Taking a Time-out with the Buffalo Bills' Coaching Staff

Just like the players on the squad themselves, the Bills coaching staff is full of up and comers. 

These coaches are thirsty to prove they can do it at the NFL level.  With Dick Jauron at the helm, Turk Schonert calling the offense, Perry Fewell running the defense, and Bobby April leading special teams, this makes for quite a combination of coaches running the show.

It all starts with Dick Jauron. For three consecutive years Jauron has managed to go 7-9 with a young inexperienced football team. Jauron actually got his first taste of NFL coaching with the Buffalo Bills back in 1985. So he is no stranger to the struggles the Bills have faced.

Jauron had previously served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 1999 to 2003 then went on to serve as the interim head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2005, before landing the head job in Buffalo in 2006.

Since taking over for the Bills, Jauron has managed to put fans on one roller-coaster ride after the next. While there is no denying that Jauron is an incredibly smart man, when it comes to game day he just seems to either lose focus or just isn’t capable of making the correct adjustments.

In 2006 he gets a pass, taking a team to 7-9 when you really don’t know what you have is pretty good.

In 2007, he also gets a pass, when your team breaks down due to injuries and you are flip flopping between QB’s this is bound to happen. In 2008 this is his last free pass. Trent Edwards was still getting his feet wet, and there was no legitimate WR opposite Lee Evans.

As the defense steadily improved each year under Jauron, the offense is still stuck in neutral. Maybe that has something to do with the different offensive coordinators or it could be the QB’s that are playing the position.

Taking a look at Turk Schonert this is going to be his second year as the offensive coordinator for the Bills after taking over for Steve Fairchild. Last year was Schonert’s first real taste on how to run things. He had previously played backup QB for the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Atlanta Falcons.

He started his coaching career in Tampa Bay, and coached there from 1992 to 1995. 

It is to early to tell if Schonert has made strides as the offensive play caller seeing as he has only done it for one year.

Throughout the season he called some amazing plays, but at the same time having J.P Losman throw the ball on second down in the New York Jets game, proved he was green.  The Bills lost the game because of that call.

Losman is out the door while Schonert is still around so maybe its not entirely his fault.  Of course a second year man is always going to get the benefit of doubt.

Add on the fact that the offensive line play wasn’t pretty and the squad didn’t have a real outside threat next to Lee Evans and you got disaster in the making.

Play-calling started out hot, but finished as cold as the Buffalo winds in December.

Perry Fewell, the defensive coordinator for the past three years, on the other hand has shown steady improvements everywhere on his squad. The only thing that’s lacking is big plays.  There really are no takeaway or sack artists on the Bills defense.

The Bills drafted what could be the missing pieces to the defensive puzzle in Aaron Maybin and Jairus Byrd. Fewell is obviously hoping Maybin can put some pressure on opposing QB’s while Byrd grabs every ball that comes his way. 

In 2008 six of the nine losses the Bills suffered were by ten points or less. The defense was keeping the Bills in games, the offense just failed to capitalize on opportunities given to them.

A lot of the players are young and show tremendous upside, but they lack the experience needed to dominate.

Expectations will be high this year for the defense because the offense will no doubt start off shaky. Fewell should be up to the challenge.

The one area of the game that hasn’t been a problem for some time now is special teams. You can credit Bobby April for that. Winning special teams coach of the year in 2008 really shows just how committed you are to being the best at what you do.

April has been a long time stand out special team coach over the years. Serving as the special teams coach for Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and St. Louis before taking over for Buffalo in 2004, he has excelled everywhere he has stopped.

It always helps to have premier return men like Roscoe Parrish and Terrance McGee, but somebody has to set up those blocks and the Bills can thank April for instilling the discipline and toughness needed to play special teams.

He is responsible for some special team rule changes that will be implemented for the 2009 season, so he obviously knows what he is doing.

Can the Buffalo Bills coaching staff put together a play-off season this year? They have the tools.  They just lack the experience and maybe they lack the winning attitude. 

This is the year they have to show it, otherwise they will all be scrambling for jobs in 2010.