FanPost

George McCaskey: Problem Child

Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

The people of Chicago rejoiced following the firings of Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace Monday morning. But just hours later, in classic Chicago Bears fashion, the organization seemingly took a step backwards in the wake of George McCaskey’s press conference.

McCaskey spoke to the media Monday afternoon, addressing the dismissals of the team’s head coach and general manager and announcing that CEO/President Ted Phillips will transition to a slightly different role within the organization.

With a potential stadium move to the Arlington International Racecourse in the near future, Phillips will give up control over football operations to focus on the business side of the organization.

On the future of the Bears’ front office, McCaskey stated that the new general manager will report to him, but also admitted, "I’m just a fan, I’m not a football evaluator."

The departures of Pace and Nagy may provide some hope for Bears fans, but if change isn’t made, there’s one issue that will continue to serve as the root of the organization's problems — ownership.

In every sport there are owners that do not know enough about the everyday operations inside the football offices.

There are few owners that are heavily involved in detailed activities, such as training camp reps, contract details, and the other numerous day-to-day decisions inside the building.

Whether an owner is involved or not, it is their job to find people that can make the right decisions for them.

While McCaskey may not know exactly what he’s doing, he’s finally come to the realization that Phillips is not the man to make the big decisions for this organization. McCaskey has removed him from football decision making and has hired a "consultant" in Bill Polian for the HC/GM hiring process.

But why?

Over his career, Polian has been a successful executive and has written books about the process of hiring a head coach. Polian has constructed Super Bowl rosters and has made some impressive hirings including Tony Dungy in Indianapolis.

In the past 24 hours, the list of potential Bears interviews is of a wide range and includes some impressive names which can possibly be the doing of Polian.

While Polian is a Hall of Fame executive who has previously been at the helm of a number of successful franchises, there are questions surrounding McCaskey’s decision to employ him.

Polian has not been with an organization in over a decade since he was fired after the 2011 season. He also will not be held accountable for the franchise’s decisions if the hirings do not work out, since he is merely helping McCaskey and others to make the decisions.

The way the McCaskeys are going about it could be a potential disaster.

Instead of hiring a new President of Football Operations with a solid background, McCaskey is pushing Phillips out of football decision-making, relying on Polian’s process, and trusting his gut even though he is "just a fan." The game has changed since Bill Polian was a top executive and relying on his judgment could keep the Chicago Bears in football purgatory for who knows how long.

This Fanpost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.