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The Indianapolis Colts weren't the only ones breaking news on New Year's Eve night. According to CBS's Jason La Canfora, former Colts general manager and team president Bill Polian will be returning to the Buffalo Bills as team president:
Bill Polian will be taking over as Bills team president/football czar but move may not be announced til late Jan, due to his commitments
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 31, 2014
Polian previously worked with the Bills organization early in his career, as he was their Pro Personnel Director from 1984-1985 before then being promoted to General Manager in 1986, where he remained until 1993. Polian built the Bills' teams that went to four-straight Super Bowls, and he always remained very fond of Buffalo.
He will reportedly be returning as team president, which is part of the role he held in Indianapolis. He was with the Colts from 1998-2011, and for the entire time he served as President, and for most of that time he also held the role of General Manager. He built the Colts' teams that went to the playoffs in nine straight seasons, winning a Super Bowl. He is up for the Hall of Fame this year as a contributor finalist and as perhaps the greatest executive in history it seems like he will get in - though if he takes the Bills job, there might be questions. There's no requirement about waiting five years for executives, nor is there a requirement that they even be retired when elected, but I don't think voters would like putting in a current executive.
Either way, it sounds like Bill Polian is returning to football, and it doesn't really come as a surprise that he's returning to the Bills and to Buffalo, a franchise and a city that embraced him and that he embraced. He takes over a very promising team, as the Bills have a legitimate defense, but one in need of a quarterback - and, as of last night, in need of a head coach, too.
There are two significant personnel notes to mention as well, and first is the La Canfora report from earlier yesterday afternoon that Bill Polian's son Chris would not be joining his father in Buffalo, which is big news considering it was Chris who was General Manager of the Colts when they collapsed in 2011. Secondly, it now sounds like Chargers' offensive coordinator Frank Reich will strongly be considered for the Bills' head coaching job. Reich worked with the Colts as Offensive Assistant (2008), quarterbacks coach (2009-2010), and wide receivers coach (2011). He also was a quarterback for the Bills from 1984-1993, during Polian's tenure.
[UPDATE:] Well, never mind. Sounds like Bill Polian will remain at ESPN and not join the Bills after all:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bill Polian has informed me that he is remaining at ESPN and will not join the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bills?src=hash">#Bills</a>.</p>— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) <a href="https://twitter.com/viccarucci/status/550733449842397185">January 1, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>