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2021 Buffalo Bills - Same as it ever was*** (2 Viewers)

ESPN's Bill Polian has turned down the Bills' team president job and will remain a TV analyst for 2015.

Polian informed Bills owner Terry Pegula of his decision on Thursday. The Bills are now without a head coach, while GM Doug Whaley and current president Russ Brandon remain in limbo. We're inclined to believe Polian's rejection of the Bills' offer might have been a blessing in disguise. The game seemed to have passed Polian by during his final years with the Colts. And we wouldn't describe his musings at ESPN as overwhelmingly impressive.
Related: Bills

Source: Adam Schefter on Facebook
Jan 1 - 2:21 PM
 
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Tim Graham ‏@ByTimGraham 1m1 minute ago

Well-placed source: Polian's decision on Bills shifted in past day. Major factor in change of heart was talking to Marrone, who ripped org.

Tim Graham ‏@ByTimGraham 27s27 seconds ago

Everything was lined up for Polian to return to Bills just 24 hours ago. But he is a big fan of Marrone's and trusts his opinion.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/01/polians-return-to-bills-breaks-down-over-money/
So the people bashing Marrone are far off base? I take Polians word and willingness to turn down the opportunity as a big sign. They may have trouble landing a coach as good as Marrone.

 
So the people bashing Marrone are far off base? I take Polians word and willingness to turn down the opportunity as a big sign. They may have trouble landing a coach as good as Marrone.
off base how?

sounds like he trashed the organization on his way out the door. obviously things aren't going well there behind the scenes. not a surprise he moved on given the opt-out clause he had available to him.

 
I'm really surprised how many teams are apparently interested in Marrone and how much he's getting pimped in the media. Did anyone outside of Western NY watch the Bills offense this season?

 
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Well, this is definitely getting weird. I'm not sorry to see Polian staying at ESPN since that whole thing had a Marv Levy feel to it, but it's too bad that whatever plan the Pegulas had drawn up is apparently shot.

 
So the people bashing Marrone are far off base? I take Polians word and willingness to turn down the opportunity as a big sign. They may have trouble landing a coach as good as Marrone.
off base how?

sounds like he trashed the organization on his way out the door. obviously things aren't going well there behind the scenes. not a surprise he moved on given the opt-out clause he had available to him.
Not on his coaching, but his reasoning for opting out. He should not be bashed for opting out especially now if things are as bad as he says and if people like Polian are listening to him, bashing his opinion for coaching is preference. Should have been clearer.

 
I don't follow

He opted out because the team wouldn't give him an extension and he felt unsure of where things were headed. Also, he didn't seem to like the media.

He knew he'd get a good chance at another job and got paid 4 million regardless.

Seems like an easy decision for him to make, but he has to have some responsibility for how things were going in Buffalo. Not like he's a victim here.

 
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I don't follow
Some people are bashing him for opting out, if the franchise is as big of a mess as he says then he shouldnt be bashed for opting out.

So the people saying he shouldnt opt out and were bashing him for that are off base. I was just clarifying, not saying people bashing his coaching style are off base. Although I dont agree with them on that account, I thought Marrone did a good job as previously said.

 
I don't follow
Some people are bashing him for opting out, if the franchise is as big of a mess as he says then he shouldnt be bashed for opting out.

So the people saying he shouldnt opt out and were bashing him for that are off base. I was just clarifying, not saying people bashing his coaching style are off base. Although I dont agree with them on that account, I thought Marrone did a good job as previously said.
He's probably a big reason for the mess.If that's not true and he was being held back Or sabotaged somehow, then hopefully the Pegulas hire somebody to fix the situation.

 
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I don't follow
Some people are bashing him for opting out, if the franchise is as big of a mess as he says then he shouldnt be bashed for opting out.

So the people saying he shouldnt opt out and were bashing him for that are off base. I was just clarifying, not saying people bashing his coaching style are off base. Although I dont agree with them on that account, I thought Marrone did a good job as previously said.
He's probably a big reason for the mess.If that's not true and he was being held back Or sabotaged somehow, then hopefully the Pegulas hire somebody to fix the situation.
This could be true. But if people like Polian thought he was the problem maybe Polian still take the job. Who knows though, have to way for more reports and am pretty sure more will leak and come out.

 
I don't follow
Some people are bashing him for opting out, if the franchise is as big of a mess as he says then he shouldnt be bashed for opting out.

So the people saying he shouldnt opt out and were bashing him for that are off base. I was just clarifying, not saying people bashing his coaching style are off base. Although I dont agree with them on that account, I thought Marrone did a good job as previously said.
Why ask for an extension with an organization that 24 hours later you are bashing as you're walking out the door.

 
http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/01/01/polian-not-joining-bills-job-became-real-heavy-lift/

Former Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian told The Buffalo News today that he has turned down a chance to return to the team to oversee its football operations.

Polian said he had spoken with Bills owner Terry Pegula during the holidays about returning to the club in a "mentoring/advisory" role on the assumption that Doug Marrone would still be the head coach and quarterback Kyle Orton would still be on the roster.

"Then, the quarterback goes away and the coach disappears," Polian said, referring to Orton's decision to retire on Dec. 29 and Marrone's decision on Wednesday to exercise a clause that allowed him to vacate his contract with one year left.

"So the job, from my perspective, changed," Polian said. "It went from a mentoring and advising role, which would have been fun, to a real heavy lift -- hire a new coach, hire a staff, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

"The bottom line is the job description changed pretty dramatically and the most important thing is that it would have required a really long commitment to a new coach, who deserved a long commitment that I wasn't prepared to make. And that wouldn't have been fair to the organization or to whomever their new coach was. The coach is going to want to know that you're going to be there for a reasonably long time."

In Polian's view, that meant something longer than three years, which was the extent that he would have been willing to commit.

Polian also cited "family considerations," saying that the new role would have required time and effort that he didn't want to invest "at my age."

In response to a media report that his decision not to join the Bills was over money, Polian said, "That is absolutely untrue. Terry Pegula treated me with the utmost respect throughout this process. My sole reasons for turning down this offer had to do with family and a commitment that the changed circumstances with the organization required."
 
Glad to Polian won't be brought on board. Frankly, he is too old to be of any true use and I'd rather not bring in another guy to muddle the picture for Whaley.

And if Marrone trashed the Bills after asking for an extension, he's even more of an ##### than he seemed.

Also read that he informed all the players that he was leaving only after the news broke and did it via a mass text. Classy.

And does anyone else find it hilarious that the Jets seem poised to hire Marrone despite not even having a GM yet.

Marrone's media buddies carrying water for him is hilarious. Going to be much harder for them after the inevitable trainwreck on NY if he ends up there.

 
Glad to Polian won't be brought on board. Frankly, he is too old to be of any true use and I'd rather not bring in another guy to muddle the picture for Whaley.

And if Marrone trashed the Bills after asking for an extension, he's even more of an ##### than he seemed.

Also read that he informed all the players that he was leaving only after the news broke and did it via a mass text. Classy.

And does anyone else find it hilarious that the Jets seem poised to hire Marrone despite not even having a GM yet.

Marrone's media buddies carrying water for him is hilarious. Going to be much harder for them after the inevitable trainwreck on NY if he ends up there.
Disagree w/re to Polian. Guy is a genius.

 
Tim Graham ‏@ByTimGraham 1m1 minute ago

Well-placed source: Polian's decision on Bills shifted in past day. Major factor in change of heart was talking to Marrone, who ripped org.

Tim Graham ‏@ByTimGraham 27s27 seconds ago

Everything was lined up for Polian to return to Bills just 24 hours ago. But he is a big fan of Marrone's and trusts his opinion.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/01/polians-return-to-bills-breaks-down-over-money/
So the people bashing Marrone are far off base? I take Polians word and willingness to turn down the opportunity as a big sign. They may have trouble landing a coach as good as Marrone.
Agree with this take.

 
I don't follow
Some people are bashing him for opting out, if the franchise is as big of a mess as he says then he shouldnt be bashed for opting out.

So the people saying he shouldnt opt out and were bashing him for that are off base. I was just clarifying, not saying people bashing his coaching style are off base. Although I dont agree with them on that account, I thought Marrone did a good job as previously said.
Why ask for an extension with an organization that 24 hours later you are bashing as you're walking out the door.
That does seem a bit strange, thats why much more will come out as it goes.

 
I like Polian a lot but not sure he's a great fit either. Wouldn't mind seeing him join the team for a short time to help get the proper people in place for the Pegulas, but can't fault him for admitting it was a bigger job than he was willing to take on.

 
Glad to Polian won't be brought on board. Frankly, he is too old to be of any true use and I'd rather not bring in another guy to muddle the picture for Whaley.

And if Marrone trashed the Bills after asking for an extension, he's even more of an ##### than he seemed.

Also read that he informed all the players that he was leaving only after the news broke and did it via a mass text. Classy.

And does anyone else find it hilarious that the Jets seem poised to hire Marrone despite not even having a GM yet.

Marrone's media buddies carrying water for him is hilarious. Going to be much harder for them after the inevitable trainwreck on NY if he ends up there.
couple comments on this post

1. I've seen others mention the mass text stuff, but what else was he supposed to do? He had a very tight timeline to opt out of his contract. He apparently told the Bills around 6pm on New Years Eve. Bills players are all over the country spending time with friends and family. Was he supposed to call them each up individually and let them know? Seems like that got blown way out of proportion.

2. If he has interviews lined up at 3 teams already, I'm not sure the media is doing more than passing along accurate information about he's perceived around the league.

 
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I think Marrone should have assembled all the players back to Buffalo and paid their travel expenses. Then he should have told them all that he was exercising his opt-out clause.

 
Polian confirms that Bills were working behind Brandon’s backPosted by Mike Florio on January 1, 2015, 3:13 PM EST
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APThursday’s news that Bill Polian talked to the Bills about a return but ultimately decided not to do it proves one very important thing. Owners Terry and Kim Pegula were working behind the back of current president Russ Brandon.

On Sunday, PFT linked Polian to Buffalo: “Some in league circles firmly believe that, as soon as Monday, former Bills G.M. Bill Polian could be returning to the team. It’s unclear what his role and duties would be.”

After Sunday’s win over the Patriots, CEO Russ Brandon opted for condescension over concern.

It’s like the National Enquirer,” Brandon said of the rumored Polian return, via WGR550.com. “No, you guys know how we go through it. We’re gonna go through a process and see where that takes us. Obviously, that’s gonna take some time and I don’t know where all this speculation comes from. It’s agent-on-agent crime basically, listening to all the nonsense that’s out there. It’s hard in our business not to get caught up in the noise but its just that: it’s noise.”

Later asked whether there’s a chance ownership is talking to Polian, Brandon was pragmatic.

“He’s the owner, he can do whatever he wants obviously,” Brandon said. “We talk all the time with both Terry and Kim, but it’s his prerogative as owner to handle anything the way he sees fit.”

Pegula apparently handled the Polian courtship without seeing fit to tell Brandon. As reported by Chris Mortensen of ESPN (which means as told to Mortensen by Polian of ESPN), “Pegula had reached out to Polian in an advisory capacity and eventually gauged his interest to head the team’s front office. That led to further discussions but Polian decided he was content with his current quality of personal and professional life. Pegula was understanding of Polian’s position.” Ultimately, the talks got close enough to consummation to prompt Jason La Canfora to report that Polian’s return wasn’t just a possibility but a done deal.

So Pegula and Polian clearly were talking. A lot. Which is bad news for Brandon; if he were going to have a role with the team going forward, he surely would have been at least consulted about the potential hire of Polian — a reputedly hot-tempered executive who as Jay Glazer of FOX once reported grabbed a Jets employee by the lapels and threw him into a wall.

Brandon now may be feeling like he was thrown into a wall, and then kicked in the groin. Maybe he should’ve have negotiated a $4 million opt-out clause, too.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/01/polian-confirms-that-bills-were-working-behind-brandons-back/
 
Glad to Polian won't be brought on board. Frankly, he is too old to be of any true use and I'd rather not bring in another guy to muddle the picture for Whaley.

And if Marrone trashed the Bills after asking for an extension, he's even more of an ##### than he seemed.

Also read that he informed all the players that he was leaving only after the news broke and did it via a mass text. Classy.

And does anyone else find it hilarious that the Jets seem poised to hire Marrone despite not even having a GM yet.

Marrone's media buddies carrying water for him is hilarious. Going to be much harder for them after the inevitable trainwreck on NY if he ends up there.
couple comments on this post1. I've seen others mention the mass text stuff, but what else was he supposed to do? He had a very tight timeline to opt out of his contract. He apparently told the Bills around 6pm on New Years Eve. Bills players are all over the country spending time with friends and family. Was he supposed to call them each up individually and let them know? Seems like that got blown way out of proportion.

2. If he has interviews lined up at 3 teams already, I'm not sure the media is doing more than passing along accurate information about he's perceived around the league.
Mass text seems lame. Either send individuals or make some calls for crying out loud. Heck, even a nice email. Mass text is like breaking up via text.

 
Whoa. Jason Cole reporting that Manuel was 100% Marrone's pick and that he got rid of anyone that didn't like Manuel.
Who did he get rid of?
WR coach, QB coach, Stevie Johnson, Mike Williams, Goodwin pretty much banished, Woods demoted in preseason, etc.
That doesn't make a lot of sense. Marrone bailed on EJ and very pointedly never looked back. This would be quite a plot twist if true.

 
[SIZE=1em]So Pegula and Polian clearly were talking. A lot. Which is bad news for Brandon; if he were going to have a role with the team going forward, he surely would have been at least consulted about the potential hire of Polian[/SIZE]
Completely unwarranted assumption. If I'm Terry Pegula and I'm bringing in a guy to evaluate my newly-purchased team from top to bottom, why would I consult with my marketing guy? If Brandon plays no role on the football side of the house, then his opinion is irrelevant. To the extent that he is or has been involved in football decisions, then his opinion is unwanted since he's part of what needs to be evaluated.

I'm not a Brandon-basher. By all means, keep him around in running the business side of the Bills. Maybe the Sabres too for that matter. He seems good at that job. Just that if I'm the new owner, I'm picking my own consultant without regard to the opinions of the people inside my organization, some of whom won't be here in two months.

 
Whoa. Jason Cole reporting that Manuel was 100% Marrone's pick and that he got rid of anyone that didn't like Manuel.
Who did he get rid of?
WR coach, QB coach, Stevie Johnson, Mike Williams, Goodwin pretty much banished, Woods demoted in preseason, etc.
That doesn't make a lot of sense. Marrone bailed on EJ and very pointedly never looked back. This would be quite a plot twist if true.
Nor sure that going to Orton was totally his choice. When Orton was signed, there were reports of a screaming match between Marrone and Whaley/Brandon.

 
What a train wreck. As a Pats fan I'd love to see Marrone as the next Jets coach. Kraft must be laughing his a$$ off over the other 3 owners in this division. I honestly feel bad for their respective fan bases having clowns like those pulling the strings.

 
Glad to Polian won't be brought on board. Frankly, he is too old to be of any true use and I'd rather not bring in another guy to muddle the picture for Whaley.

And if Marrone trashed the Bills after asking for an extension, he's even more of an ##### than he seemed.

Also read that he informed all the players that he was leaving only after the news broke and did it via a mass text. Classy.

And does anyone else find it hilarious that the Jets seem poised to hire Marrone despite not even having a GM yet.

Marrone's media buddies carrying water for him is hilarious. Going to be much harder for them after the inevitable trainwreck on NY if he ends up there.
couple comments on this post1. I've seen others mention the mass text stuff, but what else was he supposed to do? He had a very tight timeline to opt out of his contract. He apparently told the Bills around 6pm on New Years Eve. Bills players are all over the country spending time with friends and family. Was he supposed to call them each up individually and let them know? Seems like that got blown way out of proportion.

2. If he has interviews lined up at 3 teams already, I'm not sure the media is doing more than passing along accurate information about he's perceived around the league.
Mass text seems lame. Either send individuals or make some calls for crying out loud. Heck, even a nice email. Mass text is like breaking up via text.
Did you want him to send a fruit basket with a nice card and maybe flowers for the wife too?

 
What a train wreck. As a Pats fan I'd love to see Marrone as the next Jets coach. Kraft must be laughing his ### off over the other 3 owners in this division. I honestly feel bad for their respective fan bases having clowns like those pulling the strings.
Terry Pegula is a clown? He's owned the team for 3 months. Maybe slow your roll a bit.

 
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I really dont get the Jets interest in Marrone. I think they only watched the two Jets games.

Wasnt that interested in Polian either, so I dont see this as a bad thing.

 
Jerry Curl said:
GroveDiesel said:
Aaron Rudnicki said:
GroveDiesel said:
Glad to Polian won't be brought on board. Frankly, he is too old to be of any true use and I'd rather not bring in another guy to muddle the picture for Whaley.

And if Marrone trashed the Bills after asking for an extension, he's even more of an ##### than he seemed.

Also read that he informed all the players that he was leaving only after the news broke and did it via a mass text. Classy.

And does anyone else find it hilarious that the Jets seem poised to hire Marrone despite not even having a GM yet.

Marrone's media buddies carrying water for him is hilarious. Going to be much harder for them after the inevitable trainwreck on NY if he ends up there.
couple comments on this post1. I've seen others mention the mass text stuff, but what else was he supposed to do? He had a very tight timeline to opt out of his contract. He apparently told the Bills around 6pm on New Years Eve. Bills players are all over the country spending time with friends and family. Was he supposed to call them each up individually and let them know? Seems like that got blown way out of proportion.

2. If he has interviews lined up at 3 teams already, I'm not sure the media is doing more than passing along accurate information about he's perceived around the league.
Mass text seems lame. Either send individuals or make some calls for crying out loud. Heck, even a nice email. Mass text is like breaking up via text.
Did you want him to send a fruit basket with a nice card and maybe flowers for the wife too?
What do you see that was so great about Marrone that you keep defending him so much?

 
GroveDiesel said:
IvanKaramazov said:
GroveDiesel said:
humpback said:
GroveDiesel said:
Whoa. Jason Cole reporting that Manuel was 100% Marrone's pick and that he got rid of anyone that didn't like Manuel.
Who did he get rid of?
WR coach, QB coach, Stevie Johnson, Mike Williams, Goodwin pretty much banished, Woods demoted in preseason, etc.
That doesn't make a lot of sense. Marrone bailed on EJ and very pointedly never looked back. This would be quite a plot twist if true.
Nor sure that going to Orton was totally his choice. When Orton was signed, there were reports of a screaming match between Marrone and Whaley/Brandon.
That would be a plot twist too. Marrone made it sound like going to Orton was completely his decision -- he was certainly quick to take credit for it -- and he stuck with Orton through the bitter end. That doesn't seem like something an EJ apostle would do.

Of course it doesn't really matter what Marrone thinks now regardless.

 
Let's be honest with ourselves. 15 years of futility and turnover has left us all cynical and jaded, and we're going to be skittish about whoever the Bills hire as HC:

Hot coordinator -- He only succeeded because of [insert player here] and doesn't have any head coaching experience.

Prior head coach -- Oh great, another retread.

Bill Cowher, John Gruden, etc. -- The game has passed them by.

College coach -- Won't be able to adjust to the NFL.

The only candidate who might satisfy us is a top-shelf coordinator from a super bowl winning team who succeeded despite terrible personnel so we know that it was all coaching, preferably one who has won multiple national or at least conference championships in college. That's the pool that we should be focusing on.

 
Aaron Rudnicki said:
ROCKET said:
What a train wreck. As a Pats fan I'd love to see Marrone as the next Jets coach. Kraft must be laughing his ### off over the other 3 owners in this division. I honestly feel bad for their respective fan bases having clowns like those pulling the strings.
Terry Pegula is a clown? He's owned the team for 3 months. Maybe slow your roll a bit.
Clown may be a little strong but from all accounts over what has been transpiring lately there seems to be at least some disfunction going on thru this whole GM/coach process. I know Pegula bought the Sabres, got them a new arena and has done some good things for the revitalization of Buffalo. The Sabres still are bottom feeders so I'm not sure how he's done as an owner even though it's only been a couple of years.

 

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