82 Comments - Enver Hoxha, Dead. - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:15 am: as my Romanian ex-girlfriend’s mother used to say, “A fish stinks from the head down.” But the McCaskeys won’t sell until Virginia dies and their hand is forced by the amount of estate tax that will fall due. Maybe Pat Ryan is interested? Ted Phillips used to be an accountant and now he’s the team President? - Mason born - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:16 am: Come on Rich the Pack and Lions need those pick me up games. - Mouthy - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:17 am: Discuss? I think you said it all… - Anonymoiis - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:26 am: I don’t see Virginia ever selling the team. Might mean, my God that family’s history with the franchise goes all the way back to the Decatur Staleys. My hope, and suspicion is that she and the family has finally become impatient with losing. They’ve had bad regimes before, but stuck with them far past their expiration date…but the rumors floating around now make this seem different. Not even two full seasons into this group, and if heads actually do roll this quick I take it as a sign they’re actually serious about wanting another winner ASAP….or BVPA (Before Virginia Passes Away). Heck, even if the sons do want to sell at that point, a winner is a lot more valuable than a loser. - Amalia - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:29 am: they are not selling. but they should be firing….the team president and the GM have to go first. they are clueless on money issues. based on past experience, Trestman can do good things. but it’s very hard to tell because the GM gave him a different team to work with seemingly every week. how many roster moves can a team make in a season? The Bears prove that it is lots. the sands were constantly shifting under the feet of the coaches and players and that would make it difficult for most any coach. - Boone's is Back - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:32 am: Couldn’t agree more. If they were smart they would also toss Trestman and Phil Emory. I have a feeling Emory will escape the wrath though. - Jimmy CrackCorn - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:33 am: 10 years ago the Chicago Blackhawks were the most dysfunctional franchise in all of sports. Now they are probably the finest organization. The Bears look like they are nearing the same bottom as the Hawks were in. Unfortunately for them George McCaskey is no Rocky Wirtz, Ted Phillips is no John McDonnough, and Phil Emery is not a Bowman. - Knome Sane - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:35 am: I saw one report suggesting Mike Holmgren might be a suitable replacement for Trestman. I, for one, would prefer William Laird “Bill” Cowher . - Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:37 am: Amalia, most of the roster moves that were made this year were out of necessity because they couldn’t keep a healthy team on the field. It’s not like they traded Lance Briggs or Peanut Tillman to the Packers. Most of the pre-season trades, like Jared Allen (who replaced Julius Peppers) were welcomed by the fans, and presumably the coach, and were mistakenly thought to be an upgrade at the time. - Roadiepig - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:37 am: It was a bad sign when Phil Emery picked Shae McClellan with his very first #1- a great college player that was not rated to be picked that high by ANY ratings service because he wasn’t big enough to be a NFL defensive lineman and too slow to be a linebacker. Three years of his drafting has left the cupboard bare for the next group of “management” personnel (that’s assuming the McCaskey’s will fire the mess they’ve created, which is a big assumption considering how much money that would cost them). Tressman is a lifetime 1 year miracle worker who is in WAY over his head as a head coach. Tucker should have been fired after last season (his defenses have never been ranked g=higher than 28th in the 32 team league at any of his other stops, so his failure could have been expected). I backed Cutler for much longer than my fellow Bears fan friends, and even though his struggles this year can’t be blamed all on him, his play the last few weeks has been inexcusable. Playing Clausen the rest of the season might be the best to build up better draft picks, but that leads back to Emery and his consistent failure in picking the right man. Hope ’bout those Blackhawks? Bulls? Illini basketball? With the Bears unwatchable except for hate viewing, at least we have other local teams that are fun to follow… - Hotel Ibiza - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:39 am: Snag Jim Harbaugh before Michigan does! - A guy... - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:40 am: The only silver lining is that when they suck as bad as they do now, you can do door to door canvassing on Sundays. - BIG R. Ph. - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:41 am: As a fan of the team with the worst 5 & 10 year records in all of NFL history (the Rams), at least you don’t have to worry about your team moving to Los Angeles or London or wherever. Enjoy the stability. This is the NFL. The league of parity. You will get better. Even the Rams are getting better. We would gladly take Cutler off of your hands but that stupid contract you guys signed makes it impossible. - Hotel Ibiza - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:41 am: Jim Harbaugh has what the Bears need “a fire in his belly to WIN”! - Louis G Atsaves - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:42 am: Need to “Shake Up” the Bears Organization from top to bottom. It is one thing to lose, but they are losing badly and in amateurish fashion. Fake punt with only 10 men on the field? Having television commentators during the game pointing out the holes in the Bear defense before the snap and predicting (correctly) where the ball will be going? No one in the Bears organization saw this? And then they go back to doing the same old failed thing over the next few weeks? Criticizing the QB’s performance, then apologizing for criticizing him, then benching the QB for poor performance? Hello? Sheesh! - Ron Burgundy - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:43 am: To completely start over and do the thing right, other than a change of ownership, they need to get out from under the Park District (who can’t even maintain a field properly and suck up a lot of the ancillary revenue from game days that other teams get), replace everybody from the team President on down, bring in football professionals with proven track records, ship out the malcontent underperforming players, and start over. Likely to be bad for several more years doing this, but right now is such a clownshow they have to do something. - Give Me A Break - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:44 am: Bruce should buy the Bears. That would allow him to name a person to a high profile post. The only question is would the contract be for one or two years. - Team Sleep - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:44 am: The local sports talk guys on WFMB were chatting about this yesterday. One of them advocated blowing it up and hiring all “football” (i.e. non-business types) like the Cubs and Hawks have done. I agree with him. George McCaskey needs to clean house, buy out as many contracts as possible and bring in a high-level consultant like Ron Wolf to oversee a quick rebuilding process. Jay Cutler could probably be traded to the Bills or Titans; get what you can for him and move on. Hire a coach who has NFL experience and thick skin to repel the criticism from the 24-7 sports media. - William j Kelly - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:48 am: As a lifelong Bears fan I can say being a ‘fan’ means being a fan even when your team is losing. The catch22 is what do you do if your team isn’t a fan of you?! Cutler doesn’t seem to be much of a Bears fan, cutler has to go. Sadly this is the same catch22 most real republicans find themselves in here in Illinois. - Wtf - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:48 am: “Burn the whole thing down” is too often the popular remedy for problems that require knowledge and insight to truly solve. But in this case it’s the right call. - Wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:49 am: The Bears are privately held, so it’s hard to know what’s really involved in a possible sale. In tavern talk over the years, I’ve heard contentions that the old man had it structured is such a manner that the kids and grandkids would have to pay capital gains taxes to hold on to the team after Virginia dies. That would be capital gains on the original $100 purchase price the old man paid at the Huppmobile dealership in Canton in 1920. Forbes estimates the Bears value at $1.7 billion. But the Clips went for $2 billion, twice what Forbes estimated they were worth. Like every NFL team, the Bears have fixed costs with a salary cap and are wildly profitable through shared TV revenue before they ever sell a ticket. The Bears have neve been on the market; I’d think they would go for at least double the Clips. Rumors are that Patrick Ryan and Andy McKenna Sr. have contractual rights to match a best offer if the team is sold, after getting a minority piece of the action with a cash infusion years back. - Enviro - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:50 am: We all know that a quarterback needs a good offensive line to do his best work. How is the Bears offensive line working for the quarterback? - Vote Quimby! - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:51 am: Governor Quinn should step in, declare a state emergency and acquire Da Bears for the hard-working people of Illinois. - 47th Ward - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:52 am: I agree with Rich, it’s as much an ownership problem as a football problem. The McCaskeys are running the team like a family business, which it is, but their decision-making appears to be primarily about benefitting the family, not the fans and ticket buyers. For example, I have a hard time believing the Bears will pay Marc Trestman to not coach the teams doubtful they find a taker for Cutler at that salary and again. I have a hard time believing the McCaskeys will eat a large portion of that. At this point, I’d make Trestman shake up his coaching staff and tell Emery he’s got one more year to turn it around. Cutler isn’t likely to go anywhere, so we’ll just have to make the most of it. And I’ve always believed Jeff Fisher is the best coach for the Bears. Maybe they can bring him back as GM/head coach. - Anon - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:54 am: Heck, Bears should sign PQ, he’s a great bomb thrower! - Joe Bidenolopolous - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 9:59 am: Isn’t this Cutler thing screwy? Emery pretty much sided with Jay over Trestman when he said Kromer talking made him angry and basically implied that he would’ve fired Kromer. But Kromer gets a slap because it’s Trestman’s call, then sends a big eff you to Emery by benching Cutler. Seems like managerial drama with Cutler as a pawn. And Trestman thinks there’s a chance he keeps his job? Really? Emery should go too. Scapegoating Cutler is ridiculous, though. Don’t get me wrong - Cutler has been terrible, but the D is atrocious (talent and scheme), the O line advanced metrics are awful and they don’t pass th eye test, and guys clearly quit on Trestman in the relatively early part of the season. Clean house - Phillips, Emery, Trestman, all coaches. Hire a President/GM immediately, tell him to hire a coach and it’s up to him whether he trades Cutler this year, cuts him next year, or keeps him. Give him three years to get to the playoffs - football teams can turn around pretty quick. - The Captain - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:02 am: I think Happy Hour should start around noon today. Oh wait, I’m sorry, I thought this said “bars” open thread. The Bears are brutally, brutally bad and all involved should be compassionately euthanized. - Gooner - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:04 am: I may be the last Cutler fan around. He’s made some poor decisions, but things are tough when you are always down by 21. He’s got the tools and despite what some say, he’s got some fire. Emery, Trestman and Tucker? They need to go. Emery chose Shea McClellin the first round and he’s proven to be neither a DE nor a linebacker. Kyle Long? Nice pick but he would have been there in round two, and probably round three. Fuller was a nice pick and well deserving of a first round selection. You need to do better than 1 of 3 on first round choices. The trade for Marshall was good as was the choice of Jeffrey. But that’s about it. Trestman? When you see an old coach who was never given the big job, there’s probably a reason. He’s been terrible at absolutely everything. He’s not a leader, he hasn’t done well with the QB, and the offense has not shown anything this year. And Tucker? Never have I seen a defense so unprepared and so lacking in desire. You have 11 on the field and they all seem to wish they were inside having a beer. This is beyond a doubt the worst Bears defense I’ve ever seen. However, on the bright side, the failures by the Bears make it far easier to turn our attention to the BPL. Less time watching the Bears means more time available to watch the Gunners. I highly recommend that on Sunday, people here avoid watching the Bears and instead spend the morning watching Arsenal defeat Liverpool and then spend the rest of the day (i.e. the time you would be watching the Bears) doing something productive. - better days - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:04 am: Bears now worth over $1.7 Billion dollars .. you think some chump Bears fans will be heard by the McCaskey family ? - Walter Mitty - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:08 am: They can remain owners… A team worth 1.7 bil… Severe all ties below ownership. They have the money.. Pay Harbaugh whatever he wants… Ditka 2.0… - Chris - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:11 am: “the McCaskeys won’t sell until Virginia dies” This is the real truth. The season after Virginia passes, there’ll be a new owner. - Cowboy Dan - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:14 am: Rich Gannon who tutored Cutler for Trestman called him a “coach killer”. I agree.. - Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:14 am: Trestman… gone. Emery… gone. Cutler… gone if you can get anything for him in a trade. But then, who is your quarterback? Jake Locker? Michael Vick? Mark Sanchez? Brian Hoyer? Matt Flynn? ….David Fales?! Do you draft Brett Hundley or Garrett Grayson…? Oh crap, keep Jay… but blow up the rest. - The Muse - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:17 am: Personally, I think Emery has not been that bad of a GM. The guy has drafted fairly well - Alshon Jeffery and Kyle Long are pro-bowlers, and Kyle Fuller is showing great promise. However, Shea McClellin is not what we want him to be (he’s only 25 but hope is waning) and hiring Trestman was obviously a mistake. Fire the entire coaching staff. Jay Cutler has talent but it’s become obvious he’s not the star we thought he was. Like so many others, I also kept making excuses on his behalf for why he hadn’t reached that elite QB status. After 6 seasons, it’s time to cut our losses and just let him go - the guy just doesn’t have the ability to lead a team. As one ESPN reporter put it yesterday, “Divorces are expensive, but in the end, you’re going to be happier without them.” - Amalia - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:19 am: @Gooner, yes, actual football! though I am worried that Liverpool minus the suspended Balotelli will suddenly get the act together. also very happy about the draw against Monaco in Champions League. no more Bayern! - Robert the Bruce - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:20 am: Rebuilding is a long process, but might as well start now. The Bears are old and slow. Go big in rebuilding. Tank for a couple years. Trade anyone over 25 who has value for better draft picks. - The Muse - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:23 am: @ Walter Mitty Agreed with trying to hire Harbaugh. As a former player he understands the players better and it’s quite obvious he knows how to win. - Gooner - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:34 am: Amalia, Monaco has played good football this year. Still, that draw was much better than some of the alternatives. This could be a year similar to what Chelsea did a few years ago, with a strong Champions League and a week BPL. Our defense is looking a bit stronger, although injuries are still killing our midfield. I’m holding out hope that Wenger might get Podolski on the pitch more since I think he’s been badly underused. A front line of Sanchez, Giroud and Podokski would be pretty effective. In any case, there is no doubt that Arsenal and Liverpool will be far more interesting than watching the Bears lose by 35. - JoanP - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:35 am: Move ‘em to the burbs so they’ll stop messing up traffic, and then we can maybe tear down that excrescence they dumped in the middle of Soldier Field. - Holdingontomywallet - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:36 am: Ditka would have this mess cleaned up in one meeting! - a drop in - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:36 am: Fire QB, coach, GM, owner….I remember reading something similar in the late 70s. Yes I think Harbaugh (with a strong GM) would be Ditka 2.0. He would inspire the team for 3-4 years then lose them and get fired. Think it would be worth it. - Peoria Guy - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:41 am: This Packer fan objects. Things are fine as is in Chicago. - Just a Reader - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:42 am: Quiz time! Can you name these two players? Player A Age Games Pct Yds/G TD INT 29 16 63.0% 263 31 23 30 16 57.3% 256 22 23 31 16 58.3% 238 20 16 Player B Age Games Pct Yds/G TD INT 29 15 58.8% 202 19 14 30 11 63.1% 238 19 12 31 14 66.1% 260 28 18 - Sam Weinberg - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:45 am: You know it’s bad when I — a long-suffering Browns fan (is there any other kind?) — feel bad for you all. Don’t worry, when you unload Cutler things are going to quickly look much better. - Diogenes in DuPage - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:50 am: @Just a Reader, I’m going to guess A is Jim McMahon and B is Jay Cutler. Leadership can only be measured in the NFL in W-L terms. English P.M. Benjamin Disraeli: ” There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” - Grandson of Man - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:50 am: I agree, the Bears stink from the top down. They should be sold to those who will hire good talent evaluators and coaches. This season has been horrible. The losses have been humiliating. The losses to the Packers have been humiliating, starting with the NFC title game in 2011. Thankfully we have the Blackhawks. That organization is rock solid. Rocky Wirtz has done such a great job in making the team so successful and popular. Sometimes opposing stadiums are full of Hawks fans. The wife and I were at a game a few days ago, even though the ticket prices cost an arm and a behind. It was worth it. I like the Bulls and and look forward to the Sox next year, after their recent acquisitions. - Wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:55 am: Jay is the poster child for bad management. He’s a middle of the pack quarterback (who turns the ball over more than anyone in the league) who has come at a Hall of Famer price. To get Jay, the Bears gave up two first round picks, a third-round pick and a starting quarterback (Orton). The loss of those picks has been devastating to the roster. Inexplicably, the Bears last year gave Jay a long-term contract making him the highest paid player in the NFL this year. The ROI has been one playoff win. - Just a Reader - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 10:56 am: @Diogenes, You are correct on Player B — that’s Cutler. Player A is not a Bear. - Archimedes - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:05 am: I’m guessing Player A is Brett Favre. Of course, 12 years ago the defense could man handle receivers a lot more than now. I dare say all 32 starting quarterbacks, as a whole, have a higher QB rating and stats than the starting 32 12 years ago. - Stones - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:08 am: Couldn’t agree more. We are currently the laughingstock of the league. Just today I got two texts from guys who live on the E. Coast asking me what’s up with the Bears. Pathetic management! - walker - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:08 am: Why would the Buffalo Bills trade for Cutler? They’re already winning with a guy named Kyle Orton. Another team made that mistake. - Jimmy CrackCorn - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:12 am: Can we please stop with the Ditka thing on this thread and elsewhere… I know he is a beloved caricature of himself, fine. But lets not pretend that he took arguably the greatest roster ever assembled in NFL history and with one exception (85-86) he completely under-performed and ran an equally dysfunctional staff. Also, Harbaugh is not coming here so drop that off your wishlist. If he stays in the NFL he goes across the bay to Oakland. But, he’s probably a better college coach. Plus, he left quite the reputation for himself off-the-field when he played for the Bears and the McCaskey’s have not forgotten. - Wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:14 am: Player A is definitely Favre. The weakness in Brett’s game early in his career and after Holmgren left was that he would on occasion take too many risks with the ball. But he also won a lot of playoff games. If you want to argue that Jay is comparable to Favre, have at it, lol. - Anonymoiis - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:21 am: Jimmy, let’s also not forget that after 85 the Bears were hampered at QB when McMahon’s career was essentially crippled be Charles Martin, and an aging Payton, and an NFCthat was loaded with some of the best teams in NFL history. But they still made the playoffs every year, and the NFC Championship almost every year. - Responsa - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:21 am: The 1985 Bears were great. All these years later most fans of that era can still name the entire roster and coaching staff. They had guts and talent and personality. Individually they were good and spirited players and coaches, and the team sum was even greater than its parts. Hey, who owned the team then? Why yes. I believe it was the Halas/McCaskey family. Many heads need to, and will, roll to appease both the fans and to save the franchise this winter– and the family ownership will survive. - McDouble - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:26 am: NFL ownership is a billionaire’s club, right? Sounds like IL would economically benefit if only someone could “Shake up” the Bears organization… - Amalia - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:27 am: @Gooner, what I want for Christmas is a healthy Arsenal and for Wenger to open his wallet. still dreaming of Khedira, though big bodies that can defend is the general description of what I want. I honestly think that part of Giroud’s success is his height, though the vision of tiny Cazorla dashing to goal in the last match was super. - Mason born - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:29 am: Best fix is to try to swap divisions with New Orleans. Problem solved. I mean with 2 games against TB, Atlanta, and the Panthers the Bears would look like the Pack. Of course I agree with Peoria Guy but hey. - LizPhairTax - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:29 am: Bottom line is that the McCaskey family is a bunch of ding-a-lings and there is no Rocky Wirtz among the progeny. Our only hope is that someone in-house did their estate planning and they’ll have to sell whenever the old lady becomes a commemorative helmet sticker. Otherwise, why would they ever sell? They aren’t the Wirtzs with other businesses, most of their revenue has nothing to do with the on-field product, and having the smallest stadium in the NFL and a long season ticket waiting list means the tickets will continue to be sold even if people don’t show up. - Wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:30 am: If you pine for the 85 Bears, hope for a Jim Finks or Jerry Vainisi, not a Ditka. They’re the ones who put that roster together. Finks marked the only time that the Bears hired a GM who had previous success in that position (Minnesota Super Bowl teams). The only time the Bears have hired a head coach with previous head coaching experience was Paddy Driscoll in 1926. - LizPhairTax - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:32 am: Mason Born, I get your point but they were 2-2 against the NFC South. They need to switch divisions with the Calgary Stampeders to be competitive. - duke139 - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:34 am: Exactly what I’ve been saying for years Rich. You’re dead on. - Jimmy CrackCorn - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:34 am: @McDouble- He already is an NFL owner w/ Steelers. Ha, sometimes snark is reality. @LizPhair- “whenever the old lady becomes a commemorative helmet sticker.” This may be my favorite line of the year - Mason born - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 11:46 am: Liz Fair point but I was being generous. You still are better than the Jets, Redskins, Raiders, Titans, and the Jaguars. Unfortunately they all also get to draft before you. Maybe if you can get all your late season games home against dome and warm weather teams?? - fisher - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:02 pm: I’ve long thought Bears ownership and management have been exceedingly poor. - Gooner - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:09 pm: Amalia, What I would like is for Wenger to announce that he needs to spend more time with his family and that 2014-2015 will be his last year. I agree on Khedira. Neither Areta nor Flamini is playing that role. Wilshire may be the one to do it though, if he was willing. He’s got the toughness and he can also go forward when necessary. For the first time in memory, we seem pretty solid up front. The midfield, which looked so strong a year ago, seems to be the real problem. Santi looked strong against Newcastle, but overall I just haven’t seen much from him. Ozil and Ramsey and Wilshire have all been hurt, but even when healthy, none of those three were playing as well as they need to if they want to be in the eleven for a big team. As much as I like the signing of Alexi, it is really unfortunate that they passed on Cesc. He would have been a major upgrade. - Robo - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:11 pm: They need to move back to Decatur to get in touch with their rural Illinois roots. - Wensicia - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:23 pm: They might as well keep Cutler around for another year, who else will take him? Why should he be the only scapegoat here? The coaching staff need to go. They couldn’t possibly find worse to replace them. - Richard Afflis - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:27 pm: I really don’t think Cutler should be scapegoated as he has been. I think he wants to win and he wants to earn his money. Trestman was welcome with open arms and given an opportunity even though he was a risk. We gambled. We lost. The worst thing about the Bears in the last two years is not so much the blow-out losses, or the pathetic defense, or the stupidity on the field (although that hurts- twice in two years giving up touchdowns on balls they could have either picked up or acted on because the whistle had not blown). The hardest part of the last two years is the quitting. Not once, but TWICE this year, they were down in the first half with just enough time to run one, maybe two plays. Mind you they were DOWN and LOSING THE GAME. On those two occasions, rather than even MAKE AN ATTEMPT to score, they chose to let the clock run out!!!!! I can take losing. I can even take getting blown out. I cannot take it when my team gives less than their best effort and does not exhaust every legitimate means to win. I was upset during the Dave Wannstadt days. I would take him back as opposed to what I have seen in the last two years. - Lee Dixon Fan Club - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:32 pm: @gooner: no on Khedira. Injury-prone and wants a ridiculous wage. - CLJ - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:43 pm: They just need to build a new score board and improve the bleachers to be a competitive team again…er wait? - Anonymoiis - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:48 pm: ==- Robo - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:11 pm: They need to move back to Decatur to get in touch with their rural Illinois roots.== “In a stunning move, the McCaskey gmail has sold the team back to the corporation they purchased it from in 1921. Unfortunately for Decatur, however, AE Staley has since been purchased by London based Tate & Lyle, who will soon announce the NFL’s first franchise will be the London Bears - Anonymoiis - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:49 pm: *McCaskey family, not gmail. Stupid iPhone - Illinoisvoter - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 12:53 pm: Bring the Cardinals home to the South side and for the Bears and the McCaskey’s this old LA Times article best illuminates their problems. http://articles.latimes.com/1989-02-09/sports/sp-3354_1_halas-jr - Amalia - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 1:09 pm: @ Gooner, you and Piers “Wenger Out” Morgan! his during match tweets are always fun. perhaps we will just have to wait for Thierry Henry to work up those badges and make it to the top flight. He’s the future. - Abraham Froman - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 1:09 pm: Even a casual observer could tell the coaching was not up to par this year, time management alone has been an obvious failure for the bears. Keep Cutler, clean house with coaching staff and try to build an O line and a defense that can stop the run. - Filmmaker Professor - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 2:21 pm: Yeah great idea. I’m sure the McCaskeys are getting the sale ready right now. Why on earth would they want to hang on to an asset that will continue to grow in value to infinity? Maybe we can just give them more tax money? - A guy... - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 3:25 pm: Just. So. Hard. To. Care. Ugh. - northshorecynic - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 3:36 pm: bring back Abe Gibron!! - A guy... - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 3:56 pm: === northshorecynic - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 3:36 pm: bring back Abe Gibron!!==== Dude, if that’s possible, I want Judy back first. - Wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 3:59 pm: I thought Tressman and staff were gone for sure until I saw the package Michigan floated out there for Harbaugh. Woof. The price of poker just got way high. With the salary floor and cap, the only place a mom and pop operation like the Bears can go cheap is on coaches and GM. And since Ditka and Finks, they have. There are going to be a lot of NFL coaches fired. The Bears, with their talent, are not more attractive than other teams to just be a coach. The hardest working men in show business right now are Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden’s agents. They, along with Harbaugh, are going to insist on Belichick deals to make them move. All football operations - cook the meals, buy the groceries. - Wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 14 @ 4:08 pm: As far as Cutler goes, the Bears obviously think and/or hope they can dump his contract on some moron owner. Daniel Snyder — Jay is How!, you get to the Super Bowl, kemosabe! Woody Johnson. — you’ve got a friend in Jay! It doesn’t make any sense to bench Cutler for the last two games unless you’re trying to move him and don’t want him to get hurt. You don’t need a look at Jimmy Clausen. Eveyone knows what you have there. Excellent clipboard holder. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.