“Well, I’m just a fan. I’m not a football evaluator.”
Those were the famous words of Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey at a 2022 press conference after firing general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. Non-football evaluator and fan George McCaskey then began the process of spearheading a search for hiring two people to lead his football program.
That process led to the hiring of current general manager Ryan Poles and the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus. In that infamous press conference, McCaskey discussed the need for change, the importance of getting the hires right, and the need to turn things around for the NFL's charter franchise.
“We get that a lot of Bears fans are unhappy, and we’re unhappy too,” McCaskey stated. “And we’re frustrated, and we understand that there’s not really a whole lot that can be said today that’s gonna make people feel better about the situation, and it may even be that once the candidates are introduced, people will say, oh, you picked the wrong guy, or you didn’t get it right or whatever. The only opportunity to produce results is in the field, and that won’t be possible for some time to come. We think in time it will be shown that we have chosen the right people to lead the Bears.”
Fast-forward not even three years, and the Chicago Bears are arguably an even bigger dumpster fire than they were in 2022 when McCaskey had to fire everyone. Firing everyone and hiring new people who will inevitably be fired soon has become all too familiar for McCaskey.
George McCaskey was named the Chairman of the Chicago Bears on May 5, 2011, after his brother Michael retired from the same position. The Bears weren't exactly the poster child of success under Michael McCaskey's leadership, but things have gotten significantly worse under George.
The 2024 season was year 14 under George's leadership. In those 14 years, the Chicago Bears have celebrated little success and constant embarrassment. Thursday night at Solider Field, emotions began to boil over for Bears fans. The Chicago faithful watched the team lose for a franchise record tenth straight game to the Seattle Seahawks by a final score of 6-3.
In yet another head-scratching series of poor clock management, the Bears lost another game inside the final two minutes of a game they had a chance of winning. Numerous "SELL THE TEAM" chants echoed throughout Soldier Field in the fourth quarter. For a franchise desperately searching for direction, this feels like rock bottom. Let's review how George McCaskey led them there.
General Managers: 4
Good NFL teams have organizational stability. The Chicago Bears have the opposite. In a 14-year span, the team has had four different general managers, putting the average lifespan of a Chicago Bears GM at just three and a half years.
The full history includes Jerry Angelo (who was fired one year into the McCaskey era), Phil Emery, Ryan Pace, and Ryan Poles. George did not hire Angelo, but the three who were have all been nothing short of failures. Don't blame George, though; he isn't a football evaluator.
Head Coaches: 6
Well, if you thought the average lifespan of GMs was bad, look away at the head coaches in Chicago. The most honest and true moment we got from a Bears head coach over the last 14 years was Marc Trestman's mistaken statement at his introductory press conference that his team was going to be "selfish and undisciplined."
After firing Lovie Smith following a 10-6 2012 season, the Bears hired (and ultimately fired) Marc Trestman, John Fox, Matt Nagy, Matt Eberflus, and Thomas Brown ( Interim). Each hire seemed to focus on finding the opposite of the previous coach rather than the best candidate for the job.
Offensive Coordinators: 11
Some teams in the NFL have to change coordinators often due to other teams poaching them and hiring them to be their respective head coaches. Rest assured that is not the reason the Chicago Bears have gone through 11 offensive coordinators in 14 seasons. Well, only once.
The list is as follows: Mike Martz, Mike Tice, Aaron Kromer, Adam Gase, Dowell Loggains, Mark Helfrich, Bill Lazor, Luke Getsy, Shane Waldron, Thomas Brown (Interim), and Chris Beatty (Interim). Adam Gase was the lone coordinator to leave via promotion when the Miami Dolphins hired him to be their head coach in 2016. *Adam Gase no longer holds a job in the NFL.
Record Under George McCaskey: 93-134 (.409 winning percentage)
The Chicago Bears don't just lose; they break your soul along the way. During Thursday night's broadcast, Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit made numerous mentions of how great the Chicago fans are despite the results from the team.
Winning just barely 40% of your games over a 14-year period is embarrassing and unacceptable. However, under the leadership of the McCaskey family, it has become the norm.
0 Playoff Wins, 2 Appearances
The last time the Chicago Bears won a playoff game was January 16, 2011, just a few months before George McCaskey took over as Bears Chairman. The Bears defeated the Seattle Seahawks 35-24 at Soldier Field.
However, those playoffs turned sour for Chicago after they lost to the rival Green Bay Packers 21-14 in the NFC Championship Game. Green Bay went on to win the Super Bowl. Chicago has not won a playoff game since and has only qualified for the playoffs twice, in 2018 and 2020. Both times, they lost in the Wild Card Round.
Seasons Above .500: 2
That is not a typo. In 14 years under George McCaskey, the Chicago Bears have only had more wins than they did losses twice. The first was in 2012 when the team went 10-6 after starting 7-1, missed the playoffs, and famously fired Lovie Smith.
The second time the team finished with a winning season was in 2018 when they went 12-4 and made the playoffs under first-year head coach and NFL coach of the year Matt Nagy. The playoffs that year weren't exactly a fun memory for fans (see above).
Record vs. Green Bay Packers: 3-24
It is almost impossible to be that bad against one team, but when it comes to ineptitude, never count out the Chicago Bears. In what is the oldest rivalry in football, one could easily argue that the teams' bi-annual matchup doesn't deserve to be called a "rivalry" anymore.
The Bears have been on an 11-game losing streak against Green Bay since 2018. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay's head coach for the last six seasons, has yet to lose to the Bears. Chicago will end its 2024 season at Lambeau Field with what will all but surely be its 12th consecutive loss.
Losing Record vs. All 3 Division Rivals
Not only do the Packers dominate the Bears, but the rest of the division also owns them in the George McCaskey era. The Bears have been 27-56 against the NFC North since 2011, which is good for a .325 win percentage.
As mentioned above, the Bears are 3-24 against the Packers, 12-16 against the Minnesota Vikings, and 12-16 against the Detroit Lions. When Ryan Poles was hired as general manager in 2022, he famously stated, "We are going to take the North and never give it back."
In the Ryan Poles era, Chicago is 2-15 against the NFC North.
Chicago fans chanted "SELL THE TEAM" Thursday night all around Solider Field. Unfortunately, their wish seems incredibly unlikely. The McCaskeys run the Bears like a mom-and-pop shop, and they won't be selling to the Amazons of the world anytime soon.
George McCaskey was asked in his 2022 press conference about his performance as Chairman of the Bears and why changes weren't being made with him. He responded,
“My performance is reviewed by ownership, and the board of directors and ownership has informed me it wishes me to continue in this role."
It is nice that ownership (George's mother) wants him to continue in his role. After all, nobody will hold you accountable in your work quite like your 101-year-old mom. Checks and balances are important in any organization, and luckily, the Bears have set up quite the system that allowed success under George McCaskey's leadership.
