Rumor: Polian could return as soon as Monday

[billykaykay]

Can we all agree that with Polian in any capacity, the level of football knowledge and competence in the Bills organization goes up considerably? That….is a positive!

Does anyone think that he may be too old? He's as old as me for goodness sakes.

[Fan in San Diego]

I listen to Bill Polian on the NFL sirius radio all the time. Dude is up to date and still eats breaths and sleeps football. Dude would be an awesome consultant to help diagnose our real problems.

[Not at the table Karlos]

I love Polian. Genius almost.

 

But I really love Whaley too. The next generation Polian maybe.

 

I'm all for Polian coming, as long as Whaley remains GM. Whaley has a plan. He has built a strong, hungry, young team. He has no QB, but I dont think Polian can come here and magically find one either.

 

Come to think of it, since I love Whaley so much, I'm actually NOT on board with Polian coming in. Your time came and you did well, but your time was long ago. Stop trying so hard to prop up your son. He will sink or swim on his own merit.

 

In today's NFL, Whaley has shown that he has it. Chris Polian, notsomuch.

I agree with this. I would be OK with polian coming here in a "help find a quarterback" only role with Whaley remaining as GM

[Kelly the Dog]

I like Polian a lot. But I'm not sure he can "pick" a QB better than anyone else. All of his successes were the signing of Kelly, after the USFL folded and he had nowhere else to go, drafting Peyton, which was a no brainer despite the presence of Ryan Theaf, and the drafting of Kerry Collins by an expansion team without a QB, who was a #5 overall pick and the next QB after him that was taken was Todd Collins at #45 by the Bills.

[kasper13]

Now come the denials and conflicting reports. Polian himself allegedly said as far from truth as can be. Another "news" outlet says Bills standing pat. If that's the case, just come back next year at this time when everyone does get fired after they miss the playoffs again and pick up from here.

[OldTimer1960]

It would be interesting if Bill Polian were brought in as a consultant, but I still would like Doug Whaley to remain as the GM. I also think that Doug Marrone should stay as head coach. Marrone has instilled toughness and grit into this team. He has set a positive culture in place and I think those are the most important jobs of a head coach. I would like to see if Whaley and Marrone can continue to improve this team through the offseason. Certainly, there needs to be improvement on offense, but I think that is achievable for the OL. QB is another matter, but that puts the Bills in the same boat as many teams - unfortunately, there aren't man answers available there,

[YoloinOhio]

Nothing to see here folks. Polian says this story is a big fat lie.

 

 

 

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/12/27/polian-report-joining-bills-wrong-can/

maybe next Monday then?

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

What exactly did Polian do to help find a QB previously? He signed Kelly once the USFL had folded and he had no other options, but he was a player who was drafted by someone else, not Polian. Can give him some credit for selecting Manning over Leaf, but in hindsight doesn'ty look like that was such a tough thing to figure out. I guess he deserves credit for making sure that a team that was 10-6 the year prior and lost the wild card,and the same team who one year prior lost the Super Bowl, had pretty much no backup in place so once Manning got hurt they ended up wit ha 2-14 record and giving his successor the option to draft Andrew Luck. I guess Polian deserves credit for knowing when to suck.

 

There are over 20 teams in the league that all could use help finding a QB. Whaley doesn't need help to find a QB, he just needs luck, just like every other team.

 

I agree with this. I would be OK with polian coming here in a "help find a quarterback" only role with Whaley remaining as GM

Edited December 27, 2014 by Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

[Beerball]

Yeah, it would be a consultant. With the way Terry and Kim like to throw their money around, it would be a great gig for Polian to spend several months in the off season examining the entire Bills organization from top to bottom. Russ, the Dougs, the scouting department, the stadium, the field house, the trainers, everything. And without having the authority to hire or fire anyone, give a full report on his recommendations to the Pegulas, help out the remaining (or new) GM with the FA and draft, and then go back to work as an analyst when the next season starts.

Can give Bill his old broom closet office!

[Fixxxer]

It would be interesting if Bill Polian were brought in as a consultant, but I still would like Doug Whaley to remain as the GM. I also think that Doug Marrone should stay as head coach. Marrone has instilled toughness and grit into this team. He has set a positive culture in place and I think those are the most important jobs of a head coach. I would like to see if Whaley and Marrone can continue to improve this team through the offseason. Certainly, there needs to be improvement on offense, but I think that is achievable for the OL. QB is another matter, but that puts the Bills in the same boat as many teams - unfortunately, there aren't man answers available there,

 

Unfortunately not many fans can see this. It's easier to bring talent to the OL or bring an experienced playcaller than make every person under you accountable for their jobs and actions.

I have a suspicion players like to play for him and would hate to see him go.

[boyst]

I don't understand this...

Some think that G.M. Doug Whaley and CEO Russ Brandon would be in jeopardy, based on factors such as the ill-advised decision to use a first-round pick on quarterback EJ Manuel in 2013

 

I thought that was a lot of Gailey influence? I also do not understand the criticism of Manuel. What QB from 2013 has done anything?! What options did we have? I'd rather have Manuel then any other QB from that year.

[Kelly the Dog]

Unfortunately not many fans can see this. It's easier to bring talent to the OL or bring an experienced playcaller than make every person under you accountable for their jobs and actions.

I have a suspicion players like to play for him and would hate to see him go.

The defensive players said it was Schwartz who made them hold each other accountable and pay way more attention to detail than they ever did.

 

I do, however, think that Marrone is a decent motivator.

[4merper4mer]

Dude would be an awesome consultant to help diagnose our real problems.

 

Marrone.

 

Sorry to steal your thunder Mr. Polian.

[Kellyto83TD]

I love Polian. Genius almost.

 

But I really love Whaley too. The next generation Polian maybe.

 

I'm all for Polian coming, as long as Whaley remains GM. Whaley has a plan. He has built a strong, hungry, young team. He has no QB, but I dont think Polian can come here and magically find one either.

 

Come to think of it, since I love Whaley so much, I'm actually NOT on board with Polian coming in. Your time came and you did well, but your time was long ago. Stop trying so hard to prop up your son. He will sink or swim on his own merit.

 

In today's NFL, Whaley has shown that he has it. Chris Polian, notsomuch.

Whaley is a freaking idiot and needs to be fired Sunday Afternoon. Please bring in Polian and have him find a QB

[Saint Doug]

 

The defensive players said it was Schwartz who made them hold each other accountable and pay way more attention to detail than they ever did.

 

I do, however, think that Marrone is a decent motivator.

 

Didn't motivate them much against a 2-12 team last Sunday with the playoffs on the line.

[YoloinOhio]

 

 

Didn't motivate them much against a 2-12 team last Sunday with the playoffs on the line.

how do you know they weren't motivated? Just because they lost doesn't mean they weren't motivated.

[machine gun kelly]

Yeah, it would be a consultant. With the way Terry and Kim like to throw their money around, it would be a great gig for Polian to spend several months in the off season examining the entire Bills organization from top to bottom. Russ, the Dougs, the scouting department, the stadium, the field house, the trainers, everything. And without having the authority to hire or fire anyone, give a full report on his recommendations to the Pegulas, help out the remaining (or new) GM with the FA and draft, and then go back to work as an analyst when the next season starts.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking he would do and maintain his opportunity to be in the HOF. Does he really want the day to day grind of being a GM at age 72?

 

He was not happy over 20+ years ago when Jeff Litman and him had issues. He wanted control to continue building a dynasty. He was blamed too much for the missed rings in the SB's. He could help tremendously with looking at the overall organization, how business operates, and what are structural changes needed for success.

[Beerball]

Why twice on Sunday?

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070921090804AAsszyj

[bbb]

Now come the denials and conflicting reports. Polian himself allegedly said as far from truth as can be. Another "news" outlet says Bills standing pat. If that's the case, just come back next year at this time when everyone does get fired after they miss the playoffs again and pick up from here.

 

That's exactly what will happen. #16years

[Kelly the Dog]

Didn't motivate them much against a 2-12 team last Sunday with the playoffs on the line.

Nope. He didn't. That was extremely disappointing, and for me, eliminated all of the great stuff he and the team showed in the previous two weeks.

 

This year has been the test of whether this is the old Bills or the new Bills. The first test was the big game against the Chargers and they lost. The second test was the big game against the Patriots and they lost. The third test was probably the big games back to back against the Dolphins and Chiefs and they lost. The fourth was probably the big games against the Broncos and the Packers and they won with good showings which built up a lot of momentum. The latest was going to Oakland in a game where the old Bills would lose.

[Solomon Grundy]

 

Whaley is a freaking idiot and needs to be fired Sunday Afternoon. Please bring in Polian and have him find a QB

 

Boy Kelly, your posts ceases to amazing me!

[OldTimer1960]

 

 

Didn't motivate them much against a 2-12 team last Sunday with the playoffs on the line.

 

That 2-12 team also beat good Chiefs and 49er teams - also at home. Some teams improve over the course of a season. Further, losing Marcel Dareus hurt the defense and we all know that the weak offense left no room for error by the defense.

 

Now, lest there be confusion, the Bills heavily invested in defense and it has improved greatly. They just started to address the offense last year. Whether some here like it or not, that strategy has made the team competitive. They were in the hunt for the playoffs until week 15 a far cry from years past.

 

IMHO, if the Bills play the Pats competitively tomorrow, then I think this has been a very encouraging season.

[Kirby Jackson]

 

Whaley is a freaking idiot and needs to be fired Sunday Afternoon. Please bring in Polian and have him find a QB

Why do you post here? You should pick a new team.

[billsfan_34]

Oh the dangling of the carrot. That glimmer of hope they throw our way every year SMH

[JDHILL]

They said they would hire a consultant to assess the organization top to bottom. This sounds like the job that Bill P would be brought back to do.

 

This guy has been around more winning than most anyone in the game. We have flaws in this system from 15+ years of dysfunction and he would be there to make suggestions on how to improve them. Who better to take a before/after snapshot of this organization from the last time they were in the playoffs to show where they went off the rails.

 

I think he deserves a little more credit than just doing all of this to get his Son a job. He knows the area and would probably LOVE to cap off his career with a SB in Buffalo. Tell me one other thing that would complete this man's NFL resume?

 

Like everything else they have done or not, the 2 Dougs spent BIG in 2 drafts and got egg on their faces in both…sorry but ODB's season makes them look bad for spending insane levels to get Sammy. We use similar measurements to say that Donahoe was terrible on this board.

 

Nobody should be safe in theory but the progress will not be ignored and sacrificed…Polian too good at what he does.

The HOF role of contributor does not have a "reset" . Polian could take any job in a front office and it would not have impact on his chance for HOF this year. The fact that Florio did not know this when he posted story leads me to believe this is very much a rumor. Although Polian has never been a huge fan of the media and his denial ouldn't make him a liar if he did take a job. BTW the PFT article now has an updateabout the role of contributor.

[Giaimo25]

 

The HOF role of contributor does not have a "reset" . Polian could take any job in a front office and it would not have impact on his chance for HOF this year. The fact that Florio did not know this when he posted story leads me to believe this is very much a rumor. Although Polian has never been a huge fan of the media and his denial ouldn't make him a liar if he did take a job. BTW the PFT article now has an updateabout the role of contributor.

 

It's all rumor, Polian himself said the only place he will be on Monday is at ESPN. Doesn't mean things can't change, I just don't see it happening

 

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/12/27/polian-report-joining-bills-wrong-can/

 

[dave mcbride]

Didn't motivate them much against a 2-12 team last Sunday with the playoffs on the line.

... yet a team that was 2-0 in its prior to home games against teams very similar to Buffalo (7-6 SF and 7-4 KC; both have top ten defenses too). Oakland isn't that bad now, at least at home.

 

Whaley is a freaking idiot and needs to be fired Sunday Afternoon. Please bring in Polian and have him find a QB

Weak post.

[FluffHead]

I don't know if polian is coming back or if it is a good idea. What I do know is someone needs to hook Bill up with some whitening toothpaste and a dentist appointment.

[Gugny]

Whaley is a freaking idiot and needs to be fired Sunday Afternoon. Please bring in Polian and have him find a QB

Whaley is a freaking idiot and needs to be fired Sunday Afternoon. Please bring in Polian and have him find a QB

I can't wait for you to either leave or get banned. You offer absolutely nothing to any conversation. Keep crusading.

[Not at the table Karlos]

What exactly did Polian do to help find a QB previously? He signed Kelly once the USFL had folded and he had no other options, but he was a player who was drafted by someone else, not Polian. Can give him some credit for selecting Manning over Leaf, but in hindsight doesn'ty look like that was such a tough thing to figure out. I guess he deserves credit for making sure that a team that was 10-6 the year prior and lost the wild card,and the same team who one year prior lost the Super Bowl, had pretty much no backup in place so once Manning got hurt they ended up wit ha 2-14 record and giving his successor the option to draft Andrew Luck. I guess Polian deserves credit for knowing when to suck.

 

There are over 20 teams in the league that all could use help finding a QB. Whaley doesn't need help to find a QB, he just needs luck, just like every other team.

lol I knew this was coming and I feel that he lucked into the QBs he had. However he is very thorough when looking for a qb. His opinions and his qb rankings while with ESPN have been pretty much right and make the "experts" look stupid when it comes to QBs. However the last few drafts anyone could have known the QBs suck.

 

I don't really want Polian to come here. I dont like his drafting other than the no brainer QB picks. I wasn't impressed with his work in indy and he made the stupid decision to give his son a job

 

If anyone were to come in I would want it to be Ron Wolf and his draft a qb every year philosophy(It may not be every single year for the people that get bent out of shape if your off on your stats)

Edited December 28, 2014 by kr632

[#34fan]

I'm IN!!!!

 

If it happens, i expect him and Maroon will butt heads IMMEDIATELY.

 

Maybe Doug M can explain our O-line's woeful ineptitude... Why ALL our QB's suck... And the Mike Williams debacle.... AT LAST... someone with half a brain enters the fray.

[YoloinOhio]

I'm IN!!!!

 

If it happens, i expect him and Maroon will butt heads IMMEDIATELY.

 

Maybe Doug M can explain our O-line's woeful ineptitude... Why ALL our QB's suck... And the Mike Williams debacle.... AT LAST... someone with half a brain enters the fray.

i have a feeling Polian would not need the MW situation explained. Not his type of player. Edited December 28, 2014 by YoloinOhio

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Polian's QB's.... Kelly, Collins, and Manning... I'll take those any day of the week and twice on Sunday over what we have now.

For cryin out loud, they just got rid of the 70 and 80 year old has beens and dinosaurs.

 

Now polian will come in and tell them the need a 1990 QB.

 

 

[finn]

The first thing I thought of was how badly it worked out bringing back Levy as GM, although to be fair his glory was as a coach. But I wonder if this is a way to give the Pegulas for changes they want to make (e.g., Brandon and Hackett). You can be a bit more surgical this way as opposed to cleaning house. Or mixing metaphors.

[YoloinOhio]

Obviously I could be wrong, but I don't believe for one second LaCanfora's "sources" about Chris Polian here:

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/24919505/front-office-shake-ups-texans-titans-and-bills-likely-to-make-changes

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Obviously I could be wrong, but I don't believe for one second LaCanfora's "sources" about Chris Polian here:

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/24919505/front-office-shake-ups-texans-titans-and-bills-likely-to-make-changes

That "bryan brown" trade was a killer.

 

[dave mcbride]

Obviously I could be wrong, but I don't believe for one second LaCanfora's "sources" about Chris Polian here:

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/24919505/front-office-shake-ups-texans-titans-and-bills-likely-to-make-changes

Why don't you trust LaCanfora?

 

My own sense is that the Gleason piece the other day is a sign some sort of change is coming. If a coach and GM can't work together, that's a situation that can't last.

 

I will be sad, however, if Polian becomes the GM.

 

 

 

That "bryan brown" trade was a killer.

It's a misprint, obviously, but the point isn't wrong. You expect more from a 4th round running back these days. They should be able to make angle reads better than Brown does and not fumble away a big game.

[YoloinOhio]

 

Why don't you trust LaCanfora?

 

My own sense is that the Gleason piece the other day is a sign some sort of change is coming. If a coach and GM can't work together, that's a situation that can't last.

 

I will be sad, however, if Polian becomes the GM.

 

 

 

It's a misprint, obviously, but the point isn't wrong. You expect more from a 4th round running back these days. They should be able to make angle reads better than Brown does and not fumble away a big game.

its not that I don't trust JC it's that I don't think Chris would be interested in this job and Bill wouldn't recommend it as a fit. I could be wrong like I said.

 

On the Bryce brown thing I think it is way too early to call it a "failed trade." Especially because JC seems uninformed on the intentions of that acquisition. Whaley was clear that he was to be a backup/injury insurance this year. I think most understood he was acquired for next year when they would likely be without either Fred or CJ who at the time of the trade were both on schedule to be FAs. He was younger than some of the RBs drafted last year with less mileage. I say he could end up being worth a 4th rounder.

 

 

[dave mcbride]

its not that I don't trust JC it's that I don't think Chris would be interested in this job and Bill wouldn't recommend it as a fit. I could be wrong like I said.

 

On the Bryce brown thing I think it is way too early to call it a "failed trade." Especially because JC seems uninformed on the intentions of that acquisition. Whaley was clear that he was to be a backup/injury insurance this year. I think most understood he was acquired for next year when they would likely be without either Fred or CJ who at the time of the trade were both on schedule to be FAs. He was younger than some of the RBs drafted last year with less mileage. I say he could end up being worth a 4th rounder.

Good points about Brown. He's obviously fast, but his angle reading needs work. He does have talent, clearly.

[zonabb]

This Confora piece is why the media is garbage. He like hacks such as Florio never use names, they cite anonymity (using that as an excuse to make stuff up to drive clicks to make more money). This one is easy to understand. They've all watched the Pegulas take over the Sabres and welcome back former players with open arms, even LaFontaine into management (which worked well). So they basically extrapoltae that out to "This guy will bring in the past" and conveniently there are the Polians. Joke. I can play connect the dots just as well.

 

I read the headlines and this post and to be honest, I'm perplexed why anyone reads this garbage.... it's rarely true.