Dec 16, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; An injured Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (54) on the sideline during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. The Packers beat the Bears 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Brian Urlacher fan club is growing by the day, or so it seems.  Sunday we heard from chairman George McCaskey while today, Bears president Ted Phillips expressed his desire to see Brian Urlacher end his career as a Chicago Bear:

“The reality is we would like nothing more than for Brian to finish his career as a Bear,” Phillips said from the NFL meetings. “I still remember the day we drafted him.  He played safety in college and he’s turned into one of the best middle linebackers and Chicago Bears in history.  I hope his career ends with us.”

Here’s the interesting thing about Phillips’ statement, he isn’t saying the Bears want to resign Urlacher per se.  He’s simply stating he’d like to see Urlacher end his career in the Orange and Blue.  For all we know, that day has already come when #54 limped off the field vs the Seahawks.  Maybe Phillips just hopes Urlacher will retire to save everyone the pain and indignation of dragging this out.  Maybe I’m reading between the lines a little too closely, maybe I’m just hoping this standoff comes to a conclusion one way or another.  (more…)

Ted Phillips Bears President (picture courtesy of browsebiography.com)

On February 10, 1999 the Chicago Bears announced that Ted Phillips had been named President and CEO of the Chicago Bears.

Phillips began his Bears career in 1984 and became only the fourth president in team history and first not from the George Halas family. Phillips hired Jerry Angelo in 2001 before firing him in 2012, and he hired his second general manager this past summer when he hired Phil Emery.

The Bears in the Phillips era has not been as very successful on the field if you look at playoff appearances.  Since 1999 the Bears have only made the playoffs four times going 3-4 which includes the 2006 Super Bowl loss to the Colts. The past two season have been very tough to swallow starting with 2011 season and the 2nd half swoon following the Jay Cutler thumb injury followed by this past seasons 7-1 start that didn’t end up with a playoff appearance.

The Bears front office always seems slow to make moves including holding on to Jerry Angelo. Phillips opened up the proverbial tight purse strings when they signed Julius Peppers but the Bears are still very conservative compared to most franchises. Phillips also tied the Bears into a 20 year lease with Soldier Field.  A forward thinker could have thought of a Lucas Oil type building near McCormick Place so Chicago could host all events from Super Bowls to Final Four’s but now we cannot even get a good playing surface on game days.

The book on Phillips is still open with the hiring of Marc Trestman.  The offense should be more exciting with an unusual offensive head coach hire. Time will tell how history portrays Phillips, but as of right now he’s a good businessman that has made money for the franchise but has not turned that success for the Bears into Championships on the field.

What do you think of the Phillips era?

Bears' President Ted Phllips believes the Bears can "pull it out."

Bears President Ted Phillips believes that Lovie Smith can turn it around.  No really.  That’s what he said to Jeff Joniak, the voice of the Bears on flagship WBBM 780 AM during a Monday radio interview.  Here’s the quote if you don’t believe me:

“I know Lovie knows how to get things turned around, so does Jerry [Angelo]. From the top down, there’s disappointment but still believe we can pull it out.”

Not sure if he meant that he and Angelo believe in Lovie or that he believes in Lovie and Angelo from the context, but either way, there’s belief in the notion of a turnaround.  He might be the only one in Chicago that feels that way after another embarrassing loss by his Bears, this latest debacle a 20 point home loss to the Cardinals.

He’s talking about how the Bears can “pull it out.”  My, how our expectations have changed.  Just 4 short weeks ago, the Bears were 3-1 and riding a 3-game winning streak.  After a disappointing season opener in Green Bay, the Bears pulled out home wins against the world champion Steelers and Lions sandwiched around a road win at the always tough at home Seattle Seahawks.

Lovie Smith breaks the season up into quarters.  If the 3-1 record from the first quarter gave fans reason to hope, the recent 1-3 second quarter has given many fans, myself included, reason to pull the sheet over any playoff hopes.  The arrow is definitely pointing downward as the Bears wrap up the first half of the season, having lost 2 of 3 in stunning fashion and the lone win against the lowly Browns.  Teddy Bear Phillips called the first half “schizophrenic.”  More from sweaty Teddy:

“We’re 4-4 and are not happy about that,” he said. “I think everyone here believes we’re a better team than that, better talent than that, expected more than that. [But] our coaching staff has showed ability to overcome adversity in the past….When Lovie was hired we talked a lot about communication and when you win football games everybody is a genius and every decision you make is the right one. The key for an organization is to have people in place that help get you through the rough times.”

In my estimation, that’s being generous.  Let’s look at the four Bears wins this season: (more…)

In a letter being sent to season ticket-holders, Bears President Ted Phillips wrote that holding the line on ticket prices is a reward for the fans’ loyalty and passion.

Phillips commenting on the organization’s decision from the Sun Times:

“Frankly, it’s really no more complicated than taking a look at the very challenging economic environment that every fan, every person in America is facing,” Phillips said of the team¹s decision “It’s not just a down economic year, it’s an unprecedented situation that has huge impact on every citizen, and we felt for that reason it was the right thing to do.”

As a matter of fact, the Bears will actually pull in less revenue than in 2008 because the City of Chicago has raised the amusement tax by one percent to 9 percent.  Fear not faithful, Phillips assures us that this will not hamper the Bears spending spree in the upcoming Free Agency period:

“The short answer is no,” Phillips said when asked if Angelo’s budget would be impacted. “We’ve set that budget for the cash that we can spend on players. It’s typically pegged right around the cap and so it will be again this year. That being said, we are taking a look at every department and trying to find ways to cut back expenses and try to make operations more efficient.”

I have to give the team credit for not raising prices in these challenging economic times and frankly I’m shocked by this announcement.  That being said, I don’t believe a word they say about not letting it affect their free agent plans.   I didn’t expect the Bears to break the bank before this announcement and certainly don’t expect any bold moves after it.