Jauron A Handpuppet?

[trainwreck]

Found this article on PFT, and thought it may be of interest.
Especially to the Bills fan that post on this board named "SabanSucks"
JAURON ANOTHER "COMFORT" HIRE



The Buffalo Bills have a new head coach. And though the new coach wasn't G.M. Marv Levy's first choice (i.e., some guy named Marv Levy), it's the next best thing (i.e., some guy who'll allow Marv Levy to pretend from time to time that he's really the head coach).

It's yet another hire based not on who'll come in and win the most games, but who's the best "fit" with the structure already in place.

We don't know much about new Bills coach Dick Jauron, but we really don't think he deserved to be a head coach again. Not yet, at least. He was 35-46 in five seasons with the Bears, with one playoff appearance -- a blowout loss at home to the Eagles after a stunning 13-3 regular season.

The evidence that convinces us that Jauron, a guy with a defensive background, was hired in large part due to the likelihood that he'll lock his lips to Levy's loose-skinned *** is that other quality candidates with defensive backgrounds -- and ties to the organization -- didn't even get interviews.

Specifically, former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and former Bills Pro Bowl linebacker Jim Haslett.

In our opinion, Levy avoided interviewing either of those guys because he knew that, if he had, the decision to hire Jauron would have been criticized even more loudly than it already will be.

Cottrell is a guy who has spent years as a successful defensive assistant. Yeah, he's never quite made it to the top of the "A" list of coaching candidates, but neither had guys like Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, and Scott Linehan -- all of whom are head coaches now. With no new minority head coaches in 2006, Levy likely feared that, if Cottrell had been interviewed, the pressure to hire him would have been too great.

Ditto for Haslett. Throwing out the aberration of his 3-13 final season with the Saints, his five-year mark with the Saints is significantly better than Jauron's half-decade in Chicago. From 2000 through 2004, Haslett's Saints were 43-39, including a 1-1 mark in the playoffs.


But there was no interview for Haz, because once he had been in the building, there's no way that the Buffalo faithful (many of whom have been counting the days for Haslett to return to Western New York and coach the Bills) ever would have accepted a cup of room temperature Jello like Jauron.


So Levy will get to play head coach periodically, and Jauron gladly will oblige. Just like McCarthy, Payton, and Linehan, Jauron is just happy to be here, coaching again when there really wasn't any strong evidence that he should be.

[dominizzo]

Nice read