to make it interesting in June. But as much as testosterone induced fans love this kind of trash talk in June, Id take Dick Jauron 100 out of 100 over Rex Ryan

Where Could T.O. Live?

MARVelous — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:56:52 -0000

Where Could T.O. Live?

John Connoly, a real estate agent in Buffalo, spends some time on First Take this morning and gives a hilarious 3 mins on properties T.O. could live in. I think you will all enjoy this.

Regardless of what you think of T.O. or our terrible Bills, one thing is for sure, T.O. sure does make me smile a lot more than any Bill in the last decade has ever done!