Since the firing of former GM Phil Emery and HC Marc Trestman in 2014, and the hiring of current GM Ryan Pace and HC John Fox, Bears fans have a reason to be optimistic and hopeful.
In short order, Pace has overhauled a team that in 2014 was demoralized, fractured, and oftentimes humiliated on the field. He assembled a coaching staff that commands respect and knows what it takes to make deep runs into the playoffs. While being fiscally responsible, he brought in valued free agents such as Pernell McPhee, Danny Trevathan, Jerrell Freeman, and others. And though we’ll need a couple more years to accurately assess, he strung together two very solid draft classes, establishing a foundation for the future.
But in the excitement and hope for the future, there was a move the Bears organization made to make this all possible—one that has largely gone unnoticed.
What was the move? It was directly after the Bears fired Phil Emery and Marc Trestman—it was the hiring of former New York Giants GM Ernie Accorsi as an interim consultant to help to team find the GM of the future.
Why was this hiring so important?
It was an admission by Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President Ted Phillips that they didn’t have the proper tools to evaluate and hire the right GM for the Bears. It was a realization that they couldn’t do it on their own, and that they needed help from an outside expert.
As a backdrop regarding how McCaskey and Phillips got to this realization, the Bears were under the leadership of former GM Jerry Angelo beginning from 2001, and Angelo brought in Lovie Smith as the Bears head coach in 2004.
Smith brought early success to the Bears, bringing them to the playoffs in 2005 and a Super Bowl appearance in 2006. But the team wasn’t the same after the 2006 season (coincidentally, after the Bears released then DC Ron Rivera, who is now HC for the 2015 NFC Conference Champion Carolina Panthers). After 2006, Smith brought the Bears to just one playoff appearance in six years.
Throughout that stretch, the team was plagued by persistent problems. Angelo consistently missed on draft classes, forcing the team to develop through the expensive and highly-risky free agency process. Lovie never developed a franchise quarterback, had consistently poor offensive line performance, and was unable to develop new talent, causing the team to have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL.
Under Angelo and Smith, the Bears never seemed to be able to compete with the elite in the NFL, and was instead mired in mediocrity.
In an effort to turn around the franchise, in 2012 McCaskey and Phillips fired Angelo and hired GM Phil Emery.
Phil Emery, a former Atlanta Falcons scout, was a cerebral type of GM. He heavily relied on analytics, so much so his number one priority for the team was scoring defensive touchdowns, because it dramatically increased the chances of winning.
Emery brought an approach that was vastly different from what the Bears endured during the Angelo years. McCaskey and Phillips were enamored with his forward-thinking approach and gave him the keys to build the team in his vision.
Emery went on to make his mark on the franchise. He fired Smith, hired HC Marc Trestman in 2013, and doubled down on QB Jay Cutler with a long term, highly-lucrative contract.
And the result?
Emery’s Bears team was an absolute embarrassment to the Bears storied franchise. In 2014, the team lost by historically large margins, had a fractured locker room marked by finger pointing and dissention, and had a head coach that lost the respect of his team. The team spiraled out of control, and it was a painful for every Bears fan to experience.
But this disaster may have been a blessing in disguise.
After observing the historic debacle of the Emery/Trestman era and accepting responsibility for it, McCaskey and Phillips finally realized they did not have the requisite football knowledge to identify and hire the GM for which they were looking—one that will rebuild the Bears to team that is tough, competitive, and can win Super Bowls.
Based on this realization, they had the good sense to look for outside help, hence the hiring of Ernie Accorsi. And it was Accorsi that offered his approval and recommendation for the Ryan Pace hiring.
Time has yet to tell where Ryan Pace will take this Bears team, but things have been looking promising on many levels. With a respected coaching staff and a roster full of young, hungry, instinctive players, the Bears are an ascending team, and Bears fans can finally have hope for the future.