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Article 1. Tom Donahoe's gotta' go...
Clock may be ticking on the Donahoe era
Modrak could get job if Bills dismiss GM
By MARK GAUGHAN
News Sports Reporter
12/4/2005
Buffalo News file photo
Tom Modrak, foreground, is Tom Donahoe's assistant general manager.
The Buffalo Bills are staring at a big shake-up this offseason, and it's looking like it may cost President and General Manager Tom Donahoe his job.
Barring a dramatic turnaround over the final month of the season, the Bills are going to finish with a losing record, and miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, five of them under Donahoe.
That's not a shock in a season in which they are breaking in a new quarterback, and if the Bills were just a couple of tweaks away from title contention it likely would be acceptable to team owner Ralph Wilson.
However, it's apparent the Bills will need to make numerous major personnel changes in order to challenge the powers in the AFC. That does not bode well for Donahoe. All signs point to a possible change at the top.
Wilson is very disappointed by the way the season has gone. He's a realist. He doesn't want to mortgage the future in a desperate attempt to win. But he wants to win every bit as much at age 87 as he ever has in his tenure as Bills owner. Contrary to what some might suggest, he's not at all content to sell a lot of tickets and be marginally competitive.
So Wilson must decide whether to let Donahoe make the major decisions that will dictate where the team goes the next several years or to find an exit strategy.
Wilson would not comment on Donahoe's future or on any evaluations of the team when contacted recently by The News. He said he wants to wait until the end of the season before reaching any firm conclusions on what the team needs.
However, it's not a good sign for the GM that Wilson has not been throwing bouquets Donahoe's way the past year. Even when he revealed this summer that Donahoe got a contract extension, Wilson was far from effusive in his praise of his top football executive.
It's also not a good sign for Donahoe that Wilson has a convenient alternative that doesn't require a total overhaul of the front office.
Wilson's likeliest exit strategy is this: put Assistant General Manager Tom Modrak in charge of the football department and place Russ Brandon, currently the head of business development and marketing, in charge of all non-football operations. Modrak would become general manager; Brandon would move up to executive vice president.
Only Wilson knows if his patience is going to run out with Donahoe's tenure when the regular season ends Jan. 1. Obviously, a strong Bills finish might change the outlook.
But the Modrak-Brandon option is one that several people within the Bills' administration consider to be a real possibility if the season continues on its current disappointing path. The fact Donahoe received a contract extension last year of either one or two years is not likely to save him if Wilson concludes a change is necessary.
Head coach Mike Mularkey is safe. Wilson likes Mularkey's style, his presence and his straight-shooting approach. Mularkey has a respected group of teachers on his staff. He also has three years to go on his contract. Mularkey has a working relationship with Modrak. The problem with replacing Donahoe with someone outside the organization is it's likely that person eventually would want to bring in his own coach and start from scratch.
Modrak has a good relationship with Wilson and is a respected football man. He got high marks for running the Philadelphia Eagles football operation for three years before losing out in a power struggle in 2001.
Brandon, 38, arguably has been the most valuable off-the-field person in the organization. He is a rising star in NFL administration who has done an outstanding job in overseeing the team's marketing, sponsorships and ticket sales. While Brandon is not a football man and isn't in a position to be involved in football personnel, he has worked hard to familiarize himself with football operations under John Butler and Donahoe the past eight years. He's on track to become an NFL team president, sooner rather than later. Wilson fully appreciates his value to the organization.
Obviously, Modrak's fingerprints are on the current Bills team. He has been in charge of the Bills' college scouting since June 2001. But he has not been the man making the final decisions.
Donahoe has made a lot of good decisions in personnel, starting with the Willis McGahee draft pick. They also include letting Sam Cowart, Marcellus Wiley and Peerless Price leave. They include good free-agent signings, such as Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher, Sam Adams and Chris Villarrial.
Donahoe's problem has been some big decisions: Gregg Williams, Drew Bledsoe, Mike Williams. His attempts to make the offensive line an above average unit have failed. And the Bills still are not a title contender. Through almost five years of the Donahoe reign, the team is 30-45.
Now the Bills are staring at an offseason in which, at the very minimum, they will need to acquire: a left tackle, a starting receiver, a No. 1 defensive tackle, a cornerback (if Nate Clements doesn't get the franchise tag) and a strong-side linebacker (to replace Jeff Posey). One or both of the starting safeties, given their age and their large contracts, could be gone. But their fate may be tied to how much dead salary cap space the Bills want. Releasing Mike Williams is going to be a huge cap hit that wasn't in the financial plan.
The coaching staff is likely to change, too. Offensive coordinator Tom Clements is not believed to be thrilled with his diminished role. Defensive coordinator Jerry Gray should be a candidate for several of what may be nine head-coaching openings. Even if he doesn't get one, he could be lured away by one of the new coaches seeking a defensive coordinator.
Whether Donahoe will be around to oversee all this change is in serious doubt.
e-mail: mgaughan@buffnews.com
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