The Bears have reached an agreement with Jeremy Bates to become the team's quarterbacks coach, the team announced today.

Bates worked three seasons in Denver with Bears starting quarterback Jay Cutler.

Bates also has coached with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-03, offensive quality control; 2004, assistant quarterbacks), New York Jets (2005, quarterbacks) and University of Southern California (2009, assistant head coach/quarterbacks) and Seattle Seahawks (2010, offensive coordinator).

With the Broncos, Bates was an offensive assistant in 2006 then the receivers/ quarterbacks coach in 2007 and quarterbacks coach in 2008.

In 2008, Cutler threw for a franchise record 4,526 yards en route to the Pro Bowl.

Bates lettered as a quarterback at Tennessee (1995) and Rice (1997 and 1999).

If the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants are the past two Super Bowl champions, how far away can the Bears actually be?

The Bears were NFC North champions ahead of the Packers in 2010 and only lost 21-14 in the NFC Championship Game even with third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie playing most of the second half.

As for the newly crowned Super Bowl champion Giants, they were below the Bears in every NFL power ranking with six games left in the regular season. The Bears were 7-3 after beating the Chargers, while the Giants were 6-4 after losing to the Eagles and Vince Young -- the same Eagles team the Bears beat in Philly with Michael Vick at quarterback.

Even two weeks after Cutler suffered his broken thumb against the Chargers, the Bears (7-5) on a two-game losing streak still were just one spot behind the Giants (6-6) in both the ESPN and Brian Billick (Fox) power rankings.

INDIANAPOLIS -- After spending more than a week in Hawaii, Bears Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman appeared at a press conference for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Tillman is a finalist, along with Matt Birk of the Baltimore Ravens and Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers.

We'll find out if Tillman is the winner Saturday afternoon, at the inaugural NFL Honors show.

But here are some insights from Tillman from Indy:

* On appreciating the Chicago media for respecting his family's privacy: "I think when we were in the hospital, you don't want to see your daughter or television, or the newspaper. So my wife and I were just trying to deal with it in the moment. The Chicago media was very respectful and respecting our privacy. And I'm sure everybody knew about it, but you chose to respect it. For that, I'm forever grateful. Coming out full circle now, I'm glad to share my story. I'm a football player, and I have the same problems, like everyone else. I'm human. And I just wanted to share my story with other people. I love my kids. She got sick. And I'm trying to give back, because someone did something so [amazing]. I'm trying to give back, like a complete stranger did to me and my family."

* On if he'll continue the foundation after his playing career is over: "I definitely will continue this. It's true and dear to our heart, and we're doing some good things. Ever since we changed the mission of our foundation, I can't tell you all the opportunities our foundation has been given. We've been put on a bigger platform to help more families."

* On how big his foundation has become, given its humble roots: "It's big because I don't mind doing interviews for work and things like that. But myself, and Matt and Philip and previous winners of the award don't really boast about what you do. You're not looking for publicity to say, 'My foundation does x, y, z.' You do it, because you want to do it. I really try not to be that guy. In the grand scheme of things, you have to promote your foundation. It means we've been doing some good things. We've been working hard, and it shows that it pays off."

* On if his daughter Tiana gets all the attention: "She doesn't understand completely. But she kind of has an idea. She has another heart. she doesn't know what a Berlin heart is. She does know that she has someone else's heart in her. The yucky medicine, or the good medicine. But to her, it's normal, because it's all she has ever known."

* On the Bears GM change from Jerry Angelo to Phil Emery: "Y'all probably know more about Mr. Emery than I do. I don't know his bio. Hawaii. No TV. Kids in the pool. I was one of Jerry's kids. I was a guy that Jerry drafted. I got a contract through him. It's a business, it's a process. Just like one day, I might get cut. I'm sure he understands that."

INDIANAPOLIS -- It was great to catch up with Bears running back Matt Forte, who was making the rounds today at the Media Center.

Here are some of my questions and Matt's answers from our chat:

Q: How was your first Pro Bowl?
A: It was real fun. It beats the snow. I took my mom and dad, wife, and her parents.

Q: Fairly small group...
A: I don't have the means to fly everybody out there right now.

Q: What were some of the highlights?
A: I enjoyed the beach, meeting the guys. Aaron Rodgers is a cool guy. Drew Brees, he's a cool guy.
Marshawn Lynch. [LeSean] McCoy. A lot of guys on defense, as well. A lot of guys from Carolina. I can do an impersonation of Greg [Olsen], so they liked that. It was nice to meet those dudes.

Q: What did you think of all the concern about you even playing in the Pro Bowl, given your knee injury?
A: I wouldn't have gone out there, if I wasn't 100 percent. I'm healed up and I'm ready to go.

Q: What did you think of people who didn't want you to play in the game?
A: I make my own decisions. I don't listen to the crowd, about whether I should play in the Pro Bowl or not.

Q: What's your mindset, after the Bears hired a new general manager?
A: I want to remain in Chicago and remain a Bear.

Q: Will there be a clean slate, after some tension with Jerry Angelo?
A: I never harbored hard feelings toward anybody. [Angelo] had his opinions. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. We'll continue to negotiate with them, and we'll see where it ends up at.

In 2010, Perry Fewell could have become the defensive coordinator of the Bears or the Giants.

Despite being the Bears defensive backs coach in 2005, Fewell decided not to return to Chicago and instead headed to New Jersey.

"I love Lovie Smith and enjoyed my time in Chicago," he said, [but] I knew that was coach Smith's defense. He is an excellent defensive coach and I just thought that at the time, I probably needed to step out on my own and run my own defense.

"It was always going to be coach Smith's defense and if I was going to make my mark in coaching I had to do it Perry Fewell's way, and that was one of the main reasons I came to New York."

Still, Fewell said he considers Smith "like a brother," and the decision was still a hard one.

"Probably the most difficult decision I've had to make, because Lovie Smith means a whole lot to me," he said.

Specifically, Fewell said he learned how to deal with players and people under Smith.

"That experience is probably the best growth experience I've had in the National Football League, as far as how to handle tough situations and how to be a professional," Fewell said.

Phil Emery wasn't the only member of the Kansas City Chiefs the Bears were interested in lately.

According to a league source, the Bears requested permission to speak to Chiefs quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn about the same position. But, the Chiefs denied that request.

Because the Chiefs season was over, they could not block Emery -- the team's college scouting director -- from interviewing for the Bears' general manager vacancy. But, general manager Scott Pioli talked to the Sun-Times about Emery at the Senior Bowl last week.

Zorn joined the Chiefs last offseason. Although head coach Todd Haley was fired, the Chiefs apparently like Zorn enough that they don't want him to leave.

The Bears are expected to interview Alex Van Pelt for the quarterbacks coach/ passing game coordinator opening soon.

Phil Emery was doing what any other general manager with a plan does when he said virtually nothing at his introductory press conference Monday at Halas Hall. The only reason people took notice was because Emery used so many words to say it.

Exactly 6,132 words, if you're into numerical numbers. And for the record, not one of them was ''Packers.'' Not even when he was asked directly about closing the gap between the Bears and the Packers did Emery mention the Packers. Doesn't he at least deserve points for that?

While it might have been nice for Emery to throw his new-found weight around at least a little and put Lovie Smith and others in the Bears organization on notice that the status quo will not be tolerated, it was hardly a surprise that he didn't even come close.

But that's not necessarily a cause for hand-wringing and other levels of concern ranging from skepticism to a sense of impending doom that the Bears just re-hired Jerry Angelo. While there's great frustration among fans that the Bears have missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons (they're one of only 24 teams since 1980 to do that after playing in the Super Bowl), let's not forget that Jay Cutler's broken thumb was the only reason Emery was standing at the lectern in the ''Mugs'' Halas auditorium in the first place.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jason Licht, the New England Patriots pro personnel director, was a finalist for the Bears GM position.

According to a Patriots spokesman, Licht was not made available to speak at the infamous Super Bowl Media Day. But, Patriots player personnel director Nick Caserio had some brief comments on him.

"He's got a great feel and a great knowledge and understanding of the league and players, and he works well with our staff," Caserio said of Licht. "He's done a nice job for us, since he's come back."

Asked about the Bears possibility, Caserio said, "Jason is well respected in the league.

"He's got a lot of experience. A lot of people who have worked with him had a lot of positive things to say. So we're glad we have him."

The Bears interviewed Licht for a second time last Thursday. But, they named Phil Emery the team's fifth general manager on Saturday and introduced him at a press conference at Halas Hall on Monday.

Bears president Ted Phillips did his due diligence in finding a general manager after Phillips fired Jerry Angelo two days after the 2011 season. Why did he hire Phil Emery?

''What stood out with Phil was the depth of his plan,'' Phillips said Monday at Halas Hall. ''[All five candidates who were interviewed] stated kind of a general vision on how to make the Bears a championship team. But he had an added depth of understanding of what it would take on every level. That's what really stood out.

What was the depth of his vision?

''There's so many different factors,'' Phillips said. ''I think part of it comes from his variety of experiences that he's had. He's worked for a lot of good people and he's taken different aspects of that. But he's his own man. I think you saw it there today. He has good presence. He is not afraid to state what he feels and his convictions and that came through in the interview process.''

You were expecting Bill Parcells or Bill Cowher?

Phil Emery looked the part Monday at Halas Hall: the nice, safe, typical Bears choice as their new general manager: He's not Jerry Angelo; He embraced Lovie Smith as his head coach; He likes the scouting staff and everything else at Halas Hall; He's a team player who won't throw his new-found weight around; he offered good ideas with no specifics; and he's a first-time GM whom the Bears didn't have to break the bank to sign.

Those are first impressions based upon Emery's introductory press conference. Sometimes those can be deceiving. If the Bears fail to make the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons since going to the Super Bowl in 2006, then we'll know if the earth has moved at Halas Hall. Or if they've just hired a new Jerry Angelo with a little better stage presence.

Other than that, there wasn't much to go on. Emery wants to win championships. He wants to build a consistent contender. He plans to build through the draft. He will specify roles for everybody under his authority and hold them responsible for meeting specified standards. There was no further insight into the ''depth of vision'' that separated him from the other candidates Ted Phillips considered for the job.

That doesn't mean he'll fail. It just means he's no different than any other general manager or personnel honcho the Bears have hired since Jim Finks left the organization in 1984 after acquiring 21 starters who would win Super Bowl XX.

Here are some of the highlights from Emery's press conference:

The Bears will interview former NFL quarterback Alex Van Pelt for its quarterbacks coach/ passing game coordinator opening, according to a league source.

But Van Pelt has other suitors, according to NFL Network. The St. Louis Rams, the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers have also inquired about him.

Van Pelt was a star at the University of Pittsburgh, where he broke several of Dan Marino's records. But, he mostly served as a backup during his NFL career, throwing 16 touchdowns against 24 interceptions.

In 2001, he started eight games for the Miami Dolphins, but he went just 2-6.

Van Pelt started his coaching career as a volunteer at the University of Buffalo in 2005. But he got his first NFL job in 2006, when he was the offensive quality control coach for the Bills.

He finished the 2009 season as the Bills offensive coordinator, after Turk Schonert was fired in September.

Van Pelt served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks coach the last two seasons.

One high-level person groomed by Jerry Angelo doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

Cliff Stein, who is nearing his 10th anniversary with the Bears, got strong votes of confidence from team president Ted Phillips and new general manager Phil Emery.

"Over the years, Cliff has played an increasingly important role, and he'll continue to do that," Phillips said Monday. "Like Phil, he's organized, and detailed, and well-respected, so I think he'll serve us well."

Stein's title since May 2007 is Senior Director of Football Administration and General Counsel. But, in football speak, he's the team's salary cap administrator and contract negotiator, and he's distinguished himself as one of the league's best.

Stein's expertise will be valuable to Emery, whose primary background is in college scouting.

"The nice thing about the Chicago Bears is we have great resources," Emery said. "Cliff Stein is a great resource. He's in the forefront in that role in this league. Have I been involved in those discussions before? Yes."

Emery noted that Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay was a "great teacher" and made sure he understood the "big picture."

"So I have some experience in those areas, but I will be leaning on Cliff. And I know he's a good teammate," Emery said. "I was here when Cliff came in, and he's very good at his position. Cliff, along with other people in the building, we're gonna help one another.

"We're gonna be a cohesive team. Sometimes in a team you have some weakness and you have strengths. The key is putting those things together to help one another move forward."

Stein, with Emery's guidance, will have plenty to tackle in the coming months. The Bears will have their full allotment of draft picks -- including an extra one in the third -- and they'll have to figure out what to do with Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte, who will soon be an unrestricted free agent. In addition, perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs has made clear he wants more money added to his current contract.