Chicago Bears ownership isn’t exactly in good standing with fans these days. Most feel the McCaskey family and their lapdog Ted Phillips have been holding this organization back for decades. None of them have an understanding of how to properly run a football franchise. Made all the worse by their unwillingness to put somebody in total charge who does. George McCaskey and Phillips have zero football in their backgrounds. Both are accountants by trade. Yet they should be expected to make sound football decisions? No wonder it hasn’t worked. Matt Forte, like many others, can see this.
The former Bears running back has followed his former team from the moment he retired a few years ago. He’s helped cover them for NBC Sports and isn’t shy about sharing his opinion. He recognizes the same problem that everybody else sees. The McCaskey family means well, but they’ve been getting some bad advice over the years.
How can that possibly change?
Forte has an idea. The running back recently had an interview with CBS Sports about his “What’s Your Forte Foundation” launching a massive $3 million initiative to support black small business owners in the south and west sides of Chicago. In the midst of the conversation, he thought up an idea that the McCaskeys really should consider.
Some have suggested bringing in a sort of football czar to help George McCaskey and President Ted Phillips with football decisions. But what about using Forte and some other former Bears as a sort of sounding board to bounce ideas off of?
“I think that really could help,” Forte said. “Now would they do it? I don’t know. I don’t know if they would let their pride down a little much to let former players come back in and kind of make some decisions or suggestions, so that would be on them.”
The Bears have never really involved former players in anything notable aside from the usual celebrations of their careers and the like. Yet the Detroit Lions seemed to alter league perception when they brought in team legends like Chris Spielman to help in their search for a new GM and head coach. An initiative that seemed well-received by the wider NFL.
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Matt Forte isn’t wrong in his mode of thinking
What’s that popular saying? Game recognizes game. Is it so crazy to think that former players might be able to help an organization recognizes other guys who can play the game at a high level? Or maybe coaches who understand how to properly motivate and develop? Just look at some of the recent success stories. Hall of Fame safety John Lynch does great work in San Francisco as their GM. Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome did the same for years in Baltimore.
Former players have routinely proven they have an idea of how to build successful NFL teams. So why shouldn’t the Bears consider such an initiative? Not only would their former players bring their knowledge of playing the game to the table. They’d also bring a vested interest in the franchise. A desire to see it be successful. There really isn’t much of a downside to the idea.
Whether McCaskey takes the advice is another story.
He seems fully committed to keeping the status quo in 2021. Ryan Pace is the football guy in charge. Matt Nagy is his right-hand man. These “men of character” are all the organization needs to find success. They just need a little more time. Matt Forte means well but his advice is falling on deaf ears. At least for the time being. Maybe that will change in the near future.