The Chicago Bears are about to make their sixth playoff appearance since 1995. A sobering reminder of how inadequate this franchise has been at producing winners for a long time. Most of the blame usually gets thrown at the GMs or the head coaches because they’re the most visible for the organization. However, a vocal sect of people has turned up the volume on their calls to point the finger higher.
That being towards team president Ted Phillips. He’s been in charge of the organization since 1999. Every major decision made since then including GM and head coaching hires required his input. This reality has baffled people for years. Phillips has no background in football. He arrived to the team as an accountant and worked his way up through the business side of the organization. To give him total control of the football side too? It never made sense.
Something that proven true but his lackluster tenure in charge.
This is why calls are growing louder for Phillips to be removed. In his place, somebody with a substantial football background should be inserted. Somebody who understands how to run a franchise. They’d treat it like a football team and not a business. The problem is George McCaskey isn’t the most well-connected owner in the league. He doesn’t have a lot of people pointing him in the right direction.
So maybe his best course of action is seeking a proven commodity. Somebody with the experience and track record of building a winning organization and knows the blueprint to implement. That begs the question. Why not make a pitch to Ozzie Newsome?
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Chicago Bears would be smart to lure Newsome
Here’s a guy who was a Hall of Fame tight end in Cleveland and transformed himself into a Hall of Fame GM with the Baltimore Ravens. The man has a track record a mile long. Among his many highlights included Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, Marshal Yanda, C.J. Mosley, and Lamar Jackson among many others. His work produced two Super Bowl championships and a run of success that spans two decades.
However, in 2019 the 64-year old made the decision to step away from GM duties. Some wondered if he’d retire. That wasn’t the case. It was more about the organization wanting to elevate Ed DeCosta to the role before another team pried him away. So Newsome did what was best for the team and took a role as Executive Vice President since. This means he’s probably done running a show, right?
Not at all.
Newsome is on the older side but the fact he hasn’t retired is a surefire indication he wants to be involved in running an organization. The Chicago Bears can and should make a pitch to him to come over and run the show. He’d immediately add credibility to the franchise and would know exactly how to construct the front office, the coaching staff, and the scouting department.
Sure he’s not on the younger side anymore but that isn’t a huge deal. He’s smart enough to put the right people in place so they can carry the mantle forward after he finally does retire. Just like with DeCosta in Baltimore.
