Interesting Article on Polian's early days

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http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/NFL/Pla...489995-sun.html

 

 

 

 

 

Colts prez foots the Bill

Ex-Buffalo GM returns to Bowl

By ROB LONGLEY -- Sun Media

 

 

 

Indianapolis Colts President, Bill Polian (centre), along with owner Jim Irsay (right) pose for the team picture at Dolphin Stadium in Miami on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

 

MIAMI -- Unlike Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas and the rest of those lovable Super Bowl losers, Bill Polian is getting another chance.

 

"Hopefully we can take it just a little bit further than we did in Buffalo," the fiery Indianapolis Colts president said yesterday. "It's an honor to be here. It's what we play for."

 

Polian was the general manager of three of those Bills teams before being fired after that third consecutive loss in Super Bowl XXVII.

 

That run is still viewed as one of the greatest in league history, even though it didn't bring a championship to the hard-suffering sports fans of Buffalo.

 

Now in a different time and a different city, Polian is on the doorstep of the sport's biggest game yet again.

 

BLUEPRINT

 

In the past, he has talked about "the blueprint being in the drawer" when he arrived in Indy in 1998. On that topic, the no-huddle offence of Peyton Manning sure bears some resemblance to the one Kelly's K-Gun operation, and Marvin Harrison can match the big-play skills of Reed.

 

Mostly though, it is shrewd personnel moves that helped Polian succeed in both cities.

 

The first big one was in 1998 when he didn't waste any time making his mark by dealing popular quarterback Jim Harbaugh.

 

When draft day came, Polian defied some critics by opting for Manning over instant flop Ryan Leaf.

 

There was some draft-day wizardry the following year after he traded Marshall Faulk to the St. Louis Rams and needed to fill a hole at running back. Polian looked hard at Ricky Williams and instead settled on Edgerrin James.

 

Both in his years in Buffalo and in Indy, Polian has been the most active NFL executive to mine the CFL for talent.

 

This year's roster includes Nick Harper, the defensive back he snatched from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2001 and University of Calgary product, Dan Federkeil.

 

Polian has CFL legend Cal Murphy on his scouting staff to keep his tabs on three-down football, an allegiance that has strong roots. And when he wanted his son Chris -- now a Colts executive -- to learn the game, he sent him to Sacramento to work for that city's CFL franchise.

 

Why the connection? Longtime CFL fans know that before he became an NFL executive, Polian spent a handful of years in Canada getting his introduction to all aspects of managing a football team.

 

"Are you kidding me? When I became a GM in the NFL, I was one of the best prepared guys that nobody heard of," Polian said.

 

"Whether it was a scout in Montreal or personnel director in Winnipeg, I had to do everything you have to do to run a football team.

 

"It was the most fun I had in football. I was very well prepared by the time I got to Buffalo."