Two weeks ago, Bill Polian, the former Buffalo, Carolina and Indianapolis general manager, was on a conference call with media-types who cover the NFL.
It was arranged for him to discuss his upcoming induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8 at Canton, Ohio.
But there were other questions as well.
One was about the plan he undertook in building a Bills roster that ended up going to four straight Super Bowls.
“Our approach was to put the very best team we could on the field … to put the past behind us (Buffalo went 2-14 the two seasons before he was named GM), not be dragged down by it and not to have it as a legacy that somehow or other affected us,” Polian said. “And, most importantly, to be very aggressive in terms of not settling for second-best, not making excuses and not allowing any outside issues come into play. (Be) straightfoward, single-minded … let’s put the best team we can on the field to win.”
And it worked.
Polian advised on the 1985 draft that produced Bruce Smith and Andre Reed (1985) then, after being named GM, brought Jim Kelly back from the USFL (1986), had the courage to pick an injured Thurman Thomas (1988) and acquired James Lofton (1989) when his career seemed over after two seasons with the Raiders.
All are already in the Hall of Fame as well as team owner Ralph Wilson and coach Marv Levy.
“That’s an incredible array of talent and I’m very fortunate to have been surrounded by them,” Polian admitted. “I said at the time that I left, ‘Cherish them because you’ll not see their like again.’ I wasn’t prescient but I realized that with the new landscape that was coming in professional football with the advent of free agency and the salary cap that it was unlikely that there would ever be another team that was as good — top to bottom — as our team was, as the Cowboys of that era were and the 49ers who kind of bridged both eras that Bill Walsh put together before the salary cap.
“Those three teams are very unique in pro football history because it will be very difficult, unless there’s a major change in the labor situation, to put together a complete team like those were.”
So what does he think of the current Bills, with a colorful new coach in Rex Ryan and major changes to the roster?
After all, it was rumored that Terry and Kim Pegula, the team’s new owners, sought to bring in the 72-year-old Polian as team president last January, but he balked at the task when coach Doug Marrone, despite a 9-7 season, opted out of his contract and quarterback Kyle Orton, retired, though only 32.
“Obviously, the Orton retirement came as a shock to everyone … it looked at very least as if they had a quarterback that could be a bridge to the guy who would be the eventual standard-bearer for the franchise … whoever that might be,” said Polian, now an NFL commentator for ESPN.
“Then he abruptly decided to end his career and that was an incredible shock.”
Of the current roster, he added, “I think they’ve done some really good things, adding Shady McCoy being the most notable. But there are others as well, the re-signing of Jerry Hughes and obviously Rex in terms of what he brings in spirit, aggressiveness and defensive acumen. (There’s) the addition of Greg Roman whose offensive approach will be a very good fit with the way Rex plays defense and what looks to be a pretty exciting draft.
“It’s going to be, if nothing else, a very exciting year. Obviously, the big question is who plays quarterback and we’ll find that out as the preseason goes along. The battle for the starting nod at that position will be the No. 1 story in Buffalo and maybe even around the National Football League as we go forward. I, like every other Bills fan, am going to be watching that with a lot of interest.”
(Chuck Pollock, the Times Herald sports editor, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
