George McCaskey’s press conference was:
A typical Bears production — awkward, out of touch, self-unaware. George gave Bears fans what they wanted — regime change at the coaching and GM levels — but still left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth and offered little confidence he’ll get it right this time. And picking a fight with Olin Kreutz was a surprise, off-putting twist. For all his faults as an owner and communicator, George usually never makes it personal.
What lesson should the Bears learn from the Ryan Pace/Matt Nagy pairing?
Let football people make all the football decisions at Halas Hall. Virtually every key hire the McCaskeys make seems to do worse than expected. They need realize their problems start at the top — the very top.
Rank the Bears’ coaching job against other NFL openings:
1. Raiders; 2. Vikings; 3. Dolphins; 4. Broncos; 5. Jaguars; 6. Bears; 7. Texans; 8. Giants. With Fields at quarterback and dysfunctional ownership, the Bears could be anywhere from first to last on this list. Fields alone makes it more attractive than it’s been, though he’s no sure thing.
Should the Bears prioritize an offensive coach?
They’ve hired two of those in their last three coaching hires (Trestman and Nagy) and came up empty. So maybe they should just hire the best manager they can find — somebody with an eye for talented people — and hope for the best.
The head coach candidate that intrigues me is:
Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is 58 and went 14-34 in his final three seasons as head coach of the Jets. But he runs that Bucs defense, came up with a winning plan in the biggest game of his life and, after five seasons with Bruce Arians, seems like the kind of coach who will tell the McCaskeys what they need to know instead of what they want to hear.
The general manager candidate that intrigues me is:
Patriots scouting consultant Eliot Wolf, the son of former Packers GM Ron Wolf, spent 14 seasons with the Packers’ personnel department. When the Bears won their only Super Bowl in 1985, their GM was Jerry Vainisi, a former Packers ballboy and the brother of former Packers scout Jack Vainisi, who is credited with laying the foundation for the Lombardi-era success, so . . .
How long will it take for the Bears to be good enough to win a playoff game?
The Bears have won one playoff game in the last 15 seasons — against the 7-9 Seahawks 10 years ago. Still, the Bears’ roster isn’t depleted, even on offense. If Fields blossoms, the Bears could win a playoff game next season.
