Bill Polian

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Bill Polian is the President of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team. He has won the NFL's Executive of the Year award 5 times (1988, 1991, 1995, 1996, and 1999).[1]

Polian was the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills from 1986 - 1993, building a team that participated in four straight Super Bowls (he was there for 3 of them).

Polian was the General Manager of the expansion Carolina Panthers until moving on to the Colts in 1997.

1 First order of business
2 Marshall, Edgerrin, and Ricky
3 The turnaround
4 Playoff woes
5 Drafting
6 External links

[edit] First order of business

On December 21, 1997, the Colts played their last game of the season, losing to the Vikings and finishing the season 3-13. The very next day, Polian was hired as President to try and turn the team around. Polian opted not to keep QB Jim Harbaugh, who had led the team to the AFC Championship game following the 1995 season. Instead, he decided to build through the draft as the Colts would have the number 1 overall pick for 1998, and 2 of the most hyped quarterbacks would be coming out of college. As the '98 draft approached, much hype surrounded the first and second picks, as most people assumed they were going to be Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning. "With the first overall pick of the 1998 draft, the Indianapolis Colts select quarterback, University of Tennessee, Peyton Manning" Those words, spoken by then NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, still ring loud througout central Indiana. The San Diego Chargers would take Ryan Leaf second and he would fade away into oblivion.

[edit] Marshall, Edgerrin, and Ricky

Even though the Colts finished 3-13 under Polian's first year as president, there were obvious signs of improvement. It was clear that towards the end of the season, Manning and his corps of receivers were starting to get a very good rythym and the offense was starting to shine. Even with these signs of improvement, Polian opted not to keep RB Marshall Faulk, again deciding to build through the draft. The Colts would have the 4th overall pick in the draft, and again much hype would surround the draft as Ricky Williams was coming out. The Cleveland Browns re-entered the NFL in 1999 and would have the first pick, but with a short roster, they would opt for QB Tim Couch. The Philadelphia Eagles then selected QB Donovan McNabb, and the Cincinnati Bengals then took QB Akili Smith. Colt fans were going nuts since they already had their quarterback and Ricky Williams was still available. Polian would shock everyone by drafting Edgerrin James instead. The New Orleans Saints would take Williams with the next pick, and he struggled to live up to any expectations, later leaving the NFL all together. James would win the rushing title in both his rookie and second seasons by nearly 100 yards and 200 yards resepectively.

[edit] The turnaround

Under Polian's second year as president, the Colts finished 13-3 winning the AFC East title. As of 2005, this finish is the biggest turnaround in NFL history, as the Colts were 3-13 the prior season. The Colts would go on to a 10-6 record in 2000 qualifying the playoffs as a wild card. It was obvious the team was moving in the right direction.

[edit] Playoff woes

Even though the Colts finished with winning records and looked much better as a franchise, they would suffer playoff losses following the '99 and '00 seasons. Things would only get worse for the 2001 season as Edgerrin James would go down in week 7 with a season ending injury and the Colts would finish 6-10. A humiliating loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers would spark the famous "Playoffs?!" rant by then coach Jim Mora.

[edit] Drafting

Following the 2000 season, it was obvious that the Colts needed to focus on defense as their offense was very productive. Polian opted instead to draft WR Reggie Wayne with their first pick in the '01 draft. Although this choice was infurating to some Colt fans at the time(most people felt the team needed more defense), Wayne has gone on to become one of the premier receivers in the league, complimenting Marvin Harrison in an already potent offense. Before the '02 draft, Polian would fire head coach Jim Mora in favor of Tony Dungy. As the '02 draft approached it was clear the Colts desperately needed defense. Polian would draft Dwight Freeney amid much criticism that Freeney was too short to play defensive end. Freeney would go on to 3 consecutive pro bowl's following the '03,'04, and '05 seasons. In the '04 draft, Polian would draft strong safety Bob Sanders. Sanders probably would have been a higher pick in the draft, but he had suffered a foot injury which would require surgery and most other teams did not want that liability. However, Polian knew how good Sanders would be once his foot healed. Sanders would only play in 5 games his rookie season, but his second(and first full) season would prove why Polian drafted him as Sanders would go on to the pro bowl. Only two players remain from the pre-Polian era, tackle Tarik Glenn and WR Marvin Harrison. This is a testament to Polian's eye for young talent as well as making world-class decisions in the draft. Even though Polian has drafted players who are in the hall of fame and players who are no doubt heading to the hall of fame, it is no doubt that he will always be remembered as "The man who did not draft Ryan Leaf"