November 17, 2009 -- No one in Western New York was happy when the Bills were 3-6 after nine games of the 2009 season. That list included Bills' owner Ralph Wilson. What's more, Wilson was in a position to take action.
Therefore, he fired Dick Jauron as coach of the team. Perry Fewell was named as the interim head coach, moving up from defensive coordinator.
Jauron had guided the Bills through three straight 7-9 seasons. They were coming off an ugly loss to Tennessee, and that was enough to prompt Wilson to pull the trigger.
"It's the toughest thing I ever had to do personally because he's such a great guy," Wilson said to The News' Mark Gaughan. "But nothing ever seemed to go right."
Jauron had guided the Bills to a 5-1 start in 2008, earning a contract extension. But it was downhill from there. Jauron also revealed so little of himself in public that he had no reservoir of good will built in reserve.
Fewell said his philosophy for the rest of the season was simple: "Play like hell and win," he said.
--- Budd Bailey
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