The Buffalo Bills today fired coach Dick Jauron, team owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. told The News.

"It's the toughest thing I ever had to do personally because he's such a great guy," Wilson

said. "But nothing ever seemed to go right."

The move comes in the wake of Sunday's 41-17 loss at Tennessee, which dropped the Bills to 3-6

on the season. The Bills have won only five of their last 19 games.

Jauron ended his 3 1-2 year Bills tenure with a record of 24-33.

"He's just a great guy, and I feel very bad about it," Wilson said. "But I think it's best for

the team and the fans and everybody."

The Bills announced this evening that defensive coordinator Perry Fewell will take over for the final seven games of the season.

The Bills visit Jacksonville on Sunday.

While the Bills were not picked by many to be a playoff team this year, expectations were high for improvement over last season. Instead, the Bills' offense is on pace for one of its poorest seasons in team history.

"It's been terrible," Wilson said of the disappointment he has felt over the season.

Jauron's career record as a head coach is 60-80, counting previous stints in Chicago and as an

interim coach in Detroit.

Jauron, 59, benefited from what might be the most fortunately timed contract extension in the

Bills' 50-year history. He agreed to a three-year extension shortly after the Bills' 5-1 start

last season. The guaranteed deal was worth about $3 million a year.

The Bills last year became one of only three NFL teams in the past 31 years to start 5-1 but

finish with a losing record. They were 7-9. Jauron also was only the 14th coach since 1970 to

survive to start a fourth season despite three straight losing seasons.

The Bills' collapse last year, along with questionable in-game management decisions, made

Jauron a target of fan displeasure. At the end of last season, fans favored Jauron's dismissal

by a 90 percent to 10 percent margin, in a Buffalo News poll.

Nevertheless, Wilson opted to retain the coach in part because he wanted to maintain

continuity in the football department.

Continuity, however, has been absent this season. Jauron fired his offensive coordinator, Turk

Schonert, just 10 days before the start of the regular season and replaced him with

quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, who never has held the coordinator post in the NFL. Then

five days before the opener, the Bills released starting left tackle Langston Walker.

The Bills' offense has been paralyzed by inexperience and injuries. The Bills had the

second-youngest offensive line in the NFL to open the season in this decade. The Bills'

offense ranks fourth worst in the NFL. High-profile addition Terrell Owens is off to the worst

start of his career as a starter in the league.

Bills Regular Season Coaching History:

TermCoachRecord

1960-61 Buster Ramsey 11-16-1

1962-65 Lou Saban 36-17-3

1966-68 Joe Collier(dismissed after 2 games in 1968) 13-16-1

Harvey Johnson(Interim Head Coach for 12 games in 1968) 1-10-1

1969-70 John Rauch 7-20-1

1971 Harvey Johnson 1-13-0

1972-76 Lou Saban(resigned after 5 games in 1976) 32-28-1

Jim Ringo 0-9-0

1977Jim Ringo3-11-0

1978-82 Chuck Knox 37-36-0

1983-85 Kay Stephenson(dismissed after 4 games in 1985)10-26-0

Hank Bullough 2-10-0

1985-86 Hank Bullough(dismissed after 9 games in 1986)2-7-0

Marv Levy2-5-0

1986-1997 Marv Levy 110-65-0

1998-2000 Wade Phillips 29-19-0

2001-2003 Gregg Williams 17-31-0

2004-2006 Mike Mularkey 14-18-0

2006-2009 Dick Jauron(dismissed after 9 games in 2009)24-33-0

Source: The Sports Network