Listening to Buffalo Bills interim coach Perry Fewell, it doesn't take long to realize he is no Dick Jauron.
Amen.
In the year and a half I covered the Bills under Jauron, I heard the uptight head coach crack one joke. During Media Day on Wednesday, Fewell made the media laugh twice in a 10-minute window and also a few times following Sunday's 31-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
When asked about the possibility of a particular offensive lineman playing this week, Fewell informed the reporter if injuries were a problem, the reporter himself had a chance to be used as a lineman.
Last week in their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, CBS showed Fewell walking off the field with a disturbed look on his face. After Sunday's victory an ear-to-ear smile could be seen from the press box.
Imagine that, a coach who shows a little emotion.
It was a nice change of pace from continually seeing Jauron show no sign of life. I wonder if he wore his sunglasses so the cameras couldn't catch him taking a nap.
The players stood behind Jauron and always gave him their vote of confidence. I honestly believe the players LIKED playing for Jauron. But I think the players LOVE playing for Fewell.
"Guys are very excited," wide receiver Terrell Owens said. "They like the energy he brings. It's been a little bit more lively around here. A lot of players feed off of that and it's doing great things for us."
While a majority of Bills fans want to see that big name coach come in next year, Fewell is making a case why he could be the next head coach. These final six games are an audition for Fewell and he is making the most of it. In my eyes, the players have played much harder and inspired the past two games than they did under Jauron.
Consider this, the first time Buffalo played Miami this season the Bills were helpless in a 38-10 defeat.
"They were more physical than we were," Fewell said about that game. "They beat us up on the offensive and defensive lines. They wanted the football game and they took control of the game that way."
Sunday, the Bills dictated the game and some interesting play calls worked for Fewell.
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Late in the third quarter, trailing, 14-7, the Bills had the ball on 4th-and-1 at Miami's 36. Instead of punting it, Fewell went for it. The Bills converted on the play to keep the drive alive. It ultimately resulted in a Fred Jackson 3-yard touchdown run to tie the score 14-all.
Later in the fourth quarter, Fewell elected to let kicker Rian Lindell attempt a 56-yard field goal. Had Lindell missed it, the Dolphins would have the ball in pretty decent field position for an attempt to recapture the lead.
"It was right there on the cusp of his range," Fewell said on why he elected to attempt the field goal. "He had missed one earlier and I told him, 'we will need you again.' It was a gut feeling. I had confidence in him. I knew the ramifications, but I thought at that point in time we could turn the tide. My gut said lets go for it and we went for it."
When was the last time you heard Jauron say he went with his gut feeling? Jauron was such a conservative head coach, it was nice to see a coach go against what Bills fans have been accustomed to the past 10 years.
After the game, the players gave Fewell the game ball.
"It was very humbling," he continued. "Very sweet."
Fewell is making an impression around the National Football League and I will bet anyone Fewell will have a positive impact for a lucky football team in the future.
