By Brad Biggs
When president Ted Phillips said at the "Three Bears" news conference in January that status quo with the franchise was no longer acceptable, the organization attacked in free agency like it never has before.
In an uncapped year when there is no minimum teams are required to spend on players, the McCaskeys went for broke in a win-it-right-now approach that was highlighted by $55 million the Bears guaranteed Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna, three 30-something free agents.
Coach Lovie Smith once again shook up his coaching staff and general manager Jerry Angelo turned his front office upside down in reorganizing things. Asked to define what will make 2010 a successful season, though, Phillips declined to give a specific answer Friday.
"Our goal is always to make the playoffs because we want to win Super Bowl championships. That's been our goal," Phillips told "The Mully & Hanley Show" on WSCR-AM 670. "I think everything we do points to that. I can't put a number of wins on it. At the end of the year there are so many factors involved. I want to know that we're headed in a positive direction. We'll just see how it goes."
When president Ted Phillips said at the "Three Bears" news conference in January that status quo with the franchise was no longer acceptable, the organization attacked in free agency like it never has before.
In an uncapped year when there is no minimum teams are required to spend on players, the McCaskeys went for broke in a win-it-right-now approach that was highlighted by $55 million the Bears guaranteed Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna, three 30-something free agents.
Coach Lovie Smith once again shook up his coaching staff and general manager Jerry Angelo turned his front office upside down in reorganizing things. Asked to define what will make 2010 a successful season, though, Phillips declined to give a specific answer Friday.
"Our goal is always to make the playoffs because we want to win Super Bowl championships. That's been our goal," Phillips told "The Mully & Hanley Show" on WSCR-AM 670. "I think everything we do points to that. I can't put a number of wins on it. At the end of the year there are so many factors involved. I want to know that we're headed in a positive direction. We'll just see how it goes."
That certainly wasn't a mandate that, after three consecutive years of
missing the postseason, Smith and Angelo must guide the Bears into the
playoffs. The team is 23-25 since appearing in Super Bowl XLI, but it remains unclear whether they are facing a win-or-else mandate from the top.
"I am very optimistic despite our preseason record that we've got the players, we've got a good mix of veterans and draft picks," Phillips said. "At the end of the year I talked about status quo not being acceptable and I think in this offseason we haven't just sat back and said, 'Trust us.' There have been significant additions to the coaching staff. Our player personnel department was totally restructured and as fans were worried we wouldn't compete financially in an uncapped year, I think we showed just the opposite. We made a lot of moves. I think they were all the right moves and positive and that will be shown starting Sunday."
Phillips was asked about the development of draft picks, a process that has lagged in recent years. He pointed out that more than half of the players on the roster (27 of 53) were Bears' draft picks. That's true. But Angelo has only three of his own first-round draft picks on the roster. The Bears have not drafted a Pro Bowl position player since 2004 and the inability to find top talent in the drafts has led to bold moves like the trade for quarterback Jay Cutler and the contract for Peppers.
"You're right at what you're saying; however, the reality is our team has a little over half of the players on our roster are draft picks," Phillips said. "Not all of them high draft picks, some of them are guys that Jerry and his staff found later in the draft who have really shown to be good players. Johnny Knox is just one. We've got another quarter of our team is veteran free agents, people acquired in trades. Jerry has done a nice job of finding people from waiver wire, unrestricted college free agent types, college free agent types, street free agents, so I think we have got a good mix of guys on our team.
"It's an inexact science, so I'll be the first one to say we haven't hit on all cylinders on some of our top picks but I think we've made up for it in other parts of the draft and in other ways of acquiring players."
Ultimately, decisions made after this season could go above and beyond Phillips to ownership. It's possible that Phillips will be judged in the same light as Angelo and Smith, win or lose. All three were rewarded with contract extensions after the 2006 Super Bowl season.
"It's something I don't worry about," Phillips said. "That is something that is out of my control.
"Every year at this time we go into the season and the pressure is on to win. That's what this game is about. Lovie and Jerry know that. I'm looking forward to starting a little positive momentum on Sunday and getting back the fans. I understand why they are frustrated. We've got a long season ahead of us and we're looking forward to changing the feelings of our fans."
"I am very optimistic despite our preseason record that we've got the players, we've got a good mix of veterans and draft picks," Phillips said. "At the end of the year I talked about status quo not being acceptable and I think in this offseason we haven't just sat back and said, 'Trust us.' There have been significant additions to the coaching staff. Our player personnel department was totally restructured and as fans were worried we wouldn't compete financially in an uncapped year, I think we showed just the opposite. We made a lot of moves. I think they were all the right moves and positive and that will be shown starting Sunday."
Phillips was asked about the development of draft picks, a process that has lagged in recent years. He pointed out that more than half of the players on the roster (27 of 53) were Bears' draft picks. That's true. But Angelo has only three of his own first-round draft picks on the roster. The Bears have not drafted a Pro Bowl position player since 2004 and the inability to find top talent in the drafts has led to bold moves like the trade for quarterback Jay Cutler and the contract for Peppers.
"You're right at what you're saying; however, the reality is our team has a little over half of the players on our roster are draft picks," Phillips said. "Not all of them high draft picks, some of them are guys that Jerry and his staff found later in the draft who have really shown to be good players. Johnny Knox is just one. We've got another quarter of our team is veteran free agents, people acquired in trades. Jerry has done a nice job of finding people from waiver wire, unrestricted college free agent types, college free agent types, street free agents, so I think we have got a good mix of guys on our team.
"It's an inexact science, so I'll be the first one to say we haven't hit on all cylinders on some of our top picks but I think we've made up for it in other parts of the draft and in other ways of acquiring players."
Ultimately, decisions made after this season could go above and beyond Phillips to ownership. It's possible that Phillips will be judged in the same light as Angelo and Smith, win or lose. All three were rewarded with contract extensions after the 2006 Super Bowl season.
"It's something I don't worry about," Phillips said. "That is something that is out of my control.
"Every year at this time we go into the season and the pressure is on to win. That's what this game is about. Lovie and Jerry know that. I'm looking forward to starting a little positive momentum on Sunday and getting back the fans. I understand why they are frustrated. We've got a long season ahead of us and we're looking forward to changing the feelings of our fans."
Phillips, Angelo and Smith simply have lost the Fans. None of the 3 has done a good enough job to retain their jobs simply based upon the sense that what they are doing is too little too late in the context of their combined failures from the last 4 years... They can only blame the man in the mirror... if they would be honest.
This is all just a joke, an attempt to keep the fans at bay, the problem is you Chicago fans keep lining up to buy those useless tickets, until you hit this organazation in the pocketbook they will keep cashing the checks for a lousy product! I stopped buyong any CB crap three years ago. I hope this team loses 15 games so you can see things will still same the same period.
What is the difference between unrestricted college free agent types and college free agent types? This guy is a moron. No wonder he hired Jerry. After all, if your subordinates are smarter than you are, they might gun for your job.
You can't say that the Bears are not spending the money to be Super Bowl contenders (Peppers, Taylor et al), but the draft is killing them. Every. Single. Year.
Bears had youngest team in league (average age 27) after 1985 season. Well, McCaskeys then let Wilber Marshall go, then Willy Gault, and the rest is history. No super bowl victory for 25 years.
The last three seasons, and this one, are becoming eerily similar to the Jim Dooley and Abe Gibron eras.
Where is Jack Pardee when you need him?
"We've got a long season ahead of us..."
Yes, you do have a long season ahead of you Ted. Why is it the Bears and Cubs try to sell us the same old crap year after year with different packaging and expect the fans not to notice? The Bears say the status quo is not accpetable, so what do they do? They stick with the same GM, the same head coach, same team President. The Cubs new owner, Tom Ricketts, says everyone will be held accountable. During a 90+ loss season with the NL's higest payroll he reiterates his confidence in his GM. Bottom line is neither of these team's owners are willing to eat some contracts to do the right thing. Expect more mediocrity.
Again with insulting the fans intelligence. Phillips (tries) to make the point that over half the team is made up of draft picks as a positive. Are we supposed to be impressed by the fact that more than half the Bears are Bear draft picks when the team hasn't made the play-offs in three years? Big deal, you've helped assemble a team of draft picks that can't get to the play-offs and Phillips is proud of that? What a moron.
Ted knows he will be out too.
Ted, shouldn't you working for some accounting firm?