This week, reports surfaced that Ryan Poles was in talks to be the general manager of the organization. Chicago BearsA former player who was a favorite of the franchise spoke up. Olin Kreutz, a longtime center who retired 10 years ago but still lives in Chicago, tweeted that Poles should ensure he receives more than $15 an hour.
Kreutz joked about his claim that the Bears once insulted and offered him an hourly rate to be a consultant for players. A claim that Bears chairman George McCaskey denied. Kreutz defended his story and said in a radio interview, “If a guy like George McCaskey likes me, that’s a win for him” — which gave an insight into the dysfunctional behavior that McCaskey has experienced during his 11-season tenure as the team’s chairman.
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Poles is McCaskey’s third general manager. Matt Eberflus is the fourth coach. They are widely respected in the NFL, according to all accounts. Former general managers Ryan Pace (and Phil Emery) were still in high regard when they were hired. Marc Trestman, John Fox, and Matt Nagy were also there. They did not bring long-term success to Bears, but that is a painful reminder that an owner’s competence matters in ways many media members and fans prefer to ignore.
McCaskey was promoted to his current role by the Bears’ Board of Directors, primarily made up of George Halas’ descendents. McCaskey has kept to the mandate of most sports owners for the most part: Stay out of the way. The belief that professional sports’ fortunes are directly related to their owners is a common one. This is because the owner is assumed to be an outsider and therefore not qualified to lead in this world. McCaskey appears to be a believer in that theory. He relies on his staff to develop a vision and make necessary moves to realize it.
McCaskey spoke to me in 2013 when Emery was trying to decide whether to let go of Brian Urlacher, an aging linebacker. McCaskey was not interested in such a move as it could have an impact on the relationship between Pro Football Hall of Fame players and the franchise.
McCaskey, a fan, said that McCaskey wanted him back. He has been the face of the team. He is a Hall of Fame player who has been an outstanding player. Since I was elected chairman, I have tried to assure Bears fans that I do not participate in player personnel decisions unless it is a matter of character. There is no doubt about Brian’s character. You can leave this to the professionals, the men who make the evaluations and just hope for the best.
McCaskey understands that owners shouldn’t make football decisions for themselves, but McCaskey seems to have realized that being a successful steward of an NFL franchise requires more involvement than just hoping for good luck. Following the firings of Nagy and Pace earlier this month, McCaskey announced that Ted Phillips, the team president, would now be reporting directly to his next general manager. McCaskey said Phillips’ role was in the pursuit of a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights. However, regardless of the reason for the change, his position at top of the Bears football vertical should be more connected to the Bears football operation.
Even deferential owners (which is a small percentage of the population), can still be a key part in building a strong team. It might be by offering a different viewpoint or raising unanswered questions in key decisions. Perhaps it’s as simple as insisting upon a vision that allows general manager, coach, and quarterback to all align, instead of trying to push ahead with mismatches caused staggered hire and drafting cycles. a key problem for the Bears in the past decade.
McCaskey’s involvement is a fair question. Will it bring about better outcomes, make them worse, or keep them the same? The fact that McCaskey is the grandson of Halas does not grant him any ethereal insights and skills. McCaskey answered a reporter’s question about why he was trusting this new arrangement. Given the absence of one playoff win since the beginning of his tenure, McCaskey admitted the frustrations of the fans and stated that only results on the field would answer.
He added, “We think that it will be demonstrated in time that we’ve chosen correctly”
It is important to consider the hiring of Poles/Eberflus in the context of an owner who has taken the initiative to make the operation more profitable. Owners are not just caretakers. They must also be operators at some point. We are about to discover if George McCaskey can do it.