Bills head coach Dick Jauron to return for 2009 season

With the NFL coaching “body count” growing by the day, one who was on the “hot seat” is safe for the time being—Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson announced that head coach Dick Jauron and his entire coaching staff will be retained for the 2009 season.

There was considerable speculation that Jauron would be shown the door after Buffalo finished 7-9 for a third consecutive year and many Bills fans vocally expressed their dissatisfaction with the coach’s performance.  The guy who signs the checks felt differently, however, suggesting that the team had "played hard all year long and there are many positives to build on."

Wilson met with Jauron and the entire coaching staff on Tuesday and apparently liked what he heard.  In a statement released by the team announcing the decision to keep Jauron, Wilson stressed the importance of continuity to the process of improving the Bills’ fortunes:

"I believe that this team, at this time, is better served by continuity in the coaching staff rather than a disruptive overhaul.”

The meeting wasn’t a mutual admiration lovefest, however, as Wilson expressed his serious concern with several areas of the team’s performance and strongly emphasized the need for improvement.  Most significantly, the Bills’ sputtering offense was an area of paramount concern requiring immediate attention. 

Working in Jauron’s favor was the fact that he had his players’ respect and that they played hard for him.  Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay said that the players on the team were pleased at Wilson’s decision to retain Jauron:

"I think I can speak on behalf of our entire team that that's what we wanted to see happen. To see the team move forward without him, I think would've been a terrible thing, really."

Kelsay echoed Wilson’s sentiments on the importance of continuity:

"It's like starting from square one again, so we wouldn't have the growth that we've had the last couple of years. We can continue on from here and move forward and continue to improve."

Despite posting the same record as last year, Wilson felt that the team showed considerable improvement on both sides of the ball.  The biggest negative surrounding the season was the team’s horrible finish—Buffalo started 5-1 only to lose eight of their final 10 games.