Dick Jauron Admits Feeling the Heat

His contract says Dick Jauron is the Bills coach until 2011. The fact is he might not last the 2009 season.

Last year, the Bills finished 7-9 for the third consecutive season and Jauron was given another opportunity to prove himself when he received a contract extension in October. The man hasn't produced a winning season of football since the 2001 season when he led the Bears to a 13-3 record.

All he's done in upstate New York is get criticized for the way the team has performed.

In the offseason, Bills owner Ralph Wilson said changes needed to be made. Like today.

One major change was the Bills signing wide receiver Terrell Owens after he was cut by the Cowboys. The move for Owens is supposed to help a putrid Buffalo offense that finished 25th overall and 22nd in passing.

Following a shortened practice on Thursday, Jauron said the talk with Wilson during the offseason meant something -- it meant his job is on the line for 2009.

"I'm very affected, and there's no answer to that question that's any good," Jauron said. "Does it affect you? You'd be lying if you said no. Can you let it affect you, in what ways? If you let it affect you and control you, then it's not a very good thing. You just live with it, like everybody lives with things."

The AFC East has gotten much better in the months following the season. Tom Brady has returned to the Patriots; the Jets, despite losing Brett Favre, gained a strong-minded, well-liked coach in Rex Ryan; the Dolphins improved their defense, and you know Bill Parcells still has a hand on things.

Things are not easy in Buffalo.

Yes, the Bills have Owens, but they have Trent Edwards at quarterback, also have to deal with Owens' fondness for speaking his mind.

Yes, they have Marshawn Lynch, who finished tied for 13th in league rushing totals last year, but he'll miss the first three games of 2009 while serving a suspension.


Yes, the defense is pretty good, and got better with the addition of first-round pick, Aaron Maybin, a defensive end from Penn State, but two of the first three regular-season games are against strong passing offenses in New England and New Orleans.

Jauron's club went 0-6 last year against the AFC East and is 7-11 overall against divisional foes in his three seasons. He has not beaten the Patriots and the Bills' last victory over the Pats was in the 2003 season opener.

The Bills had too many questionable coaching decisions last year, and after watching the Dolphins go from 1-15 to the playoffs, Wilson put Jauron on notice.

Wilson had no choice.

Jauron said the team is better mentally and that's a positive. He also said he believes offensive coordinator Turk Schonert will improve the passing game.

All this sounds good in June, but as Jauron said Thursday, the season opener at New England is the big test.

"Win more games, clearly, and you do that one at a time," he said regarding a string of 7-9 finishes. "We're certainly in no position to overlook anybody, nobody deserves to be looked past in our business. Everybody can beat us, and on the other hand, we can beat everybody that we play, but we have to play at a very high level to do that and that's what our goal is."