Phil Emery on Why He Fired Lovie Smith and Hired Marc Trestman

Jan 17, 2013; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery (right) introduces new head coach Marc Trestman during a press conference at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The National media wagon is rolling through Bourbonnais, so the Bears are getting some attention under the spotlight.  There are a lot of changes this season with the departure of Lovie Smith and the arrival of his replacement, Marc Trestman.  Peter King’s MMQB sat down with GM Phil Emery to discuss the departure and arrival. 

Here’s Phil word on firing Lovie:

"We were in a position where if he stayed, he would be picking his fifth offensive coordinator. Part of it was because I really believe looking at a team that if you’re going to have success, the most important relationship is between the head coach and the quarterback. I like our quarterback. I think Jay Cutler is very talented. He wants to improve. I know he needed to improve for us to be a championship team. When we were looking at making a change we knew that if we were going to do it we were going to make that the focus point. We had to work from that end."

So there you go.  It was all about Cutler and the relationship between the quarterback and head coach.  So why did Emery hire Marc Trestman?  What made Trestman stand out from the (large) crowd of candidates that Phil Emery interviewed?

"Marc’s got a unique blend of intelligence, thoughtfulness, and he’s incredibly competitive, which people don’t always see. He’s perceived as a very quiet, intellectual individual, which he is. But they don’t see all the competitiveness."

Trestman impressed Emery not only with his intelligence and thoughtfulness, but it’s the competitiveness that made him stand out from the crowd.

If you question the value of what Marc Trestman can mean to a franchise, consider this.  His replacement for the Montreal Alouettes Dan Hawkins has been fired after a 2-3 start while quarterback Anthony Calvillo’s QB rating has dropped from an average of 104 to 79.5.