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Bears GM Search is Curious.............
Bears GM search curious
Unstated paramount question to candidates is who he inevitably would want as coach
 Chairman George McCaskey and team president Ted Phillips. (Brian Cassella / Tribune Photo)
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David Haugh's In the Wake of the News 7:14 p.m. CST, January 25, 2012
By the end of their poky search to find the right general manager to get back to the Super Bowl, the Bears might find it necessary to make a deal with the devil.
Not really, but it is fun to note that GM finalist Phil Emery once went by the nickname "Satan.'' I wonder if Virginia McCaskey knows.
The demonic moniker came from Emery's days as strength coach at the Naval Academy when players called him that because of his hellish conditioning workouts. The ability to make Midshipmen puke doesn't mean Emery can make the Bears NFC North champions again or automatically makes him a better choice than Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht. But it speaks to an indefatigable, unrelenting approach Emery would instill throughout the organization.
One former colleague suggested Emery could outwork the four other candidates the Bears interviewed combined. Another recalled how Emery impressed Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff in 2008 so much with his work ethic after a demotion that Dimitroff eventually recommended him to Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli.
A former Bears scout the McCaskeys employed from 1998-2004, Emery represents a solid, unexciting hire typical of the Bears. A team president who feels strongly enough about the status quo to make chemistry with coach Lovie Smith a priority for the next GM would seem to favor a known commodity over an unknown. The devil Ted Phillips knows, if you will.
The Bears hiring a 53-year-old with a background in college scouting would seem a little deja vu-ish. Some might wonder if they were hiring Jerry Angelo's replacement or his younger brother. But given the stability Emery offers and the job requirements as Phillips defines them, I will be surprised if the Bears hire anybody else.
Licht would have the edge in a total reboot of the organization. Just 40, Licht already knows from experience how the Patriots, Eagles and Cardinals got to Super Bowls. For what it's worth, it has been easier to find people around the league who, based on reputation, doubt Licht's ability to lead a front office more than Emery's. But if Phillips sought to shake up the organization with a young, dynamic personality who initially might make Halas Hall holdovers uneasy, Licht fits the profile.
I can hear you in the Dick Butkus jersey saying, hey, dat's exactly what dey need. A valid point, but don't forget Da Bears aren't undergoing a culture change. This isn't the Cubs replacing Jim Hendry. Like it or not, this is a team admittedly looking for a GM who complements more than contrasts the head coach.
I still wonder if prioritizing short-term interests regarding compatibility with Smith benefits the Bears' long-term success. The most overlooked aspect of this search has been the need to find which candidate arrives most-equipped to hire the next coach.Talent evaluation matters when it comes to draft picks and free-agents, sure, but even more so when it comes to potential head coaches.
Perhaps Angelo's greatest achievement, the one that defined his tenure more than any other move, was choosing Smith after firing Dick Jauron — the coach he inherited and coexisted awkwardly with for three seasons. If the Bears don't ask Emery and Licht to spell out a succession plan for when Smith is fired — as early as next January — then they are ignoring the biggest decision the next GM will make. That's not taking a pessimistic view of the future for a team forcing a coach on a new GM as much as a realistic one.
The best GM choice? I would lean slightly toward Emery but strongly endorsing either man without hearing him articulate his plan would be baseless. I could make a case for none of the above easier than I could pick one over the other based on what we currently know.
This is what the Bears should do to create a more complete picture of Emery and Licht for everybody, including themselves: Make the final phase of the interview process a news conference the way they did when hiring a head coach in 2004.
How a Bears GM deals with the Chicago media can make his job easier or harder and affect other decisions too. Ask Angelo, an earnest man who never grasped the nuances of how perception affected his reality. If the Bears value public relations enough to designate their director of corporate communications one of three men in the organization to interview candidates — interestingly, Chairman George McCaskey is not — then including a news conference makes sense.
My first question for the man once called Satan: Will it really be a cold day in hell before a Bears GM signs or drafts a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver?
dhaugh@tribune.com
Twitter @DavidHaugh
Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Bears bring back Emery, Licht for more GM interviews
| Chairman George McCaskey and team president Ted Phillips. (Brian Cassella / Tribune Photo) |
By Dan Pompei, Tribune reporter 12:53 p.m. CST, January 26, 2012
After five days of little activity, the Bears general manager search is scheduled to heat up again Thursday when the team resumes interviewing candidates.
Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery and Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht are scheduled to interview at Halas Hall over the next two days, with Licht leading off.
The reason for the lull in the process is both men had other responsibilities this week with Senior Bowl practices being held in Mobile, Ala., and the Patriots preparing to face the Giants in the Super Bowl.
Emery and Licht are finalists for the job. Both interviewed last week, and were the only candidates out of five asked back for second interviews.
Emery has been portrayed as the favorite for the job because of his profile and the fact he has ties to the organization as a regional scout between 1998 and 2004. But the truth is no one knows exactly what Halas Hall is thinking, other than Bears management has been impressed with both men.
It is possible the Bears will name a new general manager early next week.
dpompei@tribune.com
Twitter @danpompei
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Within each of these articles is a very good hint as to the Bears intentions on who they will hire as the next GM.
David Haugh points out (and correctly I believe) that it's highly unlikely Ted Phillips wants to change the entire culture of the Bears front office despite the fact that many fans feel that he should. That being the case Jason Licht is probably not their man. As Haugh also points out, "Emery represents a solid, unexciting type hire typical of the Bears".
I believe the other dead giveaway is the fact that Emery will be the last to interview a second time. It's fairly typical in hiring to leave your top candidate until last so that once the decision has been made the final details and compensation can be worked out and an announcement that the position has been filled can take place. At least that's the way it usually works in the world that I've been living in.
I do think his point about what should be included as a part of this second interview is very relevant. Should Lovie fail in his efforts to turn the team around who are coaches the GM would be interested in approaching for the Bears HC job and how would he go about the hire. Next to selecting and signing a big time WR this may well be the most important task he will have on his plate withing the next twelve months.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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This is what pisses me off. The Bears have a great opportunity to catch up with rest of the league in terms of philosophy. One SuperBowl championship is NOT enough for a franchise with a history like the Bears.
The Bears of old were considered cutting edge, trend setters, leaders of new ideas that had the rest of the league guessing. That was in the 1940's.
It's a new league. A change in philosophy is not only a good idea, it's the only idea.
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you have a suit doing a gm search not a football guy so what do you expect other then them hiring one of the good ole boys that they know
Im just hoping for the best and it works out
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I agree w/BigClaws. We've relied on conservative thinking far too much for too long. It's high time they made it a priority to bring in the best football strategists, tacticians, and motivators that can be had.
It sure would be nice to have the league react to what we do for a change.
Arguing on the internet is like winning the special olympics, even if you win your still messed up.
Restore the roar!
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Originally Posted by
short faced bear 
I agree w/BigClaws. We've relied on conservative thinking far too much for too long. It's high time they made it a priority to bring in the best football strategists, tacticians, and motivators that can be had.
It sure would be nice to have the league react to what we do for a change.
And what better city/fan base to bring it to.
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I think you all make a really good point. There really should be a change in the front office culture and that needs to trickle on down to the coaches and players as well. In an awful lot of ways the Bears have become far too "old fashioned" to suit me and the requirements of staying at the top.
The only question is are they ready for that? With a different ownership and someone else besides Ted Phillips calling the shots I'd say there would be a chance but I'd be very surprised it that happened under this regime. They're just too predictable.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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And of course this just in. In another article Marc Ross tells of his disappointment over being eliminated from contention for the Bears GM position. Maybe he's more fortunate than he thinks. This is what he had to say about the experience of interviewing.
This is another thing that gets my goat. Ever since the days of Mike MCaskey the front office has been populated with far too many non-football types who make football decisions. This should be one reason why you bring a guy like Jason Licht in as GM and change from an administration heavy, profit oriented culture to one that focuses on producing winning football teams.
This is just one more example of what makes the Bears, the Bears.
Speaking of awkward: New York Giants college scouting director Marc Ross interviewed with the Bears last week, according to a source who described the process as “a little weird.”
Ross met with Bears president Ted Phillips, senior director of football administration Cliff Stein and senior director of corporate communications Scott Hagel in one sitting, according the source, and later spoke with Smith.
Perhaps what the source found “a little weird” was that Ross interviewed with only one “football guy” (Smith) throughout the process.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Bears' GM search reveals intentions for role
January, 26, 2012 Jan 26
4:00
PM ET
By Kevin Seifert
The Chicago Bears are expected to complete their second round of general manager interviews Friday, barely beating the scheduled melting of your local glacier. Unless something veers off the Bears' steady but obviously unhurried course, a new general manager could be in place by the weekend.
It's been nearly three full weeks since the Bears fired Jerry Angelo. Team officials interviewed five candidates last week, one per day, and are bringing two of them back at the end of this week for additional talks. New England Patriots executive Jason Licht is at Halas Hall on Thursday, according to the team, and Kansas City Chiefs executive Phil Emery will have his second round of interviews on Friday.
Numerous media outlets have suggested Emery is the favorite, largely because he once served as a Bears scout and is a workaholic talent evaluator who isn't likely to rock a leadership structure that team president Ted Phillips wants to preserve. Licht's lack of previous ties to the organization make his future plans less certain.
As for the Bears' methodical approach, in all seriousness, I don't think it will prove a big long-term issue. It's true that the Bears' next general manager has missed a chance to hit the ground running at the Senior Bowl this week, but it's not as if he was needed to conduct a coaching search or begin the process of overhauling the roster.
The Bears will do neither in 2012, and the pace of this process is a strong indication of the place the new general manager will have in the Bears' organization. This is clearly not a job that, when unfilled, leaves the organization unable to function. If the Bears intended this job to be the second-most powerful role in the franchise, just below that of Phillips, I imagine they would have moved with greater urgency.
The best way to describe the Bears' next general manager, be it Emery or Licht, is that he will be the team's top talent evaluator and will share in decisions with coach Lovie Smith and others. He will not be an all-powerful guru or a franchise-wide authority figure, at least not any time soon.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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