Bills Front Office Fires Tom Modrak – It’s About Time

With a simple press release the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday announced the firing of Tom Modrak who had been with the Bills heading up their scouting department for the past 10 years.  The release wished him well and said they're going in a different direction.  Perhaps that direction is toward a playoff spot for the first time since 1999.  I think most Bills fans wonder what took so long. Maybe Modrak isn't entirely to blame.  He didn't actually make the picks but how could a guy like Aaron Maybin end up as the Bills first round draft choice, #11 overall in 2009?  Maybin has been a miserable failure.  Even failed to suit up for a couple of games.  It would be a toss-up between him and Mike Williams as to which has been the worst number one pick by the Bills in the last 10 years.  Williams was the big offensive tackle taken fourth overall in 2002.  He simply overpowered other players in college with his size, but just didn't have what it takes to play pro football.

Then there was John McCargo - a defensive lineman taken 26th overall in 2006.  The Bills tried to trade him to the Colts in 2008 but the Colts sent him back the next day when he failed his physical.   The Bills traded up in the draft to get J-P Losman 22nd overall in 2004.  Boy could that guy throw the ball but just didn't have a whole lot of success running the offense.  Maybe it was a coaching problem with him.....maybe the players around him, but it was another number one pick that didn't pan out.

And then the running backs - Willis McGahee and Marshawn Lynch.  McGahee didn't seem to want to play in Buffalo.  Actually said he wished all the Bills home games could be played in Toronto.  And Lynch?  Just too many problems off the field - allegedly the leaving the scene of an accident when a pedestrian was struck downtown and possessing an illegal handgun when hanging with his bros.   

Last year's top pick, C-J Spiller had less than a stellar year for the Bills.  It'll be a couple of years before you can give a real evaluation of his value to the team.  

The fact of the matter is that Tom Modrak has headed up the scouting department for 10 years and there's not a whole lot to show for it.  Just a couple of days after this year's college draft the Bills finally cut ties with him and it was long overdue.