| ProFootballWeekly.com asked
contributing editor Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the news around the NFL. 
Buchsbaum analyzes realignment
Buchsbaum: I think this plan, overall, was the best for the league because the fewest
teams had objections to it. Also it did not call for massive restructuring of the league,
which could’ve created chaos. I think it’s a tremendous tribute to the NFL that
it passed so easily, and I think almost everyone involved got something out of it. For
instance, Arizona, which wanted to play Dallas every year, got an agreement that the
Cowboys would come out there for a number of exhibition games — I think every year
for ten years. Seattle’s getting the new stadium anyhow, and I think the rivalries
with Oakland and Denver are sort of dying down a little bit, with the Seahawks struggling
in recent years.
Bears sign RB Skip Hicks
PFW: What are your thoughts on this signing?
Buchsbaum: This is a situation where it could be good for the Bears. I assume he’s
just going to make the minimum. Hicks is a guy who’s got running talent and is a big
back with speed. He probably has more speed than James Allen or Anthony Thomas, and
he’s just as big as they are, if not bigger. The problem with him is his heart. There
used to be a saying at UCLA applied when Hicks ran the ball: You could play the old Tiny
Tim tune "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." He’s not always a hard runner;
he’s basically a picker who takes too long to hit the hole, but he’s got
big-time talent when he really turns it up. And perhaps, after being cut, he realizes that
he’s no longer going to be on "scholarship" because of his talent anymore,
and he’ll turn it up a notch, much like Tyrone Wheatley did when he landed with the
Raiders.
Bears interview Tom Modrak for general manager job
Buchsbaum: The Bears interviewed Tom Modrak, but there were absolutely no leaks about
what went on there, so no one at the league meetings even, has a clue as to what happened.
It seems as though everyone’s lips are totally sealed on this one. However, most
people at the league meetings believe Modrak would be the best pick for the Bears. He has
rebuilt a down team already, he’s an excellent talent evaluator and he’s got
exceptional people skills. The one question people are asking is: The Bears keep saying
they don’t have to rush their timetable, but really, do they? The reason is because
almost all the scouting jobs and personnel positions will be filled in short order, and if
they don’t rush, they’re going to leave their new man in a situation where
he’s going to have to pick his staff from the last of the leftovers. If one thing in
history has been proven, it’s that how good a staff one can put together often has a
tremendous influence. For example, Bill Polian has always put together outstanding
scouting staffs wherever he’s been. In Buffalo, he had John Butler. In Carolina, it
was originally Dom Anile. In Indianapolis, it’s been Anile, John Becker, etc.
He’s always put together outstanding scouting staffs, and the Bears’ new G.M.
will need these types of people available to put it together. That’s a tremendous
influence. The other thing is, the Baltimore staff, which was possibly in contention at
one point, has re-signed with the Ravens. That was an excellent scouting staff, and they
could’ve gotten the whole staff because almost the entire staff was free agents at
one point. So most people seem to think Modrak is the logical choice. He’s done it,
he’s got the experience, he’s got the expertise and he’s got the people
skills. And don’t underestimate the people skills part of it, because the Bears and
the Chicago media have not always seen eye-to-eye. Modrak also has excellent relationships
with a lot of agents, who trust him emphatically, and a big thing in this day and age is
free agency.
PFW: What makes Tom Modrak so attractive to the Bears as a general manager, or
any other NFL team, considering the Eagles didn’t want him there any longer?
Buchsbaum: While in the NFL, the track record of former head coaches who get rehired is
somewhat iffy, the track record of general managers who get rehired or people who ran a
football organization and lost control who get rehired is an excellent one. To give you an
idea of what I’m talking about, Ron Wolf was fired by Tampa Bay but went on to have
great success in Green Bay. Bill Polian was fired by Buffalo and had success in
Indianapolis and, before that, had some success in Carolina. Randy Mueller was really
running the Seahawks’ organization before Mike Holmgren came in, was basically
demoted at that point, went to New Orleans and had great success last year. Though some
might argue with this, Bobby Beathard had great success in Washington coming from Miami
and after that, though his track record at the end was not nearly as good, if you look at
the Chargers under his watch, it was their most successful era since the ’60s, and
they did make the Super Bowl. That’s why people such as John Butler, Tom Donahoe and
Tom Modrak should be very attractive to NFL teams.
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