BLOG: Ted Phillips & The Bears Are In It Together

[UOK]

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Before he surfed into the 2000s as Bears President and CEO, Ted Phillips took on the Daley empire, a city's history, and endured.

[Bearfacts]

It's fair and complete summary of Ted's accomplishments and lack thereof.

And I also believe I've been fair in my summary of him as well. No one denies his accomplishments as far as getting the lease and renovations for Soldier Field accomplished nor the reasons the McCaskey Family values him and his loyalty.

His accomplishments as a non-football man as far as building and maintaining a successful NFL franchise in Chicago are another matter and there again I don't believe I or other fans have been unfair in our opinions of his lack of success.

[UOK]

It's fair and complete summary of Ted's accomplishments and lack thereof.

And I also believe I've been fair in my summary of him as well. No one denies his accomplishments as far as getting the lease and renovations for Soldier Field accomplished nor the reasons the McCaskey Family values him and his loyalty.

His accomplishments as a non-football man as far as building and maintaining a successful NFL franchise in Chicago are another matter and there again I don't believe I or other fans have been unfair in our opinions of his lack of success.

It was a challenge trying not to take more of an editorial bias against Phillips as I was writing this. Reading about the Bears vs. Chicago was rough, as both sides were being assholes, playing one devious tactic after another. I ended up right where I started by the time I went to publish, as I still think Phillips is acceptable as a CFO-type figure, but I wish he and the McCaskey family wouldn't be out front when it comes time for the football part of the organization to be praised or judged.

This franchise has desperately needed a "Football Czar" of sorts to take the role of Team President and oversee the football ops independently of the brass. Perhaps someday Pace could be that person.

[Bearfacts]

It's fair and complete summary of Ted's accomplishments and lack thereof.

And I also believe I've been fair in my summary of him as well. No one denies his accomplishments as far as getting the lease and renovations for Soldier Field accomplished nor the reasons the McCaskey Family values him and his loyalty.

His accomplishments as a non-football man as far as building and maintaining a successful NFL franchise in Chicago are another matter and there again I don't believe I or other fans have been unfair in our opinions of his lack of success.

It was a challenge trying not to take more of an editorial bias against Phillips as I was writing this. Reading about the Bears vs. Chicago was rough, as both sides were being assholes, playing one devious tactic after another. I ended up right where I started by the time I went to publish, as I still think Phillips is acceptable as a CFO-type figure, but I wish he and the McCaskey family wouldn't be out front when it comes time for the football part of the organization to be praised or judged.

This franchise has desperately needed a "Football Czar" of sorts to take the role of Team President and oversee the football ops independently of the brass. Perhaps someday Pace could be that person.

I do think Ted is a very competent CFO which is the role he should have remained in. For years I've wanted the Bears to hire a Team President to hire and supervise the GM and manage football ops because Ted Phillips has never been that guy and reality neither was Michael McCaskey. Both are money men not football men.

I felt this way right up until this January when it seemed that GMcC was finally gonna let Pace have his shot at becoming that guy and for now he's on the right road. I don't mind George stepping out from time to time simply because Ginny can't and it's clear he has more passion for winning than his brother ever did.

I'll just leave it by saying that while I developed a real strong dislike for Mikey to the point of wishing when he set sail on that cruise of his I was hoping he'd fall victim to Somali pirates my feelings about Ted Phillips are more practical and solely based on his inability to operate a football team well. It's not his long suit.

Essentially Michael McCaskey and Ted Phillips should never have had the roles in the Bears organization they had. They lacked the football knowledge to even be average at it and I don't believe I'll ever see it differently.

[UOK]

I felt this way right up until this January when it seemed that GMcC was finally gonna let Pace have his shot at becoming that guy and for now he's on the right road. I don't mind George stepping out from time to time simply because Ginny can't and it's clear he has more passion for winning than his brother ever did.

I'll just leave it by saying that while I developed a real strong dislike for Mikey to the point of wishing when he set sail on that cruise of his I was hoping he'd fall victim to Somali pirates my feelings about Ted Phillips are more practical and solely based on his inability to operate a football team well. It's not his long suit.

Essentially Michael McCaskey and Ted Phillips should never have had the roles in the Bears organization they had. They lacked the football knowledge to even be average at it and I don't believe I'll ever see it differently.

Michael McCaskey was vastly unqualified for his role. At least Phillips had some experience and savvy prior to joining the business branch of the Bears in the early 80s. McCaskey was the product of nepotism and the untimely death of Mugs Halas.

[Bearfacts]

I felt this way right up until this January when it seemed that GMcC was finally gonna let Pace have his shot at becoming that guy and for now he's on the right road. I don't mind George stepping out from time to time simply because Ginny can't and it's clear he has more passion for winning than his brother ever did.

I'll just leave it by saying that while I developed a real strong dislike for Mikey to the point of wishing when he set sail on that cruise of his I was hoping he'd fall victim to Somali pirates my feelings about Ted Phillips are more practical and solely based on his inability to operate a football team well. It's not his long suit.

Essentially Michael McCaskey and Ted Phillips should never have had the roles in the Bears organization they had. They lacked the football knowledge to even be average at it and I don't believe I'll ever see it differently.

Michael McCaskey was vastly unqualified for his role. At least Phillips had some experience and savvy prior to joining the business branch of the Bears in the early 80s. McCaskey was the product of nepotism and the untimely death of Mugs Halas.

Yeah, losing Mugs and then having Ginny ignore GSH's request not to put Mikey in charge were sore blows to the Bears long term success. It's pissed me off no end to watch a team 10 years in the making dominate like they did then be torn down by McCaskey and fail to win more championships because he wouldn't spend on better QBs to replace the all too fragile Mac. Although that trashing he got from Martin would have injured anyone.

Ted I just see an being an inept football guy who never hired a VP to actually run the football ops. Why I don't know because the McCaskeys would never have replaced him as CEO. So why? Money? A need to be involved even though he lacked the skills needed to be good at it? My feeling is for most of this century the Bears have suffered as much or more from poor management as any other reason and that I lay at Phillips feet.

[Mikefive]

To this day, I'm still annoyed to no end that after the Dave McGinnis debacle, Michael got PROMOTED to Chairman of the Board as Virginia's way of removing him as President.

But that has nothing to do with Ted, who by all indications is an excellent dollars and cents guy and evidently a shrewd negotiator.

[Bearfacts]

To this day, I'm still annoyed to no end that after the Dave McGinnis debacle, Michael got PROMOTED to Chairman of the Board as Virginia's way of removing him as President.

But that has nothing to do with Ted, who by all indications is an excellent dollars and cents guy and evidently a shrewd negotiator.

Prior to George I thing COB was largely a ceremonial position with the Bears. Ed McCaskey held that title for years and GSH said he was a major doofus. I think his exact description was "the dumbest sonuvabitch he ever met". Mikey only proved his apple didn't fall far from Ed's tree.

By all accounts Teddy Bears is a good money guy and has kept the team in the black forever. It's only been his skills as a football man that have ever been called into question and while Mikey's biggest screw up may have been the McGinnis hire Ted's was the Phil Emery hire.

That was the one that finally forced GMcC to call for help and bring in a football guy in Ernie Accorsi. But how many other mistakes may have been avoided had the Bears hired a VP of Football Ops years ago as GSH did with Jim Finks when he realized the game was passing him by?

In the words of Clint Eastwood, "A man's got to know his limitations" and it sure took a long time before the McCaskeys figured all that out. LOL

[The Marshall Plan]

Not that any of this is Ditka's fault, but what effect do you think Ditka's personality had on future coach hiring decisions?

Lovie, Trestman and Fox all came off as soft spoken. Same with Wannstedt and Jauron. Ditka obviously was Ditka.

I've always had the feeling that despite the success of the Ditka years, which had more to do with the player talent than Ditka, the McCaskey's were never going to go down that road again and it ultimately cost them.

[Teddy KGB]

It's fair and complete summary of Ted's accomplishments and lack thereof.

And I also believe I've been fair in my summary of him as well. No one denies his accomplishments as far as getting the lease and renovations for Soldier Field accomplished nor the reasons the McCaskey Family values him and his loyalty.

His accomplishments as a non-football man as far as building and maintaining a successful NFL franchise in Chicago are another matter and there again I don't believe I or other fans have been unfair in our opinions of his lack of success.

It was a challenge trying not to take more of an editorial bias against Phillips as I was writing this. Reading about the Bears vs. Chicago was rough, as both sides were being assholes, playing one devious tactic after another. I ended up right where I started by the time I went to publish, as I still think Phillips is acceptable as a CFO-type figure, but I wish he and the McCaskey family wouldn't be out front when it comes time for the football part of the organization to be praised or judged.

This franchise has desperately needed a "Football Czar" of sorts to take the role of Team President and oversee the football ops independently of the brass. Perhaps someday Pace could be that person.

I would argue Pace IS that person, right now, as we speak. Although, not in the mode of other "Football Czar" failures, like Bill Parcells to the Dolphins, or Mike Holmgren to the Seahawks - which to me prove that in general, the whole "Football Czar" idea is a bad one (we can thank getting Khalil Mack on the Raiders wanting to give the "Football Czar" thing a go), but in the vein of an Ozzy Newsome - where there is an understood hierarchy and structure, and your GM is killing it on talent evaluation, along with a coach who shares his philosophy.

I think this is actually year one of having it done the right way.

[UOK]

I would argue Pace IS that person, right now, as we speak. Although, not in the mode of other "Football Czar" failures, like Bill Parcells to the Dolphins, or Mike Holmgren to the Seahawks - which to me prove that in general, the whole "Football Czar" idea is a bad one (we can thank getting Khalil Mack on the Raiders wanting to give the "Football Czar" thing a go), but in the vein of an Ozzy Newsome - where there is an understood hierarchy and structure, and your GM is killing it on talent evaluation, along with a coach who shares his philosophy.

I think this is actually year one of having it done the right way.

I don't disagree. Pace is essentially whom team brass would like to be that person, but not in terms of title. I feel the ownership is very loathe to remove themselves from the football operations because there's no real victory for them to be had. They want the outward appearance of being just as responsible for the team's potential success as Pace or anyone else, giving them further justification in keeping the team.

[Bearfacts]

Not that any of this is Ditka's fault, but what effect do you think Ditka's personality had on future coach hiring decisions?

Lovie, Trestman and Fox all came off as soft spoken. Same with Wannstedt and Jauron. Ditka obviously was Ditka.

I've always had the feeling that despite the success of the Ditka years, which had more to do with the player talent than Ditka, the McCaskey's were never going to go down that road again and it ultimately cost them.

That could very well be why Bruce Arians was passed over for Trestman even though Arians believed he had gotten the gig. I don't think there will even be another Ditka but Arians seemed to possess some similar traits.

[Bearfacts]

It's fair and complete summary of Ted's accomplishments and lack thereof.

And I also believe I've been fair in my summary of him as well. No one denies his accomplishments as far as getting the lease and renovations for Soldier Field accomplished nor the reasons the McCaskey Family values him and his loyalty.

His accomplishments as a non-football man as far as building and maintaining a successful NFL franchise in Chicago are another matter and there again I don't believe I or other fans have been unfair in our opinions of his lack of success.

It was a challenge trying not to take more of an editorial bias against Phillips as I was writing this. Reading about the Bears vs. Chicago was rough, as both sides were being assholes, playing one devious tactic after another. I ended up right where I started by the time I went to publish, as I still think Phillips is acceptable as a CFO-type figure, but I wish he and the McCaskey family wouldn't be out front when it comes time for the football part of the organization to be praised or judged.

This franchise has desperately needed a "Football Czar" of sorts to take the role of Team President and oversee the football ops independently of the brass. Perhaps someday Pace could be that person.

I would argue Pace IS that person, right now, as we speak. Although, not in the mode of other "Football Czar" failures, like Bill Parcells to the Dolphins, or Mike Holmgren to the Seahawks - which to me prove that in general, the whole "Football Czar" idea is a bad one (we can thank getting Khalil Mack on the Raiders wanting to give the "Football Czar" thing a go), but in the vein of an Ozzy Newsome - where there is an understood hierarchy and structure, and your GM is killing it on talent evaluation, along with a coach who shares his philosophy.

I think this is actually year one of having it done the right way.

Pace appears to be an up and coming GM/VP of Football Ops type. The next few years should confirm or deny that.

My reasoning behind saying for years the Bears have needed a VP of Footballs ops type, as Jim Finks once was for GSH, is my feeling our GMs were not incredibly strong minded talented guys. Both Angelo and Emery were more scouts or Director of Scouting types who seem to lack a plan and the logical decision making to carry it out Pace has been showing.

JA seemed to lose some or even most of his authority over personnel to Lovie after Lovie's contract extension and to me Emery quickly came off as an arrogant fool just as soon as he fired Lovie if not before. Shea McClellin over Chandler Jones who Lovie seemed to prefer? Gimme a break. I don't think there was any synergy between those two at all. Now we seem to have that.