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vince
08-28-2010, 11:15 AM
http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/24/football-best-gm-business-sports-nfl-football-valuations-10-managers.html
The NFL's Best General Managers
Tom Van Riper, 08.25.10, 06:00 PM EDT

The Colts' Bill Polian has set himself apart by winning consistently with one of the league's lowest payrolls.

When it comes to keeping an NFL team on top, the basic formula is simple, according to Indianapolis Colts President and General Manager Bill Polian.

"You get people who are smart, tough, with strong work ethics," he says. "And you want those who feel that football is important to them." The Colts, Super Bowl champions in 2006-2007, are 39-9 over the past three years despite a payroll that was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over that span. That makes Polian the NFL's top general manager by a landslide.

While drafting high-quality tough guys is always good, there's also the matter of navigating the league salary cap, making the loss of key players inevitable. "The system is designed to weaken good teams," Polian says. To compensate, he sticks to a few simple guidelines: Prioritize at quarterback, corner, offensive tackle and pass rusher, on the grounds that running backs, offensive guards and receivers are more replaceable.

Example: After eight-time Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison retired following the 2008 season, Polian and his team replaced him with Pierre Garcon, who they found in the sixth round of the 2008 draft out of Mount Union College in Ohio. Garcon, making less than $500,000, became a favorite target of All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning last season, catching 47 passes for 765 yards to help Indianapolis reach the Super Bowl.

Polian's history as a top NFL executive goes back a quarter-century. Upon taking over as general manager of a weak Buffalo Bills club in 1985, he used draft picks (Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas) and acquisitions (Jim Kelly, Cornelius Bennett) to turn the team into a powerhouse that played in four Super Bowls by 1993. His next team, the expansion Carolina Panthers of 1995, reached the NFC title game in their second season.

Our methodology for measuring the NFL's top general managers: won-lost record vs. payroll rank over the past three seasons, with bonus points awarded for playoff appearances, Super Bowl appearances and championships. With NFL payroll disparities somewhat limited by salary cap rules, the formula tends to place more weight on winning than on payroll. So a higher-spending GM who wins tends to get more bang for the buck than one squeezing a .500 record out of a low payroll (the opposite is generally true in Major League Baseball, where payrolls vary much more widely). Hence the inclusion of New Orleans' Mickey Loomis in ninth place and Pittsburgh's Kevin Colbert in fourth, both big spenders but also the winners of the last two Super Bowls.

One caveat on eligibility: Because teams often turn over their top football execs pretty frequently, those who upgraded from high-level posts like player personnel director to GM within the past three years were included. For example, the No. 3 GM on our list, the Kansas City Chiefs' Scott Pioli, was a force behind the New England Patriots' modern dynasty as a vice president and player personnel director.

Pioli took over in Kansas City last season, where he traded for New England backup quarterback Matt Cassel to be his starter. The Chiefs improved modestly, to 4-12 from 2-14 in 2008. Time will tell whether Pioli can complete the Chiefs' rebuilding job. But with his fingerprints all over the New England juggernaut--enough for the Pats to give him a raise and contract extension in 2005 to ward off suitors waving general manager jobs--he shouldn't be overlooked.

Others who stand out: at No. 2, the New York Giants' Jerry Reese, who's churned out two playoff teams--including a Super Bowl champion--with a middle-of-the-pack payroll, and Green Bay's Ted Thompson at No. 6, 30-18 over the past three years with the NFL's 10th-lowest payroll.

Colts fans, meanwhile, just hope Polian continues to find hidden gems. In addition to Garcon, last year's Super Bowl roster included starting safeties Melvin Bullitt, an undrafted free agent in 2007, and Antoine Bethea, a sixth-round pick out of Howard University in 2006. Nothing beats Peyton Manning as franchise quarterback, but surrounding him with talent on a budget is the hard part.

10. Rob Bzrezinski – Minnesota Vikings
9. Mickey Loomis – New Orleans Saints
8. Mike Reinfeldt – Tennessee Titans
7. Jerry Jones – Dallas Cowboys
6. Ted Thompson – Green Bay Packers
5. A.J. Smith – San Diego Chargers
4. Kevin Colbert – Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Scott Pioli – Kansas City Chiefs
2. Jerry Reese – New York Giants
1. Bill Polian – Indianapolis Colts

pbmax
08-28-2010, 02:05 PM
Scott Pioli? Not much to work with in an evaluation. You have to parse very finely to separate out Pioli's success in New England from Belicheck's direction. We'll see. Nice to see Thompson get mentioned. But I think he is valued more outside the state than in.

RashanGary
08-28-2010, 02:09 PM
Scott Pioli? Not much to work with in an evaluation. You have to parse very finely to separate out Pioli's success in New England from Belicheck's direction. We'll see. Nice to see Thompson get mentioned. But I think he is valued more outside the state than in.

I think the Thompson hate is greatly exaggerated by a few trolls who flood the JS and GBPG message boards.

There are a great majority here who like him a lot. I'd say we'd even rate him higher than 6 for the most part.

vince
08-28-2010, 02:25 PM
Scott Pioli? Not much to work with in an evaluation. You have to parse very finely to separate out Pioli's success in New England from Belicheck's direction. We'll see. Nice to see Thompson get mentioned. But I think he is valued more outside the state than in.

I think the Thompson hate is greatly exaggerated by a few trolls who flood the JS and GBPG message boards.

There are a great majority here who like him a lot. I'd say we'd even rate him higher than 6 for the most part.
I think Thompson has done an exceptional job of putting together a young and talented team whle puting the team in excellen finaical standng - and done it the right way.

I don't think you can give him enough credit for te way he handled the Favre fiasco, and how things have turned out. I'd rate him higher myself (and I think he'll rise up this list farther in the coming years), but I also don't disagree with those who say the Packers need to win a championship or two before he is acknowledged as beig in Polian's class, who's excelled th same way Thompson has, but for longer.

Iron Mike
08-30-2010, 06:33 AM
How the hell did Jerry Jones make it to #7??? Did they forget about all the 5-11 seasons??

Fritz
08-30-2010, 07:02 AM
My thought exactly. Jerry Jones? And I wonder - does he really do all the heavy scouting, poring over reports, and draft then? Or is he like us fans, where he reads a few paragraphs on a few guys, then makes his picks?

cheesner
08-30-2010, 08:16 AM
Outside of Pioli, TT has been on the job the shortest time. This list aparently was generated from a simple formula using wins versus cost. I don't think it is a fair evaluation for TT, who only has 5 drafts under his belt. There were some rebuilding years in there for TT but not for most of the other guys.

The biggest problem with the list is the omission of Ozzie Newsome. Replace Jones with him and you are looking better. Also, I don't think Reinfeldt has really proven enough already to make it on the list.

Tarlam!
08-30-2010, 08:21 AM
Surely everyone's forgotten Al Davis on their respective lists 8-)

Fritz
08-30-2010, 10:57 AM
On the other hand, you could argue that Jones has gotten his team to the playoffs a few times. BTW, is he in title the GM as well as de facto GM?

cheesner
08-30-2010, 12:19 PM
On the other hand, you could argue that Jones has gotten his team to the playoffs a few times. BTW, is he in title the GM as well as de facto GM?

Here is a list of the guys JJ has drafted since Parcells left:

Victor Butler
Tashard Choice
Stephen McGee
Stephen Hodge
Sean Lissemore
Sean Lee
Sam Young
Robert Brewster
Orlando Scandrick
Nick Folk
Mike Mickens
Mike Jenkins
Michael Hamlin
Martellus Bennett
Manuel Johnson
John Phillips
Jason Williams
James Marten
Jamar Wall
Isaiah Stanback
Felix Jones
Erik Walden
Doug Free
Dez Bryant
Deon Anderson
DeAngelo Smith
David Buehler
Courtney Brown
Brandon Williams
Anthony Spencer
Alan Ball
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah


I see three that jump out at me as good picks. Prior to Parcells, here is the list 4 years before parcels:

Andre Gurode
Antonio Bryant
Antonio Fleming
Bob Slowikowski
Char-ron Dorsey
Colston Weatherington
Daleroy Stewart
Darren Hambrick
Dat Nguyen
Derek Ross
Deveren Johnson
Dwayne Goodrich
Ebenezer Ekuban
Flozell Adams
Greg Ellis
Hundens Zellner
Izell Reese
Jamar Martin
John Nix
Kareem Larrimore
Kelvin Garmon
Mario Edwards
Markus Steele
MarTay Jenkins
Matt Lehr
Michael Myers
Michael Wiley
Mike Lucky
Oliver Ross
Orantes Grant
Quincy Carter
Ralph Hunter
Rodrick Monroe
Solomon Page
Tarik Smith
Tony Dixon
Tyson Walter
Wane McGarity
Willie Blade

I only see 4 names of decent contributers.

Throw in the trade for a WR that Matt Millen liked and the signing of TO and I think you have to drop Jerry Jones down to about the lower half of GMs.

bobblehead
08-30-2010, 03:38 PM
http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/24/football-best-gm-business-sports-nfl-football-valuations-10-managers.html
The NFL's Best General Managers
Tom Van Riper, 08.25.10, 06:00 PM EDT

The Colts' Bill Polian has set himself apart by winning consistently with one of the league's lowest payrolls.

When it comes to keeping an NFL team on top, the basic formula is simple, according to Indianapolis Colts President and General Manager Bill Polian.

"You get people who are smart, tough, with strong work ethics," he says. "And you want those who feel that football is important to them." The Colts, Super Bowl champions in 2006-2007, are 39-9 over the past three years despite a payroll that was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over that span. That makes Polian the NFL's top general manager by a landslide.

While drafting high-quality tough guys is always good, there's also the matter of navigating the league salary cap, making the loss of key players inevitable. "The system is designed to weaken good teams," Polian says. To compensate, he sticks to a few simple guidelines: Prioritize at quarterback, corner, offensive tackle and pass rusher, on the grounds that running backs, offensive guards and receivers are more replaceable.

Example: After eight-time Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison retired following the 2008 season, Polian and his team replaced him with Pierre Garcon, who they found in the sixth round of the 2008 draft out of Mount Union College in Ohio. Garcon, making less than $500,000, became a favorite target of All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning last season, catching 47 passes for 765 yards to help Indianapolis reach the Super Bowl.

Polian's history as a top NFL executive goes back a quarter-century. Upon taking over as general manager of a weak Buffalo Bills club in 1985, he used draft picks (Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas) and acquisitions (Jim Kelly, Cornelius Bennett) to turn the team into a powerhouse that played in four Super Bowls by 1993. His next team, the expansion Carolina Panthers of 1995, reached the NFC title game in their second season.

Our methodology for measuring the NFL's top general managers: won-lost record vs. payroll rank over the past three seasons, with bonus points awarded for playoff appearances, Super Bowl appearances and championships. With NFL payroll disparities somewhat limited by salary cap rules, the formula tends to place more weight on winning than on payroll. So a higher-spending GM who wins tends to get more bang for the buck than one squeezing a .500 record out of a low payroll (the opposite is generally true in Major League Baseball, where payrolls vary much more widely). Hence the inclusion of New Orleans' Mickey Loomis in ninth place and Pittsburgh's Kevin Colbert in fourth, both big spenders but also the winners of the last two Super Bowls.

One caveat on eligibility: Because teams often turn over their top football execs pretty frequently, those who upgraded from high-level posts like player personnel director to GM within the past three years were included. For example, the No. 3 GM on our list, the Kansas City Chiefs' Scott Pioli, was a force behind the New England Patriots' modern dynasty as a vice president and player personnel director.

Pioli took over in Kansas City last season, where he traded for New England backup quarterback Matt Cassel to be his starter. The Chiefs improved modestly, to 4-12 from 2-14 in 2008. Time will tell whether Pioli can complete the Chiefs' rebuilding job. But with his fingerprints all over the New England juggernaut--enough for the Pats to give him a raise and contract extension in 2005 to ward off suitors waving general manager jobs--he shouldn't be overlooked.

Others who stand out: at No. 2, the New York Giants' Jerry Reese, who's churned out two playoff teams--including a Super Bowl champion--with a middle-of-the-pack payroll, and Green Bay's Ted Thompson at No. 6, 30-18 over the past three years with the NFL's 10th-lowest payroll.

Colts fans, meanwhile, just hope Polian continues to find hidden gems. In addition to Garcon, last year's Super Bowl roster included starting safeties Melvin Bullitt, an undrafted free agent in 2007, and Antoine Bethea, a sixth-round pick out of Howard University in 2006. Nothing beats Peyton Manning as franchise quarterback, but surrounding him with talent on a budget is the hard part.

10. Rob Bzrezinski – Minnesota Vikings
9. Mickey Loomis – New Orleans Saints
8. Mike Reinfeldt – Tennessee Titans
7. Jerry Jones – Dallas Cowboys
6. Ted Thompson – Green Bay Packers
5. A.J. Smith – San Diego Chargers
4. Kevin Colbert – Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Scott Pioli – Kansas City Chiefs
2. Jerry Reese – New York Giants
1. Bill Polian – Indianapolis Colts

Nice List....2, and 5 made their name using the talent their predecessor aquired. 3 made his name off BB I guess. 1 happened to have the #1 pick when the greatest QB ever was available. I know very little about 4 and 7 is a joke to have on that list.....he chose TO over Parcells.

Forbes should stick to rich people.