New GM Must Keep Lovie But Can Clean House With Scouting Staff.............

New Bears GM can reshape scouting staff

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/...0-24112446.jpg The Bears' new general manager will have the ability to reshape his scouting staff. (Phil Velasquez/Tribune Photo)

By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter 1:23 p.m. CST, January 24, 2012

MOBILE, Ala. -- Jerry Angelo's replacement as Chicago Bears general manager will have flexibility with his staff as the team’s six college area scouts and three pro personnel scouts are believed to be coming out of contract after the NFL draft.

In the past, the Bears staggered two-year contracts for their college scouts so half would be up one year and half the next. Because of the NFL lockout, the Bears re-signed scouts to one-year deals last year and now Chris Ballard, Marty Barrett, Rex Hogan, Ted Monago, Mark Sadowski and Jeff Shiver are coming out of contract.

On the pro side, assistant director of pro personnel Kevin Turks and scouts Dennard Wilson and James Kirkland are also coming out of contract. It’s a situation that has created a great unknown for the nine men as they can’t say what the future holds moving forward.

Tim Ruskell, the director of player personnel, signed a three-year contract when he joined the Bears in 2010, meaning he has one year remaining. The shape and makeup of the staff, though, soon will be determined by the new general manager,

The club has narrowed its focus for a replacement for Angelo -- who is owed for the final two years of his contract -- to Phil Emery, the director of college scouting for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Jason Licht, the pro personnel director for the New England Patriots, with a second round of interviews forthcoming.

Emery worked with most of scouts when he was an area scout for the Bears, so at least he would have an idea of who is in place if he is hired.

A timetable for the second general manager interviews has not been released. Emery isn’t meeting with the Bears on Tuesday. He was at the North practice Tuesday morning for the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

I thought I'd toss this news up because at least some think the whole personnel department and scouting staff should be revamped. The fact that the scouts are all coming to the end of their contracts and Ruskell has but one remaining opens the door for that to happen.

I think it's far more likely that Licht would promoted a makeover in these areas than Emery. As the article points out Emery is far more familiar with these guys having worked with some of them and with Ruskell before as well.

So, if you want it all made brand new then pull for Licht to be the one but if you feel there would be some benefit to evaluating the group and keeping those guys who could help then cheer for Emery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulman

So, if you want it all made brand new then pull for Licht to be the one but if you feel there would be some benefit to evaluating the group and keeping those guys who could help then cheer for Emery.

If you're going to blast either decision immediately with no thought of giving the new guy a chance then go cheer for another team. :thumb: (That's not directed at you, Soulman.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa Bear

If you're going to blast either decision immediately with no thought of giving the new guy a chance then go cheer for another team. :thumb: (That's not directed at you, Soulman.)

I look at it that way too Papa Bear. Whichever guy gets the job it's a brand new day. Angelo's gone and with him a lot of the problems I perceive we've been having keeping the team competitive year in and year out. There's no question that's what's expected of the new guy so we need to give him support and some time to get the job done.

I think in this case they've narrowed it down to two very different types so it's not a matter of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Emery brings with him a comfort factor but Licht a reputation of being with winning organizations for most of his career. Emery seems to be the guy with perfect recall about prospects and Licht was Belichek's pre-draft consultant and seldom saw the "War Room".

One of these guys gets the job and whichever at least we don't have to look at that silly shit eating grin on Jerry Angelo's face any longer. That alone is a step in the right direction IMO.

I'm not privy to how the scouting carousel goes but I want them to do all in their power for the new GM to establish the very best scouting dept. he can. If that means dumping some, dumping all, or just keeping some and waiting for other scouts to come free the following year then whatever works.

And by every and ALL means send Ruskell packing!!

I've been saying this in multiple threads. This team needs a change in culture. This is not a joke, but rather a second chance at really making a difference with how this organization is run, who plays for the team, and how the coaches are going to be held accountable once the new general manager is in place. If Phil Emery is hired, Lovie Smith gets a reprieve from some of this accountability because they both worked for the Bears organization at around the same time during the mid 2000s. I'm not saying that Emery will keep Lovie on should he fail in his quest to deliver us to the playoffs next season, but he might give him a chance to continue building the team when, in fact, the program will be in dire need of going in completely different direction. Emery is also liable to keep Tim Ruskell, which I am not too thrilled about because I look at him as a holdover from the Jerry Angelo-era of substandard football.

However, if Jason Licht is hired, you're looking at a Roto-Rooter job potentially with everything in the front office. Ruskell and Angelo's talent scouts will be gone, and with them the last vestiges of Jerry Angelo. Licht is a guy with real pedigree: he has been in the front office of three different organizations who have appeared in Super Bowls over the approximation of the last decade (Patriots, Eagles, and Cardinals), and would be coming to a franchise that has the potential to go to the Super Bowl with some changes and adjustments being made. Currently, he's the pro personnel director with the New England Patriots, the franchise we all agree to be the very best in pro football from a year-in-year-out perspective. Well, guess what? The Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, and will be favored to beat the Giants in about a week and a half.

To me, the only downside to Licht is his lack of experience at being in the "war room" on draft days. I don't know how much this would affect his capacity to make sound judgments, but he can't possibly be any worse than Jerry Angelo. On the other hand, Emery has been in the draft room, but his draft picks, outside of Eric Berry, Roddy White, and Lance Briggs, aren't as sexy nor as numerous. (Pay particular attention to the Bears' draft picks from back in the late 1990s/early 2000s.) Yet Emery has a vast mental catalog containing notes he's made to himself on numerous players, so we know he is intelligent.

Just me personally, I would rather have Licht. You don't need a Rolodex of a brain to be a successful adjudicator of talent. But if experience in the war room is what you're looking for, then go for Emery. As Ronald Reagan once said in a 1964 speech whilst stumping for his friend and Republican Presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater, "It is a time for choosing."