Dick Jauron Shakes Up Buffalo Bills by Firing Turk Schonert Offensive Coordinator
Jauron said that the offense was not simple enough for him. Obviously Schonert believes that teams who complicate things will be more successful. I have to side with Jauron on this one. And, I base my reasoning on two great teams in the 1990’s, the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos.
Marv Levy, Jim Kelly and Ted Marchibroda agreed that part of the reason that the Bills had so much success with the K-gun was because they kept the playbook small. If I recall properly, they said there were somewhere between one and two dozen plays. John Elway said the same thing during the Broncos Superbowl years.
Simple is better because it is easier for the players to get really good at those plays. Then it becomes a question of talent. Think about it. If the offense drills the same twenty plays over and over, eventually everyone learns exactly where the other players will be on every play. The quarterback will instinctively know where his receivers are going to be instead of having to think about it. Receivers will run better routes.
There are a number of reasons why it makes sense to simplify. If you can’t even execute a basic play as the Bills have shown in the 2009 preseason, why in the Hell would you make things more complicated? Wouldn’t that just make it even harder for the Bills to execute?
Alex Van Pelt seems like a natural fit in the new offensive coordinator spot. He understands the no huddle offense. He has played in it himself. Basically, I just trust him. He has always been loved by Buffalo fans for being a blue collar, no bullshit kind of guy. I guarantee the fans will give him a real chance here. It would be nice to see Alex get some assistance from guys like Jim Kelley, Marv Levy and Ted Marchibroda.
This was a no brainer move if you ask me. You can’t have a cohesive team when two coaches have such a strong opposing opinion. My hat is off to Dick Jauron for doing what needed to be done. I really like this guy as a head coach except for his decision making during games.