John Niyo: NFL Insider

Bills a mess even without Dick Jauron

You knew Dick Jauron was cooked as Bills coach in September when he fired his offensive coordinator the day after losing to the Lions in the exhibition finale.

Actually, you knew it even before that. Before the Bills went 2-8 after Jauron got a contract extension last fall. Before his Hall of Fame owner took a leap of faith to sign free agent Terrell Owens. Before the team traded disgruntled Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters rather than pay him what he's worth.

You knew it, quite frankly, because history says former Lions coaches -- even an interim one like Jauron that might've deserved a longer look here -- don't become coaches elsewhere.

But while Jauron deserves his share of the blame for the current mess in Buffalo, his firing doesn't solve much of anything. The Bills are 3-6 after three consecutive 7-9 finishes under Jauron -- a portrait of mediocrity. So it runs deeper than hiring T.O. or firing Turk Schonert.

The Bills are a franchise lacking front-office vision, with a marketing guy in chief operating officer Russ Brandon in charge of football operations. That has to change -- and Brandon probably understands that -- but it'll be up to Wilson, a small-market owner who has been burned before, to decide if he's willing to spend the kind of money it might take to get the Bills back on course.

Early indications are he might be. The Bills reportedly have contacted Mike Shanahan, one of the marquee names on the market along with Bill Cowher and Mike Holmgren. But they'll want control over personnel, not to mention a huge salary.

Another scenario involves bringing in former Saints GM Rick Mueller, who is running the fledgling United Football League.

Mueller's coaching choice might be Jim Haslett, a former coach with the Saints and Rams now leading the Orlando Tuskers.

Browns eye Holmgren as GM

Holmgren, by the way, reportedly met with Cleveland owner Randy Lerner this week, a revelation that former Browns great and current "executive advisor" Jim Brown let slip at a charity luncheon Tuesday in Cleveland.

Two weeks ago, Lerner fired George Kokinis -- the GM handpicked by coach Eric Mangini in January -- and vowed to find a "serious, credible leader."

"At this moment, right now Randy Lerner is meeting with one of the great football minds in this country," Brown said, according to the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. "And if things work out, that person will come in to run the football side of the Browns."

Asked if he was talking about Holmgren, Brown replied, "You said it ... and I heard it."

Caldwell wins for losing

How's this for irony? Marv Levy , who served as Wilson's GM when Jauron was hired in 2006, said the Bills' decision came down to two candidates at the time.

"It was between Dick and Jim Caldwell , and both Ralph and I agreed that we'd go with someone with head coaching experience," Levy told the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle.

Lucky for Caldwell. He stayed in Indianapolis as an assistant and is 9-0 as a first-year coach.

By the numbers

0 Lions among the top five at any position in Pro Bowl voting

14 Vikings in first or second place in Pro Bowl voting

18 Consecutive regular-season victories for the Colts, third-longest streak in history

In sync

Colts teammates Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne are first among active quarterback-receiver tandems in completions. The most completions/receptions among active quarterback-receiver duos:

John's top five

• 1. New Orleans (1): Brees leads NFL in passing yardage since '06.

• 2. Indianapolis (2): Trying for 7th straight victory over Ravens.

• 3. Minnesota (3): Rice now NFC receiving leader after career day.

• 4. Cincinnati (4): Johnson signing provides insurance behind Benson.

• 5. New England (6): Fourth-down call shows respect for Manning.

John's bottom five

• 28. Oakland (27): Heyward-Bey pick looks worse with each week.

• 29. St. Louis (29): Rams face former glory in QB Warner.

• 30. Detroit (30): Defense has chance to get well vs. Browns.

• 31. Tampa Bay (31): Freeman looks comfortable for Buccaneers.

• 32. Cleveland (32): Only 2 rushing TDs in '09 -- both by quarterbacks.

Last week's rankings in parentheses

Perfect pairs

New Orleans and Indianapolis are the third pair of teams to start with 9-0 records in the same season. The teams:

Quotable

“I’d be lying if I said I ain’t looking at that as a game I want to definitely play in. If that happens, it’d be the best Christmas gift I can get.”

-- Larry Johnson , Cincinnati running back, on the prospect of facing Kansas City, the team that released him, on Dec. 27