The Buffalo Bills have been a struggling franchise since the days of Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith. After going 9-7 this season, things appeared to be on the upswing, until New Year’s Eve. On that day, head coach Doug Marrone decided to use his opt-out clause, leaving him with a check from the Bills for $4 million guaranteed and the opportunity to pursue other head coaching vacancies.

Perhaps even more unfortunate for Buffalo is the failure to sign former general manager Bill Polian to an advisory role. Polian, who currently works for ESPN and built the Bills teams that went to four straight Super Bowls in the 1990’s, was reportedly close to inking a contract with Buffalo. Instead, Polian spurned the Bills following Marrone’s departure, with the coach blasting the organization to Polian on his way out, per Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.

If true, Marrone’s hammering of the franchise while on the way out won’t make anyone in Buffalo feel any better about his abrupt departure. Marrone didn’t exactly have an incredible body of work as a head coach coming to the Bills, having just finished up a four-year stint with the Syracuse Orange at 25-25. But hey, two wins in the Pinstripe Bowl!

Polian felt the job went from “a simple oversight to a heavy lift,” per Vic Carucci, and didn’t want to deal with that stress at 72 years old. Polian has been with ESPN as an analyst since 2012 after being a general manager for the Bills, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. Polian won his only Super Bowl title in 2006 with the Peyton Manning and the Colts.

All in all, it’s another gutpunch for Buffalo. Not only did they lose a coach that took them to a winning record, they apparently lost out on one of the foremost front office architects in the modern NFL. The Bills have not been to the playoffs since 1999, when Frank Wycheck and Kevin Dyson made history by beating them with the Music City Miracle. The city has not won a major sports championship since 1965, when the Bills won the second of consecutive American Football League titles.

[Buffalo News]

About Matt Verderame

Matt Verderame, 26, is a New Yorker who went to school at the frozen tundra of SUNY Oswego. After graduating, Verderame has worked for Gannett and SB Nation among other ventures.