Let's Talk About The Heart Of The Matter.................

Belichick is a much better Coach and has been for years. He's won SBs. I think this is a different Situation for sure.

I'm sure he would too but that's still not the point I was making.  To me the smoking gun was the comment he made (need to find the podcast if I can) about it being "nice to win" but that it did not affect the teams relationship with it corporate sponsors. It was said in a very casual manner as if to say this is how I do business.

That's great Ted but it does affect the teams relationship with it's fans and a comment about that was notably absent in what he expressed.  That's the point I was making.

Payton if this kind of attitude had not been an earmark of the Michael McCaskey era AND it was not the second time I've heard Phillips promote team profits over on the field performance I tend to let it slide as well but that's not the case.  Ted Phillips is a throwback to that era and IMHO he should be replaced.

Yes, I remember that and I agree that it opens a window into his priorities and thought process. Keep being profitable. Nice and steady. Continue to make returns for his employers. That is where he is at.

There is NO reason why the Bears can't be worth as much or more than the Cowboys. They pretty much started the league. They have the most players in the HOF. I really believe that with some polish, they can be the crown jewel of the league in both status and value. But polishing that jewel takes expertise, willingness to take risk and the willingness to spend money.

The fact that it has not been done gives insight that the family is not willing to take risks with their return. Even if it means a bigger pot at the end of the rainbow. However, These guys did not get rich by being stupid. While there is a huge degree of loyalty to Phillips, in his heart, I don;t think George believes that he is the creative and business mind to make that happen. Plus, they all want stability for their children, so the order is steady as she goes.

That is what I think is going on.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner? 

This is all I've been trying to say.  The last time the Bears were actually run top to bottom by 100% football people GSH was still alive and he's been gone for 33 years.  When the team was run by football people coaches didn't get 5 years to prove they could win and we stopped hiring Halas's old cronies to coach or run the front office and scouting department.  What's our record been like since then?

We had GMs like Jim Finks and Jerry Vainisi and a head of scouting like Bill Tobin and they built a Super Bowl winner that could have been another dynasty if Mikey McCaskey hadn't manged to start a losing tradition based on profit taking as soon as we did win one.  Yes, we did lose at least in part because of Mac's injuries but did we go out and sign another top shelf QB who was as good?  No we made due with our backups Fuller and Tzak, and once with Doug Flutie.

Doesn't that sound a whole lot like getting by with Brian Hoyer today except we haven't won anything yet.  Sorry but I have a sense of history repeating itself.

Mikey began to let players walk once free agency began because he would not compete to keep them and eventually the players who did win that championship aged and were not replaced with players anywhere near as good.  Does that sound familiar too?  Has something like that happened again within the last 5 years?

When Phil Emery decided to replace Lovie with "his HC" did he seek the best HC money could buy, which may have been Bruce Arians, or did he choose a lower cost option out of the CFL who proved very quickly the job of NFL HC was way above his pay grade?

Ted Phillips was made President/CEO of the Bears in 1999 so he's presided over a lot of what hasn't been right in this millennium and the McCaskey family has presided over the team since 1983.  They are not skilled football people and neither is Ted Phillips but that's whose at the very top of the food chain in this organization and they have proven several times over that the job of restoring this franchise is beyond their capabilities no matter how much they'd like to see it happen.

So, get some football people in here who can do that.  It's just that simple.