Thread: The Speculation on a New GM Begins.........................

FWIW despite Ted Sundquists talents I don't think he's the best choice Ted Phillips and Lovie Smith could make. His biggest shortcoming here in Denver and his problems with Shanahan was directly related to his lack of skills as a talent evaluator. Or in otherwords we get Angelo v2.0 although with Sundquist it was his lack of ability to recognize defensive talent rather than offensive talent. Maybe his biggest flop was the drafting of All American DT Ted Gregory who was listed at 6'1" and 275lbs when in fact he was more like 5'10" and could barely keep 260lbs on.

And despite his previous successes I don't think Bill Polian is the best choice either. The failure of the Colts to replace lost talent over the years and the over dependence on Manning tell me his star doesn't shine so brightly anymore either. To me the best overall candidate would be the Packers Reggie McKenzie and here's why.

First and foremost he's been the head of football operations for what has become a model NFL franchise. Ted Thompson get's a lot of credit as a personnel savvy GM and Mckenzie is the guy Thompson reports to. To me that means McKenize understands the value of good personnel guys and maybe wouldn't have fired guys like Bobby DePaul and Greg Gabriel in order to create a role for his handpicked guy in Tim Ruskell. If it's McKenize we can say probably say goodbye to Ruskell too and that completes the front office house cleaning that so obviously needed doing.

He also has a history with Lovie Smith which tells me the two will probably get on the same page faster. With the combine coming up in just a few weeks followed by free agency and the draft we can't afford another year of a GM failing to fill the holes when he has the money to do so. There's also a better chance that we'll retain the "core" Lovie feels he needs to right the ship and that there'll be some progress in an extension for Matt Forte and a few other key guys. He may even come up with a way to mollify Briggs with some incentives added to the two years he has left to go.

Above all McKenzie comes from a winning organization at the top of their game and hiring him would be very much like the coup GSH pulled off when he hired Jim Finks away from Minny following their 70's dominance of the NFC. Also, unlike Eric DeCosta, McKenzie wouldn't be required to transplant his family half way across the country in order to take the job.

If the Bears goal is to accumulate the talent needed to close the gap with the Packers who better than they guy whose been instrumental in overseeing the acquisition of that talent in Green Bay. That and the fact that he being in the NFCN he has to be very familiar with the Lovie's strengths and shortcomings as a HC I think he'll be in a better position to work with him more effectively and let Lovie know what the team expects from him in 2012.

We've all seen this team mess up hires so often in the past that I'm holding my breath this is one they don't screw up. George McCaskey and Ted Phillips are in a unique situation here. Firing JA before his contract was up shows that they are ready to manage the team in a far different manner than we've been accustomed to over the past 30 years or so. The right move here can bring us right back to the top and keep us there and the wrong one will saddle us with another 3-5 year rebuilding program as the team slowly deteriorates with age and free agency attrition. Let's keep our fingers crossed they do this right this time.

Originally Posted by soulman

FWIW despite Ted Sundquists talents I don't think he's the best choice Ted Phillips and Lovie Smith could make. His biggest shortcoming here in Denver and his problems with Shanahan was directly related to his lack of skills as a talent evaluator. Or in otherwords we get Angelo v2.0 although with Sundquist it was his lack of ability to recognize defensive talent rather than offensive talent. Maybe his biggest flop was the drafting of All American DT Ted Gregory who was listed at 6'1" and 275lbs when in fact he was more like 5'10" and could barely keep 260lbs on.

And despite his previous successes I don't think Bill Polian is the best choice either. The failure of the Colts to replace lost talent over the years and the over dependence on Manning tell me his star doesn't shine so brightly anymore either. To me the best overall candidate would be the Packers Reggie McKenzie and here's why.

First and foremost he's been the head of football operations for what has become a model NFL franchise. Ted Thompson get's a lot of credit as a personnel savvy GM and Mckenzie is the guy Thompson reports to. To me that means McKenize understands the value of good personnel guys and maybe wouldn't have fired guys like Bobby DePaul and Greg Gabriel in order to create a role for his handpicked guy in Tim Ruskell. If it's McKenize we can say probably say goodbye to Ruskell too and that completes the front office house cleaning that so obviously needed doing.

He also has a history with Lovie Smith which tells me the two will probably get on the same page faster. With the combine coming up in just a few weeks followed by free agency and the draft we can't afford another year of a GM failing to fill the holes when he has the money to do so. There's also a better chance that we'll retain the "core" Lovie feels he needs to right the ship and that there'll be some progress in an extension for Matt Forte and a few other key guys. He may even come up with a way to mollify Briggs with some incentives added to the two years he has left to go.

Above all McKenzie comes from a winning organization at the top of their game and hiring him would be very much like the coup GSH pulled off when he hired Jim Finks away from Minny following their 70's dominance of the NFC. Also, unlike Eric DeCosta, McKenzie wouldn't be required to transplant his family half way across the country in order to take the job.

If the Bears goal is to accumulate the talent needed to close the gap with the Packers who better than they guy whose been instrumental in overseeing the acquisition of that talent in Green Bay. That and the fact that he being in the NFCN he has to be very familiar with the Lovie's strengths and shortcomings as a HC I think he'll be in a better position to work with him more effectively and let Lovie know what the team expects from him in 2012.

We've all seen this team mess up hires so often in the past that I'm holding my breath this is one they don't screw up. George McCaskey and Ted Phillips are in a unique situation here. Firing JA before his contract was up shows that they are ready to manage the team in a far different manner than we've been accustomed to over the past 30 years or so. The right move here can bring us right back to the top and keep us there and the wrong one will saddle us with another 3-5 year rebuilding program as the team slowly deteriorates with age and free agency attrition. Let's keep our fingers crossed they do this right this time.

I think that Reggie McKenzie would be the best man for the job too. Anytime you can cherry pick your archrivals of one of their most valuable front office personnel, it sends a signal that perhaps there is a real sense that Halas Hall is serious about winning for a change. You are so right when you say that the Bears have a chance to make something out of this situation similar to what was done when Jim Finks was hired right from under the Minnesota Vikings in the 1970s by Papa Bear. If we do this right, you can expect more frequent playoff appearances and competing for division, conference, and Super Bowl championships.

I personally think a lot of Lovie Smith as a coach despite some of his shortcomings. He is a master motivator who gets the best effort out of his players and he always produces one of the best defensive units in the league. Despite the qualms of some who will disagree with me vehemently, I think Rod Marinelli is doing a fabulous job with this defense. While it's true that the defense is struggling with its pass rush, I think signing a DE or drafting one relatively high would more than improve things. I think that one of the few bright spots of last offseason's FA signings for Jerry Angelo was the acquisition of Amobi Okoye, and in the draft, the drafting of Paea. Both played really well when working in concert with each other. The defensive line may struggle with the pass rush, but it makes up for some of that with the ability to stuff the run, which got better as the season progressed.

If I can't get Reggie McKenzie as the GM, then I guess I could settle with Bill Polian because of his successes with the Bills and the Colts.

Originally Posted by motownbear

I'm torn between Ross and mckenzie but would also be happy with decosta. Sundquist seemed too much of shanahans yuppy and if a gm is a yuppy to a hc yikes if he will be there with lovie who wanted such gems like Archuletta Payne bazuine okwo to name a few

By that token then, wouldn't that make McKenzie Lovie's yuppie, too, since he and Lovie are friends?

Originally Posted by motownbear

didn't know they were friends fml.

If he has a back bone and wants the job long term he would stick to his own scouting talent then listen to lovie. But if they are friends get ready for some nonsense

I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that Lovie and McKenzie had a good rapport with one another and that they were friends. At any rate, I can't imagine that Lovie would argue over this guy's picks on offense.

1. McKenzie
2. Ross
3. Sundquist
4. DaCosta


I like them in that order - from the little I know.

Originally Posted by motownbear

Did you mean christenson? He is the Indy oc we are rumored to get

I wasn't talking about the OC position as far as Lovie being friends with someone. I was referring to the GM position.