Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo was fired on Tuesday after the Bears fell out of playoff contention and finished their season with an 8-8 record.

Speaking of the decision Chicago Bears president Ted Phillips called it a “a difficult day” before naming director of player personnel Tim Ruskell as the interim leader for the team.

In a statement Phillips revealed:

“It was almost 11 years ago that I hired Jerry Angelo as our general manager. I was proud of that decision then, and I think Jerry achieved a lot as our general manager in the last 10-plus seasons,” Phillips said. “On a personal level, I knew him very well. He’s a wonderful man, high character. I’ve enjoyed every day working with him. I’m gonna miss him. But at the same time, we need more. The decision was made that we need to keep up the pace with our division rivals.”

The Chicago Bears are not giving exact reasons for their decision to fire Jerry Angelo, although they have hinted at bad NFL draft day choices, instead the club is focusing on the future with a GM search already underway.

In a vote of confidence for head coach Lovie Smith the Chicago Bears front office are said to be looking for a new GM that will mesh well with Lovie while providing a “strong character and work ethic.”

According to Phillips the team will not rule out any candidates as long as they agree to keep Lovie Smith as the Chicago Bears head coach for the 2012 season.

Jerry Angelo was in his 11th season with the Chicago Bears as the teams general manager and the season was off to a quick 7-3 start until quarterback Jay Cutler broke his thumb, quickly ending the Bears playoff hopes.

Do you think the Chicago Bears needed to fire Jerry Angelo in order to build a better team for the future?

The Chicago Bears won four division titles and reached the Super
Bowl while Jerry Angelo was general manager. They also crumbled in
a big way this season.

Now Angelo’s out.

He was fired Tuesday following a team collapse marked by
injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte and a drug scandal involving
Sam Hurd.

Angelo had been on the job 11 years, but the Bears called for
change after an 8-8 season. A questionable draft record and an
inability to fill big holes, particularly on offense, led to his
ouster.

His dismissal comes after a wild season in which the Bears at
one point seemed a lock to make the playoffs. A five-game losing
streak spoiled a 7-3 start, keeping Chicago out of the playoffs for
the fourth time in five years, and Angelo wasn’t the only one on
his way out on Tuesday.

The Bears also confirmed that offensive coordinator Mike Martz
and quarterbacks coach Shane Day won’t be back. Martz had an
expiring contract, and there had been plenty of speculation he
would be gone after two seasons.

Coach Lovie Smith, however, appears safe for now. The team said
on its website he will remain in his job and “continue to evaluate
his coaching staff.”

Angelo was signed through the 2013 season, but he was undone on
a number of fronts. The next GM will inherit a team that could use
help on the offensive and defensive lines, at wide receiver and in
the secondary. Forte’s rookie contract is up. Pro Bowl linebacker
Lance Briggs would like a new one even though he has two years left
on his six-year deal.

Still, the Bears believe they can make a run next season. Angelo
won’t be the one overseeing it, though.

“I have tremendous respect for him and am sorry to see him go,”
Smith said in a statement. “But I also will embrace the opportunity
that comes with change. As I said yesterday, we have an excellent
core in place. I look forward to working with a new general manager
to bring a championship to Chicago.”

Cutler broke his right thumb trying to help make a tackle
following an interception during a victory over San Diego on Nov.
20, and the Bears didn’t win again until the season-finale at
Minnesota on Sunday.

It didn’t help that Forte sprained a ligament in his right knee
against Kansas City on Dec. 4, leaving the offense without its two
best players. Those would be blows for any team, but they were
crippling for Chicago. Throw in Hurd’s arrest on federal drug
charges in mid-December, and what looked like a promising season
turned into a disaster for the team and organization.

The injuries exposed a glaring lack of depth as the Bears
tumbled out of playoff contention.

The low point might have been the loss at Denver when Marion
Barber ran out of bounds late in regulation. That stopped the
clock, giving the Broncos enough time to tie the score. If that
weren’t enough, he lost a fumble in overtime, helping set up the
winning field goal.

Meanwhile, backup quarterback Caleb Hanie was a bust filling in
for Cutler, going 0-4 as the starter before the Bears turned to
Josh McCown.

Chicago claimed Kyle Orton off waivers after Cutler went down,
but Kansas City had priority and got him. The Bears then brought in
Josh McCown, and Angelo left himself open to second-guessing when
he decided not to go after Donovan McNabb once Minnesota let him
go.

The lack of a reliable backup quarterback, continuing issues on
the offensive line and the inability to land a top-tier receiver
increased the heat on the general manager.

Roy Williams struggled to hold onto the ball and get open in his
first season with the Bears after an unsuccessful run in Dallas.
Hurd, another Cowboys import, was quickly waived after being
charged with trying to set up a drug-dealing network following his
arrest with more than a pound of cocaine.

The arrest only compounded Angelo’s problems. Now the Bears are
picking up the pieces.

For all the criticism, Angelo did have successes. The Bears won
those four division championships, including the 2006 team’s run to
the Super Bowl and last year’s trip to the NFC title game.

He traded for Cutler and signed Julius Peppers. But he also had
a spotty draft record that included such high-profile
disappointments as Cedric Benson and Rex Grossman.

Former first-rounder Chris Williams has mostly struggled, and
first-round pick Gabe Carimi missed most of his rookie season with
a right knee injury. Angelo also was unable to find a top receiver,
through the draft, a trade or free agency.

Chicago didn’t have anyone ready to step in when a solid but
aging line that helped the Bears reach the playoffs in 2005 and
2006 began to go downhill.

Martz called for deep drops and Cutler took repeated poundings.
That changed after Cutler made his feelings clear. The Bears
started getting the ball out of his hands quicker, handing the ball
off more to Forte and piling up wins. But just when it looked as if
they had saved their season, everything came apart.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Jerry Angelo was fired as the Chicago Bears‘ general manager Tuesday following a team collapse marked by injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte and a drug scandal involving receiver Sam Hurd.

Angelo had been on the job 11 years, a stretch in which the Bears reached one Super Bowl and advanced to another NFC championship game. An 8-8 record this season, a questionable draft record and an inability to fill big holes, particularly on offense, led to his ouster.

His dismissal comes after a wild season in which the Bears at one point seemed a lock to make the playoffs. A five-game losing streak, however, spoiled a 7-3 start and kept Chicago out of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

Cutler broke his right thumb trying to help make a tackle following an interception during a win over San Diego on Nov. 20. The Bears didn’t win again until the season-finale at Minnesota on Sunday.

It didn’t help that Forte sprained a ligament in his right knee against Kansas City on Dec. 4, leaving the offense without its two best players. Those would be blows for any team, but they were crippling for Chicago. Throw in Hurd’s arrest on federal drug charges in mid-December, and what looked like a promising season turned into a disaster for the team and organization.

The injuries exposed a glaring lack of depth as the Bears tumbled out of playoff contention.

The low point might have been the loss at Denver when Marion Barber ran out of bounds late in regulation. That stopped the clock, giving the Broncos enough time to tie the score. If that weren’t enough, he lost a fumble in overtime, helping set up the winning field goal.

Meanwhile, backup quarterback Caleb Hanie was a bust filling in for Cutler, going 0-4 as the starter before the Bears turned to Josh McCown.

Chicago claimed Kyle Orton off waivers after Cutler went down, but Kansas City had priority and got him. The Bears then brought in Josh McCown, and Angelo left himself open to second-guessing when he decided not to go after Donovan McNabb once Minnesota let him go.

The lack of a reliable backup quarterback, continuing issues on the offensive line and the inability to land a top-tier receiver increased the heat on the general manager.

Roy Williams struggled to hold onto the ball and get open in his first season with the Bears after a disappointing run in Dallas. Hurd, another Cowboys import, was quickly waived after being charged with trying to set up a drug-dealing network following his arrest with more than a pound of cocaine.

The arrest only compounded Angelo’s problems. Now, Angelo’s out and the Bears are picking up the pieces.

For all the criticism, Angelo did have successes. The Bears won four division championships, including the 2006 team’s run to the Super Bowl and last year’s trip to the NFC championship game.

He traded for Cutler and signed Julius Peppers. But he also had a spotty draft record that included such high-profile disappointments as Cedric Benson and Rex Grossman.

Former first-rounder Chris Williams has mostly struggled, and first-round pick Gabe Carimi missed most of his rookie season with a right knee injury. Angelo also was unable to find a top receiver, through the draft, a trade or free agency.

Chicago didn’t anyone ready to step in when a solid but aging line that helped the Bears reach the playoffs in 2005 and 2006 began to go downhill.

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz called for deep drops and Cutler took repeated poundings. That changed after Cutler made his feelings clear. The Bears started getting the ball out of his hands quicker, handing the ball off more to Forte and piling up the wins. But just when it looked as if they had saved their season, everything came apart.

As the season draws to a disappointing end for the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Roy Williams says he hopes to be back in Chicago next season despite his struggles. I guess the question is whether or not the Chicago Bears and their fans want him. I’m not sure I do.

Perhaps it due to me being the Chicago Cubs fan that I am, but I’m normally a perpetual optimist. By this I mean that I get excited when any team that I follow signs just about anyone. I get intrigued at what the new player might bring to the table. This was the case with Roy Williams coming to Chicago. The last few years haven’t given us much hope to think Williams would resurrect his stellar 2006 campaign. Though, I continued to hope. The Bears were (are) in pretty dire need of a go-to receiver. The thought was that Williams could benefit from a reunification with Mike Martz. Well, that’s not what happened.

This season has been marred by inconsistencies, blown chances, and disappointment from Williams. He doesn’t see it that way saying “I feel like I made plays when the opportunity came. Of course everybody’s going to bring up the negatives, which is fine. But for the most part, I made enough plays, and I’ll be happy to sign, but if not, I’ll continue on elsewhere.”

I don’t claim to know all the intricacies of the game in terms of how well Williams was performing when he wasn’t the target of the play, but I’m not sure which tape he was watching that made him feel that he “made plays when the opportunity came.” He seemed to suffer from the same stone hands he suffered in Dallas. He certainly wasn’t the primary target the Bears were hoping he would be. 33 receptions for 447 yards isn’t getting the job done —at least not for someone that’s supposed to be a major part of the offense.

The problem is that the Bears are in such need of receivers. I’m inclined to say that Earl Bennett is the Bears best receiver, but he entirely disappeared when Jay Cutler went down. Johnny Knox certainly has some upside but is plagued by inconsistency. Devin Hester no longer seems to be getting better at the wide receiver position; he seems to be leveling out if not worsening. The Bears need someone like Williams to step into a major role for Jay Cutler. I’m just not sure Williams is the answer.

I really hoped he would be. Logic didn’t say he would be, it was just a hope. I think the Bears would be better off looking elsewhere.

Brian is a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the NFL throughout.

Sources

Williams Wants to Return

In what has been a Jekyll and Hyde type season for the Chicago Bears, offensive coordinator Mike Martz has expressed interest in returning to Chicago next season. The question is do the Bears want him?

While you don’t want to lean too much on excuses, I think it’s fair to say much of the Bears’ collapse this season was due to the unfortunate amount of injuries they sustained to key players. When healthy, the Bears looked like a formidable opponent. The point is taken that injuries are a part of the game and a team should be prepared to carry on through them, but it can’t logically be thought that a team can sustain itself consistently when losing a starting quarterback and running back —especially when they are as essential as Jay Cutler and Matt Forte are to the Chicago Bears.

The point I’m getting at comes back around to offensive coordinator Mike Martz and his recent comments on his desire to stay in Chicago after this season. Essentially, you can’t really blame Martz for what happened to the offense post-Cutler and Forte. In reality, the Bears offense actually looked middle-to-upper tier prior to Cutler’s injury. During their five game winning streak prior to losing Cutler, the Bears scored 39, 24, 30, 37, and 31 points in those five games. Those are good point totals. Additionally, coming from someone that watches a whole lot of Bears football, these are nutty numbers for the Bears —who often have relied on a methodical, clock-controlling offense. Is this from Martz? That’s hard to say, but since he’s at the helm, he gets some credit. However, since Martz left his powerhouse St. Louis Rams in 2005, the highest yardage ranking his offenses have managed is 19th (2007 Detroit Lions) and the highest points scored ranking is 16th (’07 Lions). These certainly aren’t “offensive mastermind” numbers.

Most of the above looks like criticism. It’s not really meant to be, just some light number crunching. There are clearly countless unmentioned factors that go into all the numbers and stats listed above. Martz’s coaching history is full of gaudy numbers —mostly put up by the once-potent St. Louis Rams and their “Greatest Show on Turf.” The offenses he coaches don’t seem to have consistent results. Usually, the results come from having exceptional personnel on the field. While I will admit that to be the case in most instances throughout the NFL, Martz certainly falls into it. Regardless of why offenses succeed or fail, the Bears’ offense was unquestionably better this season prior to all the injuries. That’s enough for me to be alright with Martz coming back for another go. I also know it takes time for players to learn an offensive scheme.

As long as the Bears keep upgrading personnel and can stay healthy, they should continue to improve offensively. With that in mind, I’ll take Martz for another year.

Brian is a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the NFL throughout.

Sources

Martz, Williams Want to Return