Bears CEO Ted Phillips said there's no timetable for landing the team's next general manager, even suggesting the process last into February.
But if they're interested in Reggie McKenzie of the Green Bay Packers, they may have to accelerate their plans. In addition to the Raiders, the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts have GM openings.
McKenzie, the Packers director of football operations, is expected to interview with the Oakland Raiders for the general manager position today, according to a league source.
A former Raiders player, McKenzie has long been rumored to be the top candidate for that vacancy. McKenzie developed under former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who worked in the personnel department with the Raiders for a combined 25 years. Wolf is now a consultant to Raiders ownership i their search for a general manager.
The Packers have an open weekend, because, as the NFC's No. 1 seed, they have a bye.
Two years ago, the Packers blocked the Bears request to speak to quarterbacks coach Tom Clements for the offensive coordinator job. But per NFL policy, because the Packers have granted one team permission to speak to McKenzie about a vacancy, they cannot deny any other clubs from interviewing him, as well.
But because the Packers season isn't over, McKenzie can't formalize a contract with another club until the employer club is eliminated from contention.
Bring him in, I hate the Packers and this would would up grade our drafts real nice!
Ha ha ha!! What joker of a GM candidate would agree to come here and be the coach's subordinate?!
This has all the fingerprints of Viginia McCaskey. Lovie is her pet, and he probably has a job for life.
Why not Bill Pollian? He built the Colts from a laughingstock team into the Top Team in the NFL. Living in Indy I saw first hand what Pollian did here, the Colts were extremely smart in hiring Poliian from the Panthers whom Pollian also built into a legit team from a league beginning scrub team. Pollian has my vote as his track record is excellent. not sure I would want a former pack glorifying himself as a Bear.
Why can't they hire him now? The packers don't need him right now.
I don't know Sean, Reggie McKenzie would be a good choice but don't you think he will get a better offer? The GM position for the Bears basically consists of giving Lovie half the GM powers, not bringing in your own coach and basically having little say it what happens with the team. They want a top guy who will find them top talent in the draft but don't want to give him full GM powers. The most attractive piece in Chicago is Jay Cutler, but Lovie probably will not attract a big name GM or a top talent OC. He has already tossed three of them under the bus and gets no blame for the offensive woes under his regime. Does that seem like a great job not to mention Reggie McKenzie is a Packer he has had a close up look at the Bears, do you think he wants to be stuck in a division competing against the Packers when he would not have full pwer to do what he wants. There are plenty of GM jobs out there where they will get their own coach and full GM powers. Would you want to work under Lovie and Phillips? Lovie brought Martz in but Angelo took the heat for it. Angelo got blamed for his power drafting, and he should have, but Lovie has also had plenty of say in the draft.
Basically Lovie wants a GM who can be a fall guy for him while Lovie has most of the power. Either make Lovie the GM or hire a GM who can do what he wants including firing Smith. 2 Years ago the Bears said there was nobody who wouldn't want the OC job but somehow they ended up with Martz who was a Lovie guy. Of course that ended with Lovie saying they had philosophical differences. What he didn't know Martz liked to pass the ball? He didn't know what the Martz offense was? He didn't know the history of Martz? He worked under the man for 2 years.
How Lovie escaped with no blame, and gained even more power is beyond me. They Bears did half of a house cleaning. Lovie's defense ranked middle of the pack and was horrible against the pass in a division with Rodgers.
Sounds good to me. Anyone under the Ron Wolf regime has done well with scouting both the draft and free agents.
I hope the Bears go for him.
Question for Sean.
A few years ago, the Dolphins hired Bill Parcells to be their "President of Football Operations".
1. Is this title separate from what Ted Phillips is for the Bears, or is this the same title as Ted Phillips is?
2. Don't you think that the Bears should have (or would benefit) someone solely in control of the football operations, and then Phillips could do the business part of it?
3. Promise this is the last question. Will the requirement of Lovie Smith remaining the coach for 2012 prohibit the Bears from candidates such as McKenzie?
Seems like the Cubs just did this with Epstein. Sounds like a good idea to me. It would be more expensive, but the Bears would reap huge benefits at the ticket office, endorsements, and in apparel sales if they produced a consistent winner.
The he ll with GM...Can McKenzie still play?
Sure, let's fire the guy whose team floundered because he couldn't get an adequate backup QB for when the starter went down and...replace him with a guy who was fired because his team floundered since he couldn't get an adequate backup QB for when the starter went down.
Brilliant!
I saw this note on an article about Eric DeCosta which i thought was interesting...
"By rule, a front-office employee under contract with one team can be hired if the candidate will have with the new team final say over the roster and the draft. Otherwise, the current team must agree to allow the employee to leave before the expiration of the contract."
If this is true surely all the comments about not being able to do a deal with someone from a playoff team until they are eliminated is false particulary in the case of appointing a GM.
Thoughts?
I have never heard of that rule, what I do know is that front office people can interview for jobs during the playoffs, much like McKenzie just did and once you allow him to interview with one team he can interview with any team.
DeCosta is the top GM prospect and has been turning down GM offers for years. He wants to stay with the Ravens and replace Newsome when he retires. He may be a prospect for GM but I don't know if anything will get him away from the Ravens.
Reggie McKenzie is most likely going to be a Raider, the only seal of approval Wolf would give the Bears is that finger which sits between your ring and index finger. Lovie wants McKenzie because they have a good relationship but I am not sure McKenzie wants to be a puppet GM.
As for Polian I would take Bill Polian, but I don't know if he is really available, I know Chris is out there but Bill may just retire or become an advisor.
Hi gang little Evan Farmstead back on the boards at long last. My mom wouldn't let me use her credit card to pay to go on the blog, but I got 50 dollar visa gift card from Christmas. I don't know who sent it though, it just said "From the Insider Blog King, I own you now punk." Double doody I can't figure out who that is. Although being owned isn;t all that bad "giggle" is it Brando? Crack that whip, licorice whip. Hehehehehe, that will always be are little secret big boy Brandy.
I well I would have posted sooner but the Bears were losing and Creighton would have kicked my @@@ all over the place, again. Then Mr. Angelo got fired and it took me a couple of days to stop crying. How could you do that to Mr. Angelo, Mr. Lovie Smith? Shame on all of you for even thinking about another GM, Mr. Angelo was the greatest GM ever adn I shall miss him like the sun misses the moon. I just wanted to take this chance to say I hate you Creighton, you evil, vile, and ummm evil person this is all your fault, adn no you were not right because Mr. Angelo will always be my personal hero. Now for my tribute to him. MEMEMEMEMEMEME!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
It must have been cold there in Lovie's shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let Lovie shine, that's your way.
You always walked a step behind.
So Lovie was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful quote for the press for so long.
Your beautiful smile to hide the pain.
Did you ever know that you're my GM,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an a Bear,
'cause you are the GM beneath my team.
It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, your a total GM beast.
The Bears be nothing without you.
Did you ever know that you're my GM?
You're everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an a Bear,
'cause you are the GM beneath my team.
Did I ever tell you you're my GM?
You're everything, everything I wish I could touch.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an Bear,
'cause you are the GM beneath my team,
'cause you are the GM beneath my team.
Oh, the GM beneath my team.
Angelo, Angelo, Angelo, you are the GM beneath my team.
Fly, fly, fly away. You let the Bears fly so high.
Oh, Angelo, Angelo, Angelo, the GM beneath my Team.
Oh, Angelo, Angelo, Angelo, the GM beneath my team.
Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
so high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
thank Ditka for you, the wind beneath my team.
Now a closing quote from Mr. Jerry Angelo that we sould all take to heart. "You don't want to go putting all your eggs in a fruit basket, cause then where do you put the fruit? You also might break some eggs if you mix them wit hthe fruit, in the baslet. Then what happens, well Mr. Goodbar won't come along cause he doesn't want any of those broken eggs. Without Mr. Goodbar someone might put a turbin on my head and then I won't be able to find any bell cows because they are affraid of turbins. Then your just left with some broken eggs in a fruit basket that has no fruit."
This post has been sponsored written and approved by Creighton.
Goodbye Jerry, I'll miss the quotes.
As a poet, even a satiric one, I suggest that Mr. Farmstead go back to the farmstead. whoever sent the gift card made a mistake.
Wow, what a waste of time reading that last post was. I'll never get that 5 minutes back. We are all dumber for reading that. Thanks Creighton. Anyway, back to football. I'm thinking Marc Ross, the director of College Scouting, from the Giants wouldn't be a bad choice. I think everyone agrees we need someone with solid draft experience. Wouldn't we rather have that over a pro personnel director? I don't know how long Ross has been with the Giants, but if he's the guy responsible for their recent drafts he gets my vote. No, I haven't gone through each draft pick by pick. All I know is they seem to draft decent WRs, their line has been pretty solid, they are loaded with pass rushers, and their secondary doesn't seem that bad. All areas the Bears need help with. Please Ted, don't crush all our optimism and name Ruskell the next GM. That would be a huge disappointment.