Bears Blitz

Published by Timothy Hockemeyer on January 3, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

In less than a year on the job, Bears Chairman George McCaskey has dropped his first bomb.  As you all know by know, controversial GM Jerry Angelo has seen his reign come to an end.

Many hoped that the newest McCaskey to take the reigns would force some changes in the front office and apparently that’s the case.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves before congratulating McCaskey on the addition by subtraction.

While Angelo has a well established crown of detractors, he wasn’t the worst GM in the league.  Not by a long-shot.  

That’s not to say that Angelo’s time hadn’t come.  It probably was due after the 2009 season.  

But the point here is that the firing of Angelo is only a good thing if he is replaced by a better candidate.

Why was Angelo kept around for so long?  That’s simple.  He was fantastic at doing the job the McCaskey family hired him to do: building teams that were passably competitive while saving them literally millions in cap room.

Make no mistake about it.  Angelo did what he was expected to do by the organization for years.  Doubt it?

Prior to George taking over, the Bears have fielded worse teams with worse depth after far worse drafts and far worse free agency gaffs.  Yet Angelo has never been in any obvious danger of losing his position.

The big question is how George McCaskey will follow up the firing.  Will Angelo’s groomed replacement and close friend Tim Ruskell take over the position?  If he does, then fans and the media should be all over the angle of the Bears firing Angelo for an inferior clone.

The biggest problem with the idea of an Angelo clone is that it offers no benefit to the team, the fans or the McCaskey family.  

In fact, new salary cap rules that force teams to start spending the vast majority of the cap likely helped grease the wheels of Angelo’s departure.  Angelo became far less useful when the new collective bargaining agreement forced a salary floor on teams and took away Angelo’s ability to save the McCaskey family $20M in cap room.

Firing Angelo just to bring in a clone who’s strongest attributes mirror Angelo’s now that the salary floor takes effect in 2012 would be pointless.  Making matters worse is the fact that Ruskell hasn’t even been as successful as Angelo in the draft.

Ruskell has a history of taking good teams like the mid-2000’s Seattle Seahawks and destroying their roster.  What is in his resume, other than being one of Angelo’s boys’ club members, that gives the Bears the idea that he would be ideal for the GM spot of any team is anyone’s guess.

If Ruskell is hired to replace Angelo then the move isn’t as much a change as a continued regression for the sake of quieting the fans for a short time.  In other words, it would signal that the change in the GM’s office is really more about paying lip service to the idea of change than any real moves to improve…and it would signal the same about George McCaskey and his reign as Chairman. 

So which is it for George McCaskey?  Will he be following in his grandfather’s giant footsteps and placing winning first?  Will he do that fedora sitting on his shelf proud?  Or will he follow in the money-grubbing footsteps of his brother?  Will this become more about finding the cheaper GM contract or about hiring the best out there?

We’re all watching, Mr. McCaskey.  What do you value more, sir?  The pride of a team and a city or the almighty dollar?  Now’s the time chose your side.  Choose wisely, sir.

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