The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron today. This really doesn’t come as any surprise. It was more an issue of “if not now, when?” And what better time than when you’re 3-6 and coming off three-plus seasons with a .421 winning percentage? Coach Jauron, while certainly a kind man who gave it all he had, simply could not revive a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999. That streak ties the Detroit Lions for the longest active dry spell for any non-expansion team. All this being said, the Bills’ problems run deeper than the head coach, but …read more

With the Buffalo Bills off to a dismal 1-4 start—and following two horrific offensive performances against the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns—it would seem that head coach Dick Jauron’s job would be in serious jeopardy. After all, he was on the head coaching hot seat before the season began, even with the offseason addition of receiver Terrell Owens and a much-ballyhooed no-huddle offense installed. Simply put, expectations were high. And they haven’t been met.
But according to Bills owner Ralph Wilson, no decision will be made right now to replace coach Jauron:
“Yesterday was so bad that it’s hard to make a …read more

Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson says he wants to wait two or three years before deciding if his team will play more than one regular season game per year in Canada. The Bills are currently committed to playing in Toronto through 2012 (five regular season games and three preseason games) and that scenario is good enough for Mr. Wilson. At least for now.
But Mr. Wilson does anticipate the interest in more games:
“I’m sure they want another game. And who knows? I don’t know whether they’ll get another game or not. We’ll have to see how it works out up there.”
So …read more

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The Buffalo Bills held an introductory press conference for newly acquired receiver Terrell Owens yesterday. Terrell was all smiles (six and a half million will do that to you) — he was polite, funny, and very convincing that he has put his questionable past behind him and is ready to move on to a new chapter in his life. He seemed genuinely excited to be with the Bills and to help them get back to the playoffs — from which they have been absent for a decade. On the surface — on paper, if you …read more

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2009 today in Tampa (site of tomorrow’s Super Bowl XLIII, of course). Wide receiver Bob Hayes, guard Randall McDaniel, defensive end Bruce Smith, linebacker Derrick Thomas, owner Ralph Wilson Jr., and defensive back Rod Woodson make up the Class of 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees.
The six-man class was elected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee. The newest members of the Hall were selected from a list of 17 finalists that had been determined earlier by the committee. I was …read more

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And then there were 17. There are four first-year eligible players — John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Bruce Smith, and Rod Woodson — among the 17 finalists who will be considered for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The HOF’s Board of Selectors meets in Tampa on Saturday, January 31, the day before Super Bowl XLIII. There are nine modern-era players, two contributors and two players nominated earlier by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. The nine modern-era players are Cris Carter; Dermontti Dawson; Richard Dent; Russ Grimm; Cortez Kennedy; Bob Kuechenberg; Randall McDaniel; …read more

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Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron still has a job. After several days of meetings with owner Ralph Wilson, it was decided that coach Jauron will return for a 4th season. Mr. Wilson issued the following statement today:
“It is well known that I share many of the fans’ dissatisfaction with our offensive game management. That being said, I believe that this team, at this time, is better served by continuity in the coaching staff rather than a disruptive overhaul. The team played hard all year long and there are many positives to build on. This …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Four first-year eligible players — John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Bruce Smith, and Rod Woodson — are among the 25 semifinalists being considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009. The Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors announced the 25 semifinalists today from the recently revealed list of 133 preliminary nominees. Even though he has been eligible since 1999, this is first time that Roger Craig has been a semifinalist. Each of the remaining 20 nominees has been on the semifinalist list at least once prior to this year. And while no coaches …read more

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was at Buffalo Bills training camp in Rochester today to meet with Bills owner Ralph Wilson and New York State Senator Chuck Schumer. The Commissioner discussed a number of topics including the Bills in Toronto this season, Marshawn Lynch’s offseason traffic incident and Brett Favre’s “unretirement” situation. Here’s the transcript:

On status of small market teams and conversation with the Senator:
The nature of the conversation was to find out how the Bills are doing and fortunately that’s good news. The effort here to regionalize the team further into southern Ontario and into …read more

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It was announced today that the Buffalo Bills will play an annual regular-season game in Toronto beginning this coming 2008 season through 2012. On the surface, it sounds like an exciting and adventurous attempt at expanding the team’s fan base, but I can’t help but think this marks the beginning of the end for football in Western New York. Isn’t this just a trial run to see what kind of support the city of Toronto gives the Bills? Based on the remarks from Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson, Bills fans don’t need to worry …read more