SDS Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Glad you explained it properly, tempers flare sometimes and I can only imagine what its like in the draft room during a draft. Especially if she's trying to tell him what to do, granted it was RW's daughter, but still. I assume she went there uninvited and Bill wanted her out. She probably felt entitled to be there due to her position with the team, but I doubt Polian gave a rat's ass. I assume when she didn't leave he called her a name. At least that's one understandable way it could have went down.
DELLAPELLE JOHN Posted September 8, 2009 Author Posted September 8, 2009 r u guys actually serious, i cant believe ralph his daughter and polian couldnt work something out. sounds strange to me....
Jim in Anchorage Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 The owner's daughter was a real NFL scout at the time. She had every right to be in the draft room if she wanted to be a part of the process. What the hell was the problem with Polian and Linda Bogdan anyway? They managed to co-exist well enough to build a 2-14 joke into a 3 time SB team in 7 years, and then all of a sudden, they have this huge argument that leads to Polian getting fired?? Only in Buffalo. Did you think RW was going to fire his daughter?
Guest dog14787 Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 I assume she went there uninvited and Bill wanted her out. She probably felt entitled to be there due to her position with the team, but I doubt Polian gave a rat's ass. I assume when she didn't leave he called her a name. At least that's one understandable way it could have went down. I could see it going down that way.
BillsVet Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Polian is a really good GM. But is it really had to draft Bruce Smith and Peyton Manning #1 overall? Polian picked his spots well and got in situations where he got really high draft picks with dominant, franchise changing players on the board. The man has turned teams around before and after the salary cap was instituted. I can't think of one other GM in the NFL who was successful in both periods. BTW, Aundray Bruce, Jeff George, David Carr, Courtney Brown, Tim Couch, Kenneth Sims, and Tom Cousineau say hello.
DarthICE Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 I'd knock his @ss out. How could any self respecting person allow any male to insult his daughter? Polian is a really good GM. But is it really had to draft Bruce Smith and Peyton Manning #1 overall? Polian picked his spots well and got in situations where he got really high draft picks with dominant, franchise changing players on the board. You do realize Bill had to talk ralph into taking Bruce right? Ralph wanted flutie. Yeah we had kellys contract but had he got flutie, I am betting he trades Jim's rights away. So....if Ralph had his way, no Bruce, No Jim = no superbowls
DarthICE Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 The owner's daughter was a real NFL scout at the time. She had every right to be in the draft room if she wanted to be a part of the process. What the hell was the problem with Polian and Linda Bogdan anyway? They managed to co-exist well enough to build a 2-14 joke into a 3 time SB team in 7 years, and then all of a sudden, they have this huge argument that leads to Polian getting fired?? Only in Buffalo. Well I know what I have been told by those in the know and that is what he called her. As for as 'they' building the team? Uh no. She was not that good of a scout and I agree with Scott, she should have proven her worth with another NFL Team. As for as the 'right' to be in the draft room, NO. This is BUSINESS, not family fun time. If the GM of your team doesn't want her there, then she gets the hell out.
DarthICE Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 r u guys actually serious, i cant believe ralph his daughter and polian couldnt work something out. sounds strange to me.... This incident has been known fact for anyone that has been around since 1992. Well publicized and the facts came out well after as well.
KnightRider Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 You do realize Bill had to talk ralph into taking Bruce right? Ralph wanted flutie. Yeah we had kellys contract but had he got flutie, I am betting he trades Jim's rights away. So....if Ralph had his way, no Bruce, No Jim = no superbowls I like Polian a lot, but he wasn't GM till 8 months after the pick of Bruce Smith. He was part of the Bills organization, though...
Albany,n.y. Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 The man has turned teams around before and after the salary cap was instituted. I can't think of one other GM in the NFL who was successful in both periods. BTW, Aundray Bruce, Jeff George, David Carr, Courtney Brown, Tim Couch, Kenneth Sims, and Tom Cousineau say hello. John Butler, our GM at the time, was on record that he would have drafted Ryan Leaf over Manning. Which explains one of our key problems in finding Kelly's replacement (we're now on 13 seasons). The Bills scouts don't know how to evaluate QBs. Look at places like GB where Favre, Brunell, Warner & Detmer were once in the same camp, they have since developed Hasselbeck & Rodgers (and found a 7th rounder better than their 2nd round mistake last year). Now look at the Bills-2nd for Collins, 3rd for Hobert, 1st & 4th for Johnson, 1st for Bledsoe, 1st, 2nd, 5th for Losman, free agent deal for Nall. The scouts may know corners, but they don't know QBs. PS: The guy who pushed for Flutie has a pretty good track record in SD (except for picking coaches-but then again, the Bills aren't exactly leading the way in picking coaches)
Lofton80 Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Polian is and was the best GM in football. I believe the name Jeff Littman was also tossed around as the blame for his leaving. This franchise has stunk since he left.
Stevie Ray Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 I like Polian a lot, but he wasn't GM till 8 months after the pick of Bruce Smith. He was part of the Bills organization, though... You are correct. It was Terry Bledsoe who was GM at the time of the Smith pick. And it was him that convinced Ralph to not go after Flutie. In fact, he still felt they could pursue Kelly after Kelly rebuffed the Bills to go to the USFL.
DaGimp Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 I'd knock his @ss out. How could any self respecting person allow any male to insult his daughter? Polian is a really good GM. But is it really had to draft Bruce Smith and Peyton Manning #1 overall? Polian picked his spots well and got in situations where he got really high draft picks with dominant, franchise changing players on the board. Ya, u knock him out but u don't fire him
K-9 Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Like I said, I have no idea what she did or didn't know, so I can't make any judgments on her football knowledge. I do know that she was employed by her father and like it or not - that raises red flags. Apparently Bill didn't think too highly of her and he wanted her out of his way. Now, you said she has every right to be in the draft room. Really? Why would you think that? I'm thinking the GM is there and whomever he wants to be there. Does every member of the Bills organization get to be in the draft room if they want to? I'm thinking "no". No doubt that the nepatism thing always raises flags. Usually the person hired as a result of family connections has to work twice as hard than her peers. And that was the case with Linda. She was a legitimate talent scout that grew up around the game with her specialty being offensive lineman. She had a LOT of input into that great line that started to take shape in the mid-eighties. Highly recommended Wilford, convinced them to take a chance on a 12th (or was it 11th) round pick in Ballard. Also gave input on getting Kent Hull when the USFL folded and helped convince the staff to take a chance on John Davis. The draft day war room is not the staid images we see on TV nowadays. Lots of arguing at times. And Polian always had a temper. There were many occassions when he'd greet tailgaters on the drive into the lot and he had no qualms about publicly laying into ANY employee he thought wasn't being customer-centric enough. I can certainly imagine him letting his temper get the best of him at times around the office. I don't think the draft room insult to Linda Bogdan wasn the first time they clashed. Linda could dish is out as well. And I don't think that's why RW and BP parted ways. My feeling is it had more to do with Polian's perceived (and correctly, IMO) interference by Littmen (sp?) regarding contract negotiations, especially as the league entered into the era of Plan B Fagency. GO BILLS!!!
RJ (not THAT RJ) Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 All this back and forth about insulting daughters and punching people, and not a single post responding to my question.... probably because no one can. Would he really still be here 16 years later? Ah Internet, you cause such pain....
Chandler#81 Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 All this back and forth about insulting daughters and punching people, and not a single post responding to my question.... probably because no one can. Would he really still be here 16 years later? Ah Internet, you cause such pain.... Well, there's a lot of if/thens.. But I'll take a stab. Sure. Why not? It was routinely reported he loved living in the area. After a short stint in Carolina, he's been living in Indy ever since. Same type of small city with relatively bad weather. He was as beloved in Buffalo as he is there, so yeah, he COULD have still been here. From what I've seen and heard, there's still some bad blood there, though.
C.Biscuit97 Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Polian had a choice between Ryan Leaf and Manning. Leaf was more highly regarded by the numbers. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/...g/mobility.html There were a ton of signs of Leaf being a head case out of college. Add to that the SEC is a much better conference than the Pac 10 and Manning's background, you would have to be a complete idiot to choose Leaf over Peyton.
DarthICE Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 You are correct. It was Terry Bledsoe who was GM at the time of the Smith pick. And it was him that convinced Ralph to not go after Flutie. In fact, he still felt they could pursue Kelly after Kelly rebuffed the Bills to go to the USFL. Ah, my mind is slipping Still....if RALPH had his way, no Bruce, no Kelly, No superbowls.
BobDVA Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Ah Yes, if only! If only Bill Polian was still here, if only I would have chose Kate Yore over Barbara Palmatier, how life would have been so different. I got over it, you Polian dreamers should too!
DarthICE Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Ah Yes, if only! If only Bill Polian was still here, if only I would have chose Kate Yore over Barbara Palmatier, how life would have been so different. I got over it, you Polian dreamers should too! Its hard to do when you had the best right here and the owner has replaced him with idiots.
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