Thread: Bears to interview four general manager candidates

Originally Posted by WindyCity

But Phillips does not want to be hated and does not want public sentiment to get him like it got JA.

But with Ruskell everyone knows that it is more of the same and Lovie in charge and they are all together in the basket.

By hiring a guy like Raye, Phillips can align himself with Raye and not with Lovie, Ruskell and Angelo.

I read recently the last time the Bears didnt sell out the stadium was back in 1983 I dont think they give a shit as long as they sell out

Michael C Wright has said that he thinks the Bears REALLY want to go outside the organization and they really like Raye and Ross.

He also said that when Halas Hall goes into lockdown mode there is nothing that can get out of here and that during the Forte negotiations he was reprimanded by Angelo for one of his stories getting out. Said he was in Angelo's office for over an hour.

ESPN 1000

I like Raye and Ross. So hard to pick between the two. Im just excited the Ruskell window is closing lets hold hands!!!!

But according to Bernstein this time, he said people he's called on trying to figure out who did what in the draft room, Raye is far and away the best guy to go to because he was heavily involved as well as being under one of the best GMs in AJ Smith for a long time, so he got to see how to do it right, according to who he talked to.
On Marc Ross, he said from what people told him, Ross is not as involved in the Giants war room, and the big knock he keeps hearing (and Dan McNeil said he had heard too) was there was a question on how hard Marc Ross works - whether he's committed to put in the time and effort most GMs do to do a good job.
They then all agreed its pretty much a crapshoot anyway trying to figure out for sure.

Fact or Fiction: Ruskell should be a viable candidate for Bears GM

Jeff Dickerson: Fiction. It sounds as if Ruskell is the Bears' absolute last resort. Which he should be. How can you sell the fan base on the idea of closing the talent gap within the division if you simply promote Angelo's right hand man? If Ruskell ends up with the job, why did they fire Angelo in the first place? Say what you want about Angelo, he won four division titles and made the Super Bowl during his tenure in Chicago. It wasn't all bad. Angelo was a much more accomplished NFL general manager than Ruskell, who had success early in Seattle after he walked into an excellent situation with a Super Bowl-winning coach (Mike Holmgren), but after a rough 2008, was forced out 11 games into the 2009 season. Ruskell landed in Chicago the following spring and has been a mystery to those of us covering the team. He's been made available to speak to the media only twice. What does he do? How involved has he been the past two years? We simply don't know. All we know for sure is that Ruskell is an Angelo guy. Which is why it makes no sense for the Bears to hire him for this job.
Tim Ruskell
AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenWould the Bears really be getting a new start by hiring Tim Ruskell as GM?

Michael C. Wright: Ruskell’s batting average in talent acquisition and retention isn’t good enough for me. Sure, Ruskell started his tenure as Seattle’s president and general manager with the best run of postseason success in franchise history, which included four playoff victories from 2005 to 2007. Upon Ruskell’s ousting, however, the Seahawks had stumbled to an 8-19 from 2008 to his departure. In addition, the Seahawks yielded only one Pro Bowler (LB Lofa Tatupu, who is no longer with the team) in five drafts presided over by Ruskell.

Ruskell didn’t perform better outside of the draft, either. In his second season, the Seahawks let all-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson walk for no compensation, then re-signed aging running back Shaun Alexander to a huge contract, only to cut him two years later. In an attempt to remedy the Alexander fiasco, Ruskell brought in T.J. Duckett and Edgerrin James. Uh, no; that’s not going to get it. Considering Chicago’s need at the receiver position, we can take a look at Ruskell’s track record there, too. In 2006 Ruskell gave up a first-round selection in the 2007 draft to sign Deion Branch. After surrendering the first-round pick, Ruskell signed Branch to a six-year, $39 million extension. Branch, in turn, gave the Seahawks five forgettable seasons in which he never started all 16 games. He never caught more than 53 passes in a season for the Seahawks or gained more than 725 yards. So if Phillips values job security, he’ll pass on Ruskell.

Melissa Isaacson Fiction. To make a major move and fire Angelo, only to replace him by Angelo’s recent hire, good friend and someone with less-than-stellar reviews in his last job would not be the change Bears brass have promised. And how can the Bears feel that Ruskell would give them his complete loyalty? Weird that he is even being considered.

Jon Greenberg: Fiction. New blood means new blood. At the goodbye Angelo press conference, Bears’ Head Accountant Phillips said what fans have been saying for years: The Bears need to better utilize the draft to build the team, and Ruskell’s record is spotty. Not terrible -- he hit on some picks in Seattle -- but it’s far from sterling. At this point, the Bears need to start fresh with some fresh eyes, not settle for Angelo’s hand-picked deputy.


Chicago Bears Blog - ESPN Chicago

Windy with that fact or fiction article instead of posting it on here you email that shit to George and sweaty teddy. We already know ruskell doesnt pass the smell test. The org needs to know the media and fans have spoken and ruskell is unacceptable

Originally Posted by blinddeafmute

Yeah, that's kind of the thing with these front office positions. I couldn't have told you before Angelo was fired who any of these dudes were. There are definitely some very good up and comers that currently work for crap teams, and vice versa.

I guess what I'm getting to is just what you said about Ross. He's with a great team, but might not be that good himself.... and a lot plays into being successful at the GM role, such as work ethic, etc.

I would be fine with either or but no matter what Ross will be given a token interview to fulfill the Rooney rule. I have Ross as my favorite but the more I read about raye seems to be a knockout choice. I think his drop off in drafts recent years gotto be turner being complete garbage at developing talent