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?

What are your opinions.

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.

Gotta run!.

With the Chicago Bears deciding to fire general manager Jerry Angelo, it added another question to a team that already has a lot to be answered for next season. Here’s a look at a few issues the Bears will have to address.

Find A New General Manager

I guess this is a pretty obvious one, but it’s certainly an important one. Angelo has been the Bears GM since 2001. It will take a little time for a new GM —whoever that might be—to settle in. Eric DeCosta ( Baltimore Ravens ), Les Snead ( Atlanta Falcons ) and Steve Keim ( Arizona Cardinals ) have been mentioned as possible replacements.

Signing Matt Forte

This is a question mark that shouldn’t exist, but it does. The Bears have seemingly torqued off Forte a bit by not signing him to a long-term contract prior to the season. With Forte’s injury in the latter half of this season, he made sure he was 100% before he returned. He was eventually placed on injured reserve. If the Bears lose Forte, it would set them back considerably. Ideally, the presence of a new GM will make Forte willing to negotiate again.

Does Lovie Smith Stay as Head Coach?

While the Bears have said that Lovie Smith is safe for the time being after firing Angelo, I’m not totally convinced. I’m constantly going back and forth on what I think about Smith and if I want him to stay the Bears coach. Prior to injuries, the Bears were putting together quite a solid campaign, so it’s hard to want to fire a coach because the team couldn’t recuperate from losing its two best players. However, many times a new general manager wants his own coaching staff in place. Whoever the new GM is, he will have to decide if he wants Lovie and company along for the ride.

Johnny Knox’s Back

Following Knox’s horrible injury against the Seattle Seahawks, no one was sure if Knox would play again. While subsequent surgery and news coming from Knox’s camp is that he will be able to, he’ll have to go through a great deal of rehab. After an injury like that, you never know how it will affect the long term development of a player. While Knox may not be the best receiver on the field, he’s been a major part of what passing threat the Bears have had. With no receiver showing much promise in house (other than maybe Earl Bennett), how Knox recovers will be important.

An Aging Defense

Players like Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers, and Lance Briggs are tremendous football players. Though, they won’t be around forever. With the exception of a few players, the Bears defense is getting old. Not only has the defense not performed consistently well the last few years, but there doesn’t seem to be much depth behind them. Isreal Idonije and Henry Melton appear to be on the rise, but the linebackers don’t have much behind Urlacher and Briggs. The defensive backs, while not “old,” simply don’t get the job done on a consistent basis. This is something the new GM will have to address.

This certainly isn’t a catch-all list (Mike Martz, Roy Williams, and the offensive line could be added as well), but it begins to show how many questions this Bears team has as it enters the offseason.

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

Sources

Bears Fire Angelo, Smith Safe