Following yet another disappointing season, it appears that the Chicago Bears are starting over. Multiple reports now indicate that the team has fired general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman.
This overhaul has been expected for some time now. Over the weekend, we focused on the Bears’ plans to completely clean house from a front office standpoint.
Emery, who has been with the team since 2012, has fallen flat on his face when it comes to the draft. While he did nab Alshon Jeffery in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft, that same year saw the team select Shea McClellin in the first round, Brandon Hardin in the third round and Evan Rodriguez in the fourth round. None of those players have been key contributors for the Bears over the past three seasons.
Emery then reached for former Oregon standout Kyle Long in the first round of the 2013 draft, a player that many had pegged as a mid-round pick. Despite some decent play, Long hasn’t helped create stability along an offensive line that has struggled a great deal.
As it relates to Trestman, he was given two years to prove that he can be the man to lead the Bears back to the playoffs. Unfortunately for the innovative offensive mind, it just didn’t work out. Chicago failed to win the division last season, which was cause for alarm considering Aaron Rodgers was sidelined for seven games in Green Bay.
Taking a step back, things were a hot mess for this Bears this season. They finished in last place in the NFC North with a 5-11 record and put up the team’s worst season since 2004, Lovie Smith’s first with the team. Jay Cutler led the world in turnovers, there seemed to be a rift between the players and the organization, and Chicago’s defense once again laid an egg.
For the brass in Chicago, firing Trestman wasn’t going to be enough. It needed to completely clean house, which started on Black Monday. But we can expect team president Ted Phillips to also be out of a job in the not-so-distant future.
