Bill Polian

[1billsfan]

Actually, I posted this question to the board because I'm curious what you all think?, but I casually knew Polian when he was with the Bills. I had a low level job at OBD at the time and got to observe some of his antics.  What you saw in public was just the tip of the iceberg.  This man had an unbelievably bad temper and foul mouth.  The slightest thing would set him off and you could hear him shouting and pounding the walls in his office.  Pretty funny if you ask me.  Unless you were Marv or Kelly, I imagine he'd rub almost anyone the wrong way.  I'm sure this Indianapolis sportwriter has been on Polian's bad side and probably doesn't care for him too much.  Although you can't argue that he's a great GM/President.

202889[/snapback]

 

I don't remember seeing a jerky side to Polian. That's why it was confusing seeing the comments from the columnist. You and the media obviously have a different perspective than we do.

[Carmel Corn]

I read this article in the Indystar today and it's obvious the columnist can't stand Polian. I don't understand why a Colt columnist would have such distain for a man who helped drag his team from the NFL bottom dwellers. Does anyone know why the hatred of Polian here?

http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/208754-9580-196.html

"Second, understand part of the motivation. Vanderjagt dislikes Polian intensely, which gives us one thing in common. I can promise you, when Polian heard about this, his face turned a color somewhere between rose and magenta."

202867[/snapback]

 

I don't enjoy Kravitz at all. The Indy Star has changed over the years where all the long-time previous sports writers have disappeared and he is now it. Sometimes he'll be supportive, but many of this articles come across as anti-Colt. It almost feels like he WANTS the Colts to leave town (ex. go to LA) and does nothing to inspire the area to want to support keeping the team and building a new stadium. He writes on all other issues to (Pacers, Indiana University, etc.).

 

All I can say is be glad you have the Buffalo News!

[nodnarb]

good

[bflo83]

Bill Polian is a great GM. The fact that he's done it in three different cities, with different approaches (offense first for the Bills/Colts, defense first for the Panthers) before free agency and after free agency and that he has maintained a level of success through his runs as GM speaks volumes.

[pm73]

These are just some of the higher profile picks he's made.  It doesn't even speak to some of the other picks including OL made in lower rounds.

202837[/snapback]

 

 

he picked Ryan Diem (RT) in the 4th round and Rick DeMulling (LG) in the 7th round of the 2001 draft. both starters for one of the greatest offenses in the history of the NFL.

[Buftex]

Oh absolutely...I not trying to say Polian isnt a great GM....but all 3 situations were similar...lets be honest, IMO it is easier to take over a team that has nowhere to go but up then a team that has been at the top for a few years and maintain the high level of play.

202818[/snapback]

 

 

Actually, I am not so sure about that...teams like the Bills (see 1967-1979), the Jets (most of the last 30 years), the Saints (see day one until the present), the Bucs, Lions, Bengals, Bears and probably a 10 or 12 other teams that have had long, long stretches of wretched failure, under various GM's. Polian is very good at what he does...taking over 3 teams that had hit rock bottom, and making them into elite teams takes at least as much skill as it does luck. Polian knows what he is doing....

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

He convinced Ralphie to bring in Kelly to finally get things moving. Drafted Bruuuuce instead of the Midge. Andre Reed in the lower rounds, pulled off the Biscuit trade. Brought in Leonard Smith to make the d backfield more aggressive. Were smart and lucky enough to get the Thurminator in round 2. I'd say a lot of positive things happened on Polian's watch in a short period of time. He's the man most responsible for having gotten this moribund franchise turned around.

[stuckincincy]

Polian seems to understand that character and intelligence matters when choosing players for a football team.

202721[/snapback]

 

Yes.

 

He could just as well hire people for an ailing delicatessen and do well. A dying skill in these days of computer profiling geared toward hiring drones.

 

Computers suck.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

Yes, but since he's left things have continually gotten worse overall. Individual players have had wonderful seasons but as a team it seems as though we were on a constant downward spiral.

202880[/snapback]

 

 

Since he left there has been some degree of up and down certainly as far as record and even post season appearances.

 

He left at a peak with the Bills and SB team and actually they maintained this level for a couple of years thanks to long-term payoff of players taken under Polian's guidance but also in the last SB with significant contributions from some post-Polian acquisitions that I can't remember the particulars of but definitely left me with a sense that the last SB was clearly a Butler creation as much as a Polian creation.

 

The team then went on a downward spiral as the Polian crew got older and Jimbo concussed and wheeled off the field was in many ways the end of the Polian era. The 8-10 season which ended up being the demise of the Levy era was clearly a passage.

 

Yet, the team did rebound from these depths and reappear briefly in the playoffs which I think is a pretty firm indication that it has not been a steady downhill slide into Arizonaness since Polian left.

 

I still think there is the effect on the good old days with Polian since much of our history since the early 90s has been the continual search to find the new Jimbo. This addiction, even in the days of reappearing in the playoffs has caused a lot of our problems since I think it:

 

1. Butler waited a year too long to draft a new QB and both he and Ralph foolishly believed Jimbo would last longer than he did and we paid the price on the field in his final season.

 

2. Butler overreached to draft Collins having waited a year too long and then rushed him into the starting line-up before they had trained his happy-feet tendency out of him.

 

3. Seeing that TC was not going to do the job we again overreached for Billy Joe Hobert and actually trusted in this idiot who deserved to be cut when he didn't do his job.

 

4. AJ Smith did a great scouting job in identifying that Flutie could win in this league, but then our QB insecurity reared its ugly head and we traded for RJ. This was fine, but then Butler made the stupid move of signing him to a guranteed deal and handed him the starting job which broke faith with Flutie since they had promised him a shot at the starting job. Even more foolishly by giving RJ guaranteed money they set up a situation where if RJ got hurt and Flutie performed like AJ predicted he would we would be forced to negotiate a long-term deal with Flutie to lower the cap hit which came from rolling his achieved incentives into his base pay.

 

5. We correctly went for it while we had the players in my view, but cap hell was going to come at some point and it did with the end or the Butler era. Again a low-point was hit at 3-13 but once again the team has a winning record and even came with a game of making the playoffs.

 

I agree Polian was very good here, but the history of W/L and playoff appearances certainly does not reach the glory of SB appaearances since Polian left and Butler steered the team there, but it simply isn't a steady une=relenting downward spiral without Polian.

[rolly]

My understanding of Polian's fallout with with Bills involved Polian and Ralph Wilson.

 

Polian had a trade set up in principle to bring Charles Haley to Buffalo. Ralph told Polian he didn't want him to make the move but Polian said he had to because he already gave his word. Wilson sternly rejected the idea and their relationship was permanently tainted.

[HudsonValleyBillsFan]

How about drafting a guy named thurman in the 2nd round?