After surgery, Bills' personnel chief enthusiastic about life, team
By Leo Roth Democrat and Chronicle
ORCHARD PARK (Thursday, January 31, 2002) -- Tom Modrak, who has been scouting football players in the NFL for a quarter century, had attended scores of Senior Bowl practices over the years.
But standing on the sidelines in Mobile, Ala., last week was far from mundane for the Buffalo Bills director of football operations.
After undergoing cardiac bypass surgery on Jan. 3 at the Cleveland Clinic, Modrak was back on the job less than three weeks later, clipboard and stopwatch in hand.
Somehow, the grass smelled fresher, the air was more crisp.
"It was just a tuneup. They stamped me for another 100,000 miles," said Modrak good-naturedly.
"The doctors really did a great job. I can't jog but, I couldn't jog before so it's not a big deal. But I'm pretty close to getting back to where I'm at least 80 percent. I don't have any real problems doing anything that I need to get this job done at this point. If I was lifting bales of hay, it'd be a problem."
Modrak was diagnosed during a routine physical with Bills' doctors.
Owner Ralph Wilson got him in touch with heart specialists and Modrak planned the surgery so he could recover in time for the hectic four months leading up to his first college draft for the Bills on April 20-21.
Attending the Senior Bowl was a personal milestone.
"Tom's excited to be back," said Bills general manager Tom Donahoe, his longtime friend from their days with the Pittsburgh Steelers. "Him being at the Senior Bowl just showed the energy he has and what determination he has to help us get this thing straightened out.
"We've been close for a long time and I have a lot of respect for him. The main thing is his health. Mr. Wilson was very concerned when he found out and he made sure he got in touch with a good doctor. We're concerned about him first as a person, then as an employee."
Modrak said Wilson checked on him daily while in the hospital, and it wasn't to ask about who the Bills should draft with the No. 4 pick.
"I'm glad it's done to be honest, and I really feel like it was just a tuneup," Modrak said. "And Mr. Wilson, I don't know if there could be an owner as nice as that."
For Modrak, one of the most knowledgeable and accomplished personnel men in the game, scouting players is his best medicine.
Having played a huge role in building Pittsburgh and Philadelphia into playoff powers, Modrak is always a candidate for any general manager's job that opens.
Though Washington and Carolina have reshuffled their front offices, no GM-type job has materialized so far this off-season, much to the benefit of the Bills, who hired Modrak last June.
For his part, Modrak insists he isn't looking to leave and is focused on helping the Bills rebound after last season's 3-13 finish, the club's worst since the mid-1980s.
"Honestly, I'm excited about where we're going here," Modrak said. "I think things will get going in the right direction pretty quickly working with Tom, Mr. Wilson and Gregg (Williams') staff."
In a couple weeks, Modrak -- who works out of his home near Philadelphia -- and his scouts will convene in Buffalo and compare notes heading into the Indianapolis scouting combine on Feb. 28.
Compiling an exhaustively researched list of prospects is the goal between now and April.
"Each time we meet, we polish it more and stack things tighter, but we do the process a couple of times instead of all at once," Modrak explained.
This year's draft is strong in all of the areas the Bills need the most help: offensive line, defensive line, safety.
Buffalo's last selection in the Top 5 was in 1985 (Bruce Smith, first overall).
Picking fourth in each round means added pressure to be right, not that Modrak hasn't been there. He was in Philadelphia when the Eagles selected Syracuse star quarterback Donovan McNabb No. 2 overall in 1999 -- a bull's-eye.
"We're confident we're going to get some good players in this draft and we have to," Modrak said. "Picking where we are certainly increases the potential of that happening. But some day we'll be picking (32nd) and I'd say the same thing, there will be good players to get, we just have to wait longer. Hopefully, we'll be in that situation of having to wait pretty quickly."
Such as the Steelers and Eagles will do this spring.
Both of Modrak's former clubs played in last Sunday's conference championships and lost, making for a pride-filled but disappointing day.
"It was a tough day for the Pennsylvania teams, but that's the way it goes," he said. "Those guys we drafted, you root for them. I'm a fan, too. I got fired up."
