Bills sign Dick Jauron to three year extension

by Brian Galliford on Oct 27, 2008 2:23 PM EDT in Buffalo Bills News

Despite a 25-16 road loss to the Miami Dolphins, not all was lost Sunday for the Buffalo Bills. Reports surfaced prior to yesterday's game (via ESPN) that the Bills and head coach Dick Jauron have agreed to a three-year contract extension. He is now signed on as head coach of the Bills through the close of the 2011 season.

I wrote just this past week that I thought the time was past for the Bills to have re-signed their head coach. So, naturally, I was pleased to hear this news. But that loss to Miami - which comes largely on the shoulders of coaching failures, both offensively and defensively - likely dampens this news for a lot of Bills fans out there.

Jauron has never been anything more than a polarizing figure during his coaching career at this level. He is 19-20 in two-plus seasons as the Bills' head coach, and in nine years as the head coach of three NFL teams, he's compiled a 55-69 record. Fans either hate the fact that the Bills are committing themselves to a man with a career losing record for the next three seasons, or love the fact that the team will have continuity for the first time since Marv Levy roamed the sidelines.

Count me among the latter group. Compared to the team that Jauron inherited in January of 2006, this Bills team - while struggling to find its identity - is one of the most talented young teams in the league. They're not there yet, but they are improving, and at a much faster rate than even the most optimistic of Bills fans could have predicted. Jauron deserved the chance to see this project through to the finish; now he's got that chance.

This is a bold statement by Bills owner Ralph Wilson, the man responsible for the negotiation and signing - he's putting his reputation on Jauron's shoulders. Jauron is now, for the foreseeable future, the face of the franchise. Wilson took a bit of a gamble on this one, but Buffalo's getting better for a reason. That reason is Jauron.

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Jauron has an opportunity for something good here

This franchise has taken some steps in the right direction, and I’m sure everyone will agree after yesterday that more work needs to be done.

Marv Levy had a losing record as a head coach when he came to Buffalo over 20 years ago, and his first two years here were losing seasons. But it eventually turned around. Now, Jauron has that same opportunity to create something special here in Western NY once again. Let’s see how he does post-contract.

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Oct 27, 2008 2:46 PM EDT reply actions

Mediocre

DJ is mediocre at best.

Although I do think that the Bills are building something good and breaking that continuity would not be a good thing.

So i’m 50/50 on this deal. I just want to win, if he does that then keep him here till he’s 90.

by J2 on Oct 27, 2008 3:02 PM EDT reply actions

Count me among the latter group as well...

Just wondering – anyone think there were any provisions in the deal regarding a possible move to a front office position in the future?

Also, does anyone think he will wield some more “clout” now within the organization?

I personally wouldn’t mind if the answer was yes to both questions.

by krytime on Oct 27, 2008 3:08 PM EDT reply actions

Great move by the Bills

When the Bills first hired DJ, I was skeptical. He didn’t have a great track record as a head coach and let’s face it, he’s not the most dynamic guy. But in his 3 years at the helm, DJ has won me over – more to the point – the attitude and work ethic he has instilled in his team has won me over. And I think the extension is a great move.

For one thing, it provides continuity this organization has lacked for the better part of a decade. More than that, though, DJ has done a VERY good job with the team. For as young of a team as the Bills are, they don’t make a lot of mistakes. They play hard EVERY week. They over-achieve, not under-achieve. They don’t quit on each other. They are not arrogant. They say the right things to the media and most of all, they believe that they can win every week. This was most evident to me last season when the team could have EASILY packed it in after the rash of injuries they suffered, but they didn’t. Moreover – DJ is a straight shooter with the media and his players and they clearly respect him for that.

I live in San Francisco and had the pleasure, over the past three seasons, of watching a smart, fiery, young coach go down in flames – in a sea of indecision and double talk. And when Nolan went down, he took a whole team, organization and city down with him. Talk about a team that quit…(we’ll get to see them in person in a few weeks).

My point is that being an NFL head coach is a tough job. Among the small group of people that are smart enough to run the X’s and O’s, very few of them have the leadership ability, character and steady hand it takes to guide a franchise through good times and bad. I think DJ is up to the job – in ways that Mularkey, Gregg Williams, Bobby Petrino, Mike Nolan, Norv Turner, Wade Phillips, etc…..(the list goes on and on) are not. I for one think we’re lucky to have him and am happy that we have him for at least another three seasons. I’m really excited about the places this young team, built in DJs image, can go.

by roscoe11 on Oct 27, 2008 6:19 PM EDT reply actions