Buffalo Bills: Now That Jauron Is Gone

The Buffalo Bills continued to prove to it's fans and the rest of the NFL that they, as a franchise, don't know what they're doing.  With the firing of Dick Jauron they proved nothing but the fact that they have little to no direction whatsoever. 

Do I think it was the right move to fire Jauron? Yes, but that doesn't change my feeling that this franchise has no idea where they are going.  Many thought that Marv Levy was going to change the culture back to what it was in the 1990s when he took over as GM a few years ago, but obviously that hasn't happened because once again we are in search for Marv's successor. Perhaps Marv should have stayed longer, or perhaps Marv just didn't have it in him to complete the job, but whatever the case, we're still looking. 

Actually, in a rare occurrence, we should be looking for two of Levy's successors.  One to succeed him as a coach and one as a GM. 

BUT WAIT!

There are guys out there who are both coaches and general manager's. Better yet, there are unemployed guys out there that can do both of these jobs!  Unfortunately for Bills fans it would take having an owner who wasn't cheap and cared about winning. 

Yes, I know that Ralph C. Wilson Jr. keeps saying he wants to win.  And for all intensive purposes, he is winning.  See, winning to people like us (those of us who still care about football) is different to what is considered winning to people like Ralph (biggest profit with smallest investment).  Perhaps I'm way off base here, but this certainly seems to be the way of it. 

Ralph might be a genius though.  He has, on a number of occasions, promised Buffalonians that he would do everything in his power to ensure that the Bills would remain in Buffalo after his death.  Maybe Ralph knows that if he were to have fielded a winning team all these years that it would drive up the price of the franchise, making it harder for a group of investors that want to keep the team in Western New York to actually do so.  Is Ralph C. Wilson Jr. the NFL's first football martyr? Probably not.  But it's a nice thought. 

No, chances are Ralph is just cheap and out of touch.  If he wasn't, though, he'd be going after these to hire at the conclusion of this years NFL season:

The Best:

Mile Holmgren

Sure, it's been rumored that Cleveland Browns owner is going after Holmgren, but if the Bills really wanted to make a turnaround and become a contender quickly, they'd go after this guy.  Look what he did in Seattle and Green Bay.  His resume speaks for itself. 

Mike Shanahan

Shanahan is a lot like Holmgren.  He's a Super Bowl winning coach that can also act as a GM for a team, and his salary reflects that.  Shanahan is an offensive guru that would certainly change the culture of the Buffalo Bills.  The problem is that he is set to make $14 million between the rest of this and next year.  So he may just take the time off and enjoy the fruits of his labor. 

Bill Cowher

See above.  Lets just face it, neither Cowher, Shanahan, nor Holmgren are going to be the next coach of the Buffalo Bills unless Ralph Wilson changes his entire philosophy on the matter and dazzles one of these guys with the largest salary ever offered to them, along with the keys to the franchise.  Doesn't seem likely. 

Since Ralph is cheap, he'll more than likely go after one of these guys, some of which wouldn't be horrible.

Best of the Rest

Marty Schottenheimer

Schottenheimer really knows how to get into the playoffs, but has been criticized for not being able to get wins in the post season.  This is a big concern with Marty, but when your franchise hasn't made the playoffs since 1999, you should probably worry about winning post season games when the time comes.  I think it would be great for both the Bills and Schottenheimer to win it all together, as Marty played for the Bills from 1965-1968/69.

Jon Gruden

Gruden would certainly bring a change in culture.  A fiery, angry man, Gruden would win over the hearts of Buffalonians everywhere, for a period of time.  I'm just not sure he has what it takes to be a coach/GM in this league.  After all, the Super Bowl winning team that he was with was essentially Tony Gungy's team. 

Brian Billick

Billick wouldn't be a bad fit.  He is an offense oriented guy and has a Super Bowl win under his belt. He's also not that bad at talent evaluation.

Jim Haslett

Jim Haslett is a lot like Gruden in that he has a fiery attitude.  One thing Haslett doesn't have is a Super Bowl.  He currently is the head coach of the UFL's Florida Tuskers. 

Ted Cottrell

I am honestly surprised that this name isn't getting thrown around more as this might be a great fit.  Not only is he a great defensive mind, he might actually consider coming to Buffalo for reasonable money.  He's coached her before, as most know, and from 1998 through 2000, the Bills finished no worse than sixth in the league in total defense. 

Leslie Frazier

This is a guy who might want to break into a head coaching position, as he has been a successful defensive coordinator for the Vikings since 2007. 

Brian Schottenheimer

Marty's son, Brian, may look for a head coaching job this off season.  I think we might want to wait and see how he finishes with the young Mark Sanchez over in Jersey, as it's likely that he'll have to work with yet another rookie QB here in Buffalo. 

Turner Gill

Turner Gill, UB's current head coach might be a viable option.  In 2005 he was on the Green Bay Packers' staff as Director of Player Development to help players become acclimated to playing professional football.  He's had quite a bit of success considering he took over an absolutely abhorrent program at the University at Buffalo.