GM Ryan Poles knew he needed to make a bold statement during his opening press conference. He had to let Chicago Bears fans know how high his expectations were both for the franchise and himself. So he stated he planned to take the North and never give it back. Considering how long the Green Bay Packers have dominated the division and the Bears, plenty of people rolled their eyes at those words.
Here’s the thing, though. Poles expected that. He is under no illusions. Despite being the youngest GM in the NFL at 36-years old, he understands precisely what he is getting himself into. Chicago is a sport-crazy town, especially when it comes to the Bears. Players and coaches that have success in this city go from heroes to gods. At the same time, there is little mercy for failure. In an interview with Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times, Poles revealed that he both understands and welcomes that.
His predecessors made promises too. The only way to survive is to win.
“The big thing for me, and everyone will get to know this over time: I care,” he said. “I know how much the Bears mean to Chicago. It’s a lot of responsibility.
“But I just want to do a really good job for the city. I want them to be able to go to their games on Sunday and just have a blast. There’s pressure with that, but that motivates me.”
“There’s people that come and go,” he said soberly. “You want to be one of those fixtures that have been there for a long time. With success and winning, that’s how you stay in the room.”
Thus far, Ryan Poles hasn’t operated with a sense of urgency. At least not according to what Bears fans are used to. He’s been quiet in free agency outside of a handful of minor moves. It is becoming clear the GM has no plans to spend too much on veteran players. This goes back to his original statement from January. The Bears will be “selective” in free agency. He wants to build this organization through the draft.
That isn’t a bad idea at all. The problem is such a philosophy can come across as passive to fans who have endured a decade of mostly losing seasons. It isn’t easy asking such people to be patient. Poles will have to hold his nerve if he wants to execute the plan. Based on all signs thus far, he is prepared to take the heat. That will be a vital trait moving forward if he hopes to survive in this city.
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