Tag: George McCaskey

Bear Necessities: Chicago has become laughing stock of NFL. So what are they going to do about it?

It’s shaping up to be an offseason of change for the Bears.

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It’s shaping up to be an offseason of change for the Chicago Bears, where head coach Matt Nagy is most likely on his way out and there could be other changes, including general manager Ryan Pace and a new role for president Ted Phillips.

Change is not only expected by necessary at this point, considering, where things currently stand, that the Bears are the laughing stock of the NFL.

“From the outside, the whole thing seems to be a nightmare,” an unnamed source told the Chicago Tribune. “No matter what they try, they can’t get it right. … It’s to the point where you feel sorry for them. But then you wonder if they even realize how lost they are.”

Last January, chairman George McCaskey and Phillips sat in front of the media and doubled down on their faith in Pace and Nagy to get the Bears where they needed to — stressing that they expected to see measured progress.

Well, we’ve all seen how well that’s worked out.

Another losing season and another failed coaching regime has the Bears back in a hole they’ve been struggling to get out of for decades. And there are some that believe that the Bears need to clean house entirely — which doesn’t stop at getting rid of Pace and Nagy.

“You clean house,” a league source told the Chicago Tribune. “You start from the top. New team president. New GM. New coach. New everything. And you identify a new person at the top of the structure that you have confidence in to give full autonomy to, so they can redefine who you are and how you do things.”

With four games left this season, it’s unlikely that change happens before the end of the year. But that Monday following Chicago’s season finale against the Minnesota Vikings will show us how serious McCaskey is about turning things around for this Bears franchise.

Report: Bears president Ted Phillips has discussed distancing himself from football operations

It sounds like big changes are coming to the Bears this offseason, including potentially a new role for team president Ted Phillips.

The dysfunction surrounding the Chicago Bears hasn’t been limited to just this season, although the Bears’ failure of a 2021 season has brought heat on the organization.

When looking at the failure of this team at present, the blame runs deeper than just head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. Nagy is gone after this season, and possibly Pace, as well.

It starts with the men that are responsible for Pace and Nagy, the men who doubled down last offseason when they opted to put their faith in both to get the Bears to where they needed to get — Chairman George McCaskey and President/CEO Ted Phillips.

Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune revealed an interesting nugget about Phillips, which indicates he’s discussed distancing himself from football operations in order to get a football guy in place to fix things.

According to multiple sources connected to the team, Phillips has privately discussed distancing himself from football operations in recent months, making a frank acknowledgement to some confidants that the organization would benefit from a leader with greater football aptitude to oversee those in charge of the on-field product.

The call for Phillips’ job — at least in the broader sense of being responsible for football decisions — is nothing new, especially considering the team’s struggles since he was named team president in 1999.

There has been a lot of speculation about the possibility of a front office restructure, which would not only include parting ways with Nagy and Pace but also bringing in a football executive who knows how to run things.

While we’re about four weeks from really seeing how this all plays out, it’s clear that there’s plenty of change coming to the Bears this offseason. And a new role for Phillips is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Report: Bears considering restructuring front office in 2022

It appears the Bears are exploring the idea of restructuring the front office, which would include bringing in a football guy to run things.

As the end of the 2021 regular season draws near, one thing is certain: There’s going to be a lot of change happening with the Chicago Bears this offseason.

While head coach Matt Nagy is most likely gone after this year, if not sooner, there could be other changes within the front office, which could include general manager Ryan Pace.

Former Bears player Trace Armstrong was rumored to have had discussions about a management position within the organization, but he addressed Jason LaCanfora’s report as “simply not true.”

Considering Armstrong is a current NFL agent, who represents Nagy of all people, it’s not a surprise to see Armstrong shoot down the rumor.

“I have the utmost respect for the Chicago Bears organization, the McCaskey family and Ted Phillips,” Armstrong wrote. “However, any assertion that I have engaged in conversations with them about joining the club in any capacity is simply not true.”

But the more interesting aspect of Canfora’s report is that it appears the Bears are exploring restructuring the front office, as “ownership mulls sweeping coaching and front office changes.”

One of those changes would be implementing a football guy, who would “oversee football operations with the coach and GM reporting to him.” Where things stand right now, the head coach and GM report to George McCaskey and Ted Phillips, two people who are not considering “football guys.”

This isn’t the first time a front office restructure has been mentioned by members of the media, where The Athletic‘s Dan Pompei has also mentioned it, and even named Armstrong a candidate for that management role.

Things will become clearer as we creep closer to the end of the regular season, where it could be a busy offseason for the Bears.

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Matt Nagy denies report George McCaskey made decision to start Justin Fields

Remember when Matt Nagy shifted his allegiance from Andy Dalton to Justin Fields? Nagy claims it wasn’t because of ownership stepping in.

It’s been quite a whirlwind of a season for the Chicago Bears, with everything from quarterback controversy to five-game losing streak to rumors of turmoil in the locker room and Matt Nagy’s immediate future.

But, at one point, the biggest topic of discussion was the ridiculous quarterback controversy between veteran Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields.

Nagy was steadfast in his commitment to Dalton, a veteran on a one-year deal, as he named him the starter immediately and never gave Fields a chance to earn the job or work with the starters. Even after Fields had made two starts and was starting his development on the field as a rookie, Nagy remained committed to Dalton returning as starter when healthy.

So when Nagy suddenly shifted gears and named Fields the permanent starter ahead of Chicago’s Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, many were curious if someone had stepped in and made the decision for him.

According to Hub Arkush, Bears chairman George McCaskey was the one who forced Nagy’s hand and instructed the Bears to make Fields the permanent starter moving forward.

The report came up during Nagy’s press conference on Friday morning, where he denied the report.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Nagy said.

Considering everything that’s transpired within the Bears organization this week, it’s hard to discern exactly what the truth actually is. But things will work themselves out as the final six weeks play out.

As for who the starting quarterback will be when Fields returns from a rib injury — which could be as early as a Week 13 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Nagy remained committed to his rookie quarterback.

“When Justin (Fields) is healthy, he’s the starter,” Nagy said on Friday. “That keeps it pretty simple.”

Then again, he reminded steadfast in his commitment to Dalton earlier this season, and we all saw how that turned out.

The difference is, there was never going back from Fields once he stepped on the field as a rookie.

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Report: Bears players, coaches didn’t believe Matt Nagy after he denied rumor of firing

When Matt Nagy denied rumors of his firing earlier this week, Bears players and coaches had a difficult time believing him.

The Bears were a hot topic on Thanksgiving, which had nothing to do with their game against the winless Lions and everything to do with the future of head coach Matt Nagy.

Before Chicago’s 16-14 victory over Detroit on Thanksgiving, FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer revealed that when Nagy denied rumors of his firing earlier this week, players and coaches had a hard time believing him.

“Matt Nagy, he went and he addressed the players and coaches, but the way did it was almost in like a solemn way,” Glazer said on FOX’s NFL pregame show, via NBC Sports Chicago. “So even afterwards, he said it’s not true, players and coaches were like, ‘Hey Matt, it’s been great.’”

Glazer went on to explain what happened when Bears chairman George McCaskey addressed the team on Wednesday after the dysfunction at Halas Hall reached a boiling point. McCaskey denied the report of his firing after the Lions game, but he wouldn’t rule out a firing “at some point,” which isn’t exactly surprising.

“So it got to the point where the owner George McCaskey, yesterday, came into the team meeting, addressed the entire team and said ‘Absolutely not true, he’s not been informed that he’s getting fired after this game. We’re not saying he won’t get fired at some point here,’” Glazer said. “But they told the entire team that report, unequivocally, is not true.”

Nagy might’ve saved himself from things hitting rock bottom avoiding a loss to the winless Lions, but this is going to continue to be a hot topic of conversation headed into the final six weeks of the regular season.

With games against the Cardinals, Packers and Vikings on deck, Nagy is far from out of the woods yet. And it’s hard to imagine that, should things get ugly again, Bears ownership wouldn’t fire a head coach midseason for the first time in their 101-year history.

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Report: George McCaskey addressed Bears players refuting rumor Matt Nagy will be fired after Thursday’s game

Amid Tuesday’s dysfunction surrounding Matt Nagy’s fate, Bears ownership remained silent. Until now. Better late than never, I guess?

The Chicago Bears are the talk of the NFL following speculation about head coach Matt Nagy’s immediate future, which included an unconfirmed report that Nagy would be fired after Thursday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

Instead of addressing the report head-on Tuesday, the Bears organization remained silent and let Nagy, coaches and players take the brunt of it.

Now, according to Dan Pompei, Bears chairman George McCaskey addressed player and coaches Wednesday and explained the report about Nagy being fired after Thursday’s game wasn’t true.

Better late than never, I guess?

It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of days following another report that an “overwhelming number” of Bears players wanted Nagy gone, as well as a report from Brad Biggs about what happened at Halas Hall yesterday once the dysfunction reached its peak.

While McCaskey has essentially told the world that Nagy won’t be fired after the Thanksgiving game, things could certainly change…especially if the Bears lose to the winless Lions.

Even if Nagy survives this weekend, his fate has been sealed. If not this week, soon, or by season’s end.

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Report: George McCaskey instructed Bears to name Justin Fields starting QB

When Justin Fields was named the Bears’ permanent starter, many fans speculated ownership had stepped in to force Matt Nagy’s hand.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy has proven in multiple ways that he’s not the right guy to develop quarterback Justin Fields.

And it started before the season when Nagy refused to let Fields compete for the starting job, relegating him to the bench to start the season despite Fields showing he was ready to develop on the field.

Even when Fields finally saw the field as a starter when Andy Dalton suffered a knee injury, Nagy remained insistent that Dalton would take over as the starter when he was healthy. As you can imagine, that didn’t go over well with the fans.

When Nagy named Fields the permanent starter in Week 5, many fans speculated that ownership had stepped in to force Nagy’s hand. Especially given Nagy’s continued insistence that Dalton would be the starter when he returned from injury…until Nagy finally relented.

Now, it appears we know why.

According to Shaw Media‘s Hub Arkush, it was Bears chairman George McCaskey who instructed the team to name Fields the permanent starting quarterback — against Nagy’s wishes.

It’s unclear how the directive was given to the coaching staff, whether there was a conversation in person between McCaskey and Bears head coach Matt Nagy, or if general manager Ryan Pace was directed to give the instructions to Nagy. The move was against the wishes of Nagy, per multiple sources.

While Fields has had some typical rookie growing pains, the most important thing this season is that he’s getting some beneficial game experience, and his development from Week 3 to now has been evident.

The Bears aren’t contenders this season, which makes the rest of this season about Fields’ development…once he returns from a rib injury suffered on Sunday.

And if that’s the case, as it should be, Nagy shouldn’t get six more games to impact Fields given he most likely won’t be coaching in Chicago next season.

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Bears fans slammed ownership for dysfunction involving Matt Nagy’s future

Bears fans pointed the blame for Tuesday’s dysfunction at Halas Hall in the direction of ownership.

It was a whirlwind of a day for the Chicago Bears at Halas Hall on Tuesday, where head coach Matt Nagy was the center of speculation following a report that he was informed he would be fired after Thursday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

While Nagy refuted the report and Bears players and coaches handled the chaos well, a report from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune indicated that the writing is on the wall for Nagy, who “offered little to make players believe he will be around much longer,” leaving them “dismayed” at the organization’s lack of direction.

Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune also noted a source told him the Bears’ “remarkable clumsy” handling of the situation at Halas Hall Tuesday likely didn’t go unnoticed by those around the NFL.

While there’s been plenty of focus on Nagy’s imminent future, which looks to get more dismal with each passing hour, Bears fans pointed the blame in the direction of ownership — notably chairman George McCaskey and president Ted Phillips — for their handling of the entire mess.

COVID-19 and the pandemic’s role in saving jobs at Halas Hall

When you peel back the curtain, COVID-19 likely had an impact on this year’s Bears team as they grinded through a unique season.

When Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey met the media on Wednesday morning in the team’s season-ending press conference, the first words out of his mouth were about the COVID-19 pandemic.

He spent time offering his support to those impacted by the virus, and saluted essential workers for their efforts over the past year. He then recognized the league and key members of the organization for their hard work to maintain a safe environment, most notably head athletic trainer Andre Tucker, for his role in keeping the facilities clean and ensuring the team was compliant in the league’s protocol.

The pandemic created a surreal football landscape at Soldier Field, one that was devoid of fan attendance, tailgates in the south parking lot, intimate media access and much more. While the football was the same, the atmosphere surrounding it was completely different. It’s probably a significant reason why general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy still have jobs today.

It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has been disastrous for many businesses and individuals over the last 10 months. It’s changed the way we all live and has presented numerous challenges no matter what line of work you’re in. It’s truly nothing to make light of, but when you peel back the curtain, it likely had an impact on this year’s Bears team as they grinded through a unique season.

Can someone tell Bears brass that winning contributes to a successful football culture?

Winning is the most important thing in running a successful franchise. Something the Bears haven’t done on a consistent basis for decades.

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The Chicago Bears have made the decision to retain general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, a decision that was not met with approval from Bears fans.

Simply because they haven’t gotten the job done. And, usually, when you don’t do your job, well, you get fired.

But Chairman George McCaskey and President and CEO Ted Phillips made it clear that they don’t care what the fans have to say — Pace and Nagy are here to stay, mostly because they like them as people.

That’s right, the owner and head of football operations are keeping around a general manager and head coach, that would’ve likely been fired by another organization, around for another year because they respect them as people.

Which, don’t get me wrong, is important. But you want to know what’s more important when it comes to running an NFL franchise? Winning. Something that the Bears haven’t managed to do on a consistent basis for decades.

Their last championship came before their current roster of players were even born, and they’ve only made the playoffs three of the last 10 years, the previous two including early exits in the wild-card round.

But focusing on the current regime, Pace and Nagy haven’t gotten it done — Pace in six years, Nagy in three and Phillips in 21. Pace whiffed on drafting a franchise quarterback and a slew of other mistakes that have him to a 42-54 record. Nagy was brought in to revive this offense, when it’s at times looked worse than the John Fox era. Phillips has overseen football operations for the last couple of decades, where the Bears have made the postseason six times (with a 3-6 record) and eight double-digit loss seasons.

And yet, there has been no accountability. When McCaskey had an opportunity to send a message that losing isn’t acceptable, he kept around the very people that have contributed to that culture — and it’s not a winning one nor one that other franchises strive for, as Phillips continues to tell himself.

McCaskey and Phillips remain content with mediocrity, which would make Papa Bear himself George Halas roll over in his grave.

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