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Hope and Change: What’s Next For The Buffalo Bills?
Published: January 5, 2010
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For the first time in recent memory, Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. did something that shocked me.
Yesterday, he fired the entire coaching staff. Everybody. He cleaned house in a big way. I can imagine long time special teams coach Bobby April pulling a Roger Dorn and walking into Wilson’s office saying “Even me?” Yes, even you, Bobby. Clearly, Ralph Wilson is trying to send a message. The question is, to whom?
First, he’s sending a big message to the fans. The last three or four coaching regimes, starting with Wade Phillips have basically been placeholders with career assistants underneath them. By getting rid of everybody, he signals that he has heard the fans’ concerns about the organization and is willing to get rid of some long time guys in order to make a fresh start.
That’s no small thing, given the naturally pessimistic attitude of the average sports show call-in fan that Wilson is too old to make such a change. This should help bring the fans around and maybe give the owner another shot to right his ship before they start leaping off.
The other group that Wilson is sending a message to is the all-important coaching pool. The big-name candidates that are left will want to install their own assistants. They will want their own guys that they know are loyal and will pull in the same direction.
Wilson just made the new head man’s job a heck of a lot easier by getting the hard part out of the way. He’s saying “If you come here, you’ll have a blank slate. Be creative.” That’ll be a big help to anyone thinking about coming to Buffalo.
Those are the two main groups I believe that Wilson was trying to reach with his Black Friday pink-slips. Will all of the fans be happy with it? Judging by the reaction on this site and elsewhere, I can say that a majority will be. The big question is, will it help bring the right coach to Buffalo?
Suffice it to say, it looks like we will have another interesting off-season on our hands this year.
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Fewell Running Up the Score? Or: Why Schopp and the Bulldog Are Wrong
Published: November 30, 2009
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By now, you’ve watched the game. You’ve read the recaps. You’ve heard the callers on WGR. The Buffalo Bills finally broke free of their fourth quarter doldrums and poured on 24 points in the final frame to beat the Dolphins.
Ryan Fitzpatrick hooked up with Terrell Owens (remember him?) on another long TD pass. You’ve read all of that. You might have also come across one other thing in your postgame media breakdown that isn’t as fun or exciting as those.
Yesterday, during the postgame show on local sports favorite WGR550, hosts Mike Schopp and the Bulldog (sources cannot confirm whether this host is an actual bulldog) discussed the Bills’ last offensive play of the game. Buffalo had 1st-and-goal at the Miami seven yard line, with 1:25 remaining and leading by 10 points.
Fitzpatrick handed off to Fred Jackson and Jackson did the rest. He found the end zone. Seems pretty standard, right? You’re that deep into the opponent’s red zone, it’s late in the game, so you hand the ball off hoping to get Jackson some more yards and the offensive line a chance to hit somebody. Not to mention to run time off the clock.
Apparently, according to the WGR hosts, there is some kind of sportsmanship rule that says that you have to fall on the ball three times in that situation. Never mind that you’re only up by 10 at that point. Never mind that you’re not calling a fade route to Owens or Evans. You can’t even run the ball. You have to kneel on it, or you’re showing poor sportsmanship. You’re running up the score.
Now, I could see their point if, like the Patriots, they were leading 52-0 and dialed up a long throw to a wide receiver. I could even see it if they were leading by 17 points. I could see it if Fitzpatrick had thrown for 300+ yards and Jackson had 100. But they didn’t. They were leading by 10. Running up the score doesn’t even come into play until about three scores.
And that’s not even the main reason why I disagree with their point. Why, then, do I think it was a good idea to run the ball in that situation?
It was the opposite of what Dick Jauron would’ve done.
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First Look: Buffalo Bills Fire Head Coach Dick Jauron
Published: November 17, 2009
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By now, you’ve probably heard the news. Dick Jauron is out as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. To say that it was a move long coming is an understatement. Fan sentiment against Jauron has been simmering ever since the Bills’ ignominious third losing season in a row in 2008. Tensions came to a head a few weeks ago when a grassroots campaign raised funds to put up a billboard calling for his ouster.
It seems Ralph Wilson needed a little more convincing. He finally got it Sunday.
Not only did the Bills lose following a huge fourth quarter collapse in Tennessee, but Jauron probably made the move that broke the camel’s back late in the fourth quarter. He benched Edwards following an interception that was run back for a touchdown late in the game.
At the time, diva receiver Terrell Owens was clearly unhappy with Edwards; he could be seen venting on the sidelines to anyone who would listen. When backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick came out on the ensuing series, one had to wonder if Jauron made the switch to placate the volatile receiver. But to do it so late in the game with the score well out of reach was just a little too little and a lot too late. It was a feeble attempt to salvage the unsalvageable. He had finally hit rock bottom.
I won’t deny that Wilson should have fired Jauron after last season. Most Bills fans would agree with me. And firing him now may also seem too little, too late. But it’s a sign that the Bills’ owner is at least marginally plugged-in and listening to his fanbase. Of course he is. He likes money. The remaining question now is this: How much will he spend for a head coach next year, and who will he get?
The Western New York community will wait with bated breath once the offseason arrives. Will 91-year-old Ralph Wilson provide?
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