Bills former GM Bill Polian, who was part of the personnel department that drafted Andre Reed in 1985, was doing some heavy campaigning for Andre Reed’s Hall of Fame induction this week at the Super Bowl site in advance of the Hall of Fame Selectors meeting on Saturday, which eventually chose Reed for Hall of Fame enshrinement on his eight straight year as a finalist.
Appearing on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550 this morning, Polian wasn’t shy in admitting that he spoke to an awful lot of the Selectors this week to advocate for Reed.
“I couldn’t be happier,” said Polian. “This was a long time coming. For some reason, I don’t know why, I just felt this was the year. Every voter that I talked to and I was blatantly electioneering and I kept telling them it’s his time put him in and they did.”
What Polian emphasized about Reed’s career was his consistent production.
“Competitiveness and production,” said Polian. “Some people really want to compete and have the gifts and the attitude to produce. That was Andre Reed. He was our go-to receiver. There’s no question about that. There are some who have tried to say that he had Don Beebe and James Lofton with him and Keith McKellar and Thurman Thomas, but in the Greatest Comeback game there was no Jim Kelly, no Thurman Thomas, no Cornelius Bennett it was Frank Reich and Andre Reed and he produced in every single situation.”
Reed caught three touchdowns passes in that AFC Wild Card comeback win over the Houston Oilers after they had trailed 35-3 in the third quarter.
