George McCaskey’s inability to recall the time when the Chicago Bears merged with Bill Polian was a bit odd. But Polian’s influence on upcoming coach and GM searches is now paramount.

The revelation came from Chicago Bears President George McCaskey on Monday.

Bill Polian has been followed jump in the driver’s seat for upcoming coach and general manager searches. And, boy, are the most important leaders in Halas Hall.

“Bill Polian,” McCaskey noted, “is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his success as a football executive, including his hiring of two head coaches, Marv Levy and Tony Dungy, who are in the Hall of Fame themselves. He is highly regarded in the league and has a lot of connections. We consider ourselves very lucky to have Bill assist us in our search.”

However, McCaskey also appears to have selective amnesia. He can’t remember exactly when Polian linked up with the team.

“At some point during the season,” McCaskey said. “I can’t remember when.”

Some time later, McCaskey was given another chance to run his memory again. Just “call him out of the blue,” he mentioned.

But when specifically?

“Like I said, I don’t remember the exact time,” McCaskey said. “That was at some point this past season.”

It was at some point this past season that McCaskey stepped in, when he and Team President and CEO Ted Phillips were baffled enough by the Bears’ on-field failures to seek a profit. outside advice on what to do with coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace.

Polian isn’t the only independent advisor they’ve contacted. Just the only one they felt comfortable being given his lead role in the new search team.

However, Polian doesn’t just direct the hunt for a new GM and new coach. He also influenced the franchise’s decision to withdraw from the Pace-Nagy alliance. At some point this season, Polian’s overview of the Bears’ struggles became valuable research that McCaskey and Phillips used to conclude about how to tie ramifications to a two-game losing season. the team’s fifth figure in the past eight years.

“We asked Bill to help us evaluate the GM and head coach and help us make the decision to keep or replace,” McCaskey said. “And if we move to an alternative situation, (we asked him) to help us with the replacement process.”

That seemingly minor revelation – that the Polian was needed to help the Bears navigate through the “retain or replace” fork in the road – is notable for a number of reasons.

For starters, it’s the latest admission from McCaskey that his confidence in his own football judgment remains scant – surprising for a leader taking the step. into his 12th season as president and now with greater responsibility for having the final say on hiring a general manager as well as conducting regular GM performance reviews.

In a more damning quote on Monday, McCaskey offered a self-deprecating review of his credentials: “Well, I’m just a fan. I’m not an expert on football.”

Perhaps more upsetting to at least a handful of people inside Halas Hall, though, was the surprising revelation that Polian had been in the dark for a large part of this season, judging by the team’s failures. for those who called him out of the blue. help.

Need help

As for Nagy, who received almost no support from the top during his five slips from mid-October to late November, he may not have shone as brightly as he repeatedly praised the relationship. the “open and honest” relationship he had with him. superiors when he learns that another undercover football rat is evaluating things.

An alliance source with connections to Halas Hall said Nagy never knew – or at least was never mentioned to those close to – of Polian’s involvement. Not that it would matter much. Given the direction of the Bears season, McCaskey and Phillips could have consulted a former GM in the Hall of Fame like Polian or the manager at the local Jewel-Osco and been led to the same conclusion that Nagy should be fired.

The Bears’ Brain Trust appears to have had a much harder time deciding what to do with Pace after seven seasons, with several federation pipelines indicating throughout December and into January that Pace has may have a chance to continue in some capacity.

Polian, however, provided input that helped convince the Bears to move on to the “Alternative” chapter of the Choose Your Own Adventure expedition.

Hardly anyone in the league considers the move wrong or unfair or even remotely premature. But in Halas Hall, there are some new questions about the element of trust. Some in the building were thrown out to learn of Polian’s oversight during the 2021 season while also exasperating that neither McCaskey nor Phillips had the footballing brains to make such important decisions. confidently and without consulting outside.

And how exactly did some wonder, Polian be able to provide a comprehensive assessment of Bears operations remotely without knowledge of the office’s power structure or understanding of operations? The inner workings of Halas Hall? How complete would his assessment be if he hadn’t spoken to the people below McCaskey and Phillips – from executives to coaches to support staff?

Where it all starts is anyone’s guess. But Polian’s influence is paramount now.

In detail

Monday’s move to sever ties with Nagy and Pace was widely praised by Bears fans when they were announced. At sundown, however, after McCaskey – and to a lesser extent Phillips – stumbled across an hour-long state-of-the-art speech, worries arose about a lack of reach. vision and direction.

For some with close ties to the franchise, the sense of embarrassment that accompanied the infamous January 2021 McCaskey-Phillips press conference was swept aside by a fresh, almost almost stale bout of depression. is a dismayed acceptance that McCaskey’s football assessment lacks the substance and level of detail it needs.

Sure, the Bears can become a successful GM-Coach couple this month. Or they may not. The worst part is that some people around the league see this next hit they’re taking less than a third of the court blindfolded.

When McCaskey was asked directly on Monday how he analyzes whether GM is successfully carrying out his duties, he noted that it will be largely based on wins, losses and in-game successes. playoffs. That’s a solid starting point, of course. But stopping there also leaves a lot of nuances overlooked and a lot of important specifics left out.

McCaskey gave a bit more on Monday on what he looks at to evaluate joint directors.

“The number of people who make the difference and the number of quality players you have on your team,” he said, “the core of the team and how the team is put together are all factors that come into play. .”

He’s even cited content from Polian’s 2021 book, “The Super Bowl Blueprint,” as information to guide him in his search for new leaders this month.

Polian, McCaskey insisted, writing in his book “about the decisions he made as a general manager were considered extremely unpopular at the time. But they do bear fruit in the end, and you have to be ready and willing to make a decision that could very well be an unpopular decision if you believe it’s what’s best for the Bears. ”

It’s more of a warning to Bears fans to fasten your seat belts.

‘What made him think he would do the right thing?’

The Bears’ association with Polian has drawn mixed reviews since it was revealed. Polian’s accomplishments during his 28 seasons as league moderator are undeniable. First as general manager of the Buffalo Bills and later as GM and president of the Indianapolis Colts, Polian helped guide his teams to six Super Bowl appearances, including the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI win over the Bears .

However, detractors point out, Polian was also fired by the Colts 10 years ago after a long period in which the team did not achieve much success in the draft and owner Jim Irsay decided to change management as necessary.

The certainty before Polian’s draft as an analyst in 2018 that Lamar Jackson would be a better fit for the NFL as a receiver than a quarterback was widespread, with hints that it shows his lack of understanding of how the game has evolved.

A year earlier, Polian boldly ranked Chad Kelly as the most talented quarterback in the 2017 draft class that had produced Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and, yes, even Mitch Trubisky.

Like any successful football evaluator, Polian has missed out on great achievements.

The Bears have now given him the authority to aid their revival efforts by directing their search.

However, once the hire is made, Polian will follow the same path as Ernie Accorsi after serving in a similar consulting role for the Bears in 2015. He will part ways with the Bears and be sent a thank you. Sincere thanks for his departure from the organization and such important decisions have no skin in the game and no consequences if they don’t work out.

Still, McCaskey believes the process will stabilize.

“Disappointed bears (fans) might be thinking, ‘What makes him think he’s going to do it right now? ”” he said Monday. “Well, we are confident that with the experience we have gained and with the success of the search team, we will find a general manager and a head coach who will lead our Bears. I come to the success that all of our Bears fans deserve. ”