Chicago Bears Source Trashes President Of Football Ops Idea

The Chicago Bears moved to 5-10 on the season after a nice comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks. It was a feel-good moment in an otherwise painful year for the franchise. Another marked by the same problems they've suffered for decades. A pitiful offense not being able to support a good enough defense. This failure has been laid at the feet of the two men in charge of the football operations. GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. Yet many continue wondering why team president Ted Phillips keeps escaping blame. He has held his position since 1999. In that span, the Bears have just three playoff wins and six total appearances. Far from the standard of a charter franchise like this one. To many, promoting him to that job never made sense. Especially since Phillips had no background in football. This is why the franchise has to restructure its hierarchy. Get him away from that side of the organization and hire a President of Football Operations or something similar.

Making that determination falls to George McCaskey.

It sounds like some inside Halas Hall don't see the point of doing it though. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune got in touch with a Bears source close to the situation. When asked about the idea of a football president, the reply was basically the worded form of a shrug. Doing something like that is pointless because it would just be the same situation they have now. Only with a new title involved.

“In reality, Ted has very, very little to do with football. He doesn’t tell them what they should do in the draft. He doesn’t ask them about specific players. He’s not telling them what to do in free agency either. That’s where I don’t understand the concept of hiring a president over football operations because Ted has no direct influence over anything that’s going on with the football team... ...So this idea of hiring a president of football operations, you’re just bringing in a new person with a new fancy title that’s really ultimately the GM. That’s all it is. You’re bringing in another person that is in charge of football, so whether you name them president of football operations or general manager, it’s the same thing... ...What people are trying to say is get Ted out of football, but Ted has still got to help hire this football president, who has to hire the GM and then hire a coach. It just doesn’t make sense. Ultimately, it’s George’s call when they’ve hired a GM, when they’ve made these other moves. It’s not Ted’s call."

It's a fair point.

Like it or not, McCaskey is still the guy making the final decision on these hires. Not Phillips or anybody else. Him. He's the owner. Virginia gave him that authority when he was made team chairman in 2011. You can blame Phillips for giving bad advice over the years, but McCaskey was still the one who made the choice to hire guys like Phil Emery and Pace. The problem isn't about new titles. It is about helping the owner find the right guy for the job. Biggs' source offered a sensible solution for this. Something McCaskey hasn't tried before.

"What I would do, if I am Ted or George and if I am willing to admit I don’t know what I need to know to make the right hire to give myself the best opportunity to get the right person, I would bring in three good Bears alumni and maybe someone like a Tony Dungy. You figure out what you’re looking for. You figure out who the candidates are and you figure out who matches that profile."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyDTf23U6zQ&t=1157s&ab_channel=DanWiederer

McCaskey is the one that must save the Chicago Bears

Like it or not, there is nobody else. Not unless he is willing to sell the team, which isn't going to happen. So this decision falls to him. Emery was a failure. Pace is a failure. This franchise is once again at a crossroads. Green Bay remains comfortably ahead of Chicago in every respect. If that is to change, McCaskey has to find the right leader. Somebody who understands the Bears and can craft an organization built to win consistently. Call him a GM or a President of Football Ops if you wish. The challenge won't change. It will be on them to succeed where others have failed. It isn't about front office expansion or anything like that. At the end of the day, the Chicago Bears will need one leader calling the shots. The tricky part is finding the right guy. McCaskey can seek outside help before making a decision if he wants. It never hurts to get as many informed opinions as possible.

Still, there will be that inevitable moment he has to make a decision.

Nobody else. Him. The owner. Nobody knows for sure what the chairman will do. Nay is likely gone. As for Pace, it sounds like a 50/50 tossup at this point. The Bears do have pieces to work with on the roster. Particularly quarterback Justin Fields. If McCaskey can get the next regime right, it might usher in a decade or more of success. No pressure.