Pro Football HOFer Bill Polian would "strongly consider the right opportunity to return to the NFL and is expected to garner heavy consideration for a front-office position" with the Bears, according to sources cited by Jason La Canfora of CBSSPORTS.com. Several owners are "mulling over front-office shake-ups" that Polian is "monitoring closely." Sources said that a senior executive, advisory position "with the right franchise would appeal to Polian," and there is a "possibility the Bears restructure their front office in a scenario where Polian would be a senior adviser." Polian currently works as an ESPN NFL analyst (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/11). In Chicago, Mike Imrem writes the 3-10 Bears are "improving despite injuries but someone has to determine whether" GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox can "take them from this stage to the ultimate stage." Polian is 74 years old, which "means he has forgotten more football than anyone currently at Halas Hall can remember." Whether Polian is "young enough at heart and mind in that respect must be discussed, as should whether he's willing to surround himself with stats geeks." Regardless, bringing in Polian is a "move that should have been made two years ago." The Bears "always can use a Bill Polian's guidance" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 12/12). Also in Chicago, Steve Rosenbloom writes Polian has been "out of the day-to-day business of winning football games for a while, but then, so have the Bears" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/12).
WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM: CBSSPORTS.com's La Canfora cited sources as saying that Bills Owner Terry Pegula "seems to have cooled on the idea of bringing" in a Senior VP of Football Operations "of some sort." Pegula has "considered" Polian for such a position in the past and spoke to former NFL coach Tom Coughlin earlier this season. Meanwhile, Bills GM Doug Whaley has "formed a strong bond with ownership." It "seems unlikely the Bills would make major changes in football operations, though a brutal finish could conceivably alter that landscape as well" (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/11). ESPN's Adam Schefter said of Bills coach Rex Ryan's status, "They seem to be ready to move forward without him, to make a change there" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 12/12).
