The Chicago Bears have been confusing their fanbase for quite some time and, as people come and go, George McCaskey remains a constant.
The franchise chairman is second only to his mother, Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey, and has long been seen by fans as an ineffectual leader passing the buck to the many general managers and head coaches that he’s overseen the hiring and firing of.
Monday, the Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy as well as general manager Ryan Pace in a series of moves that were expected and, for many fans, long overdue. Following a 12-4 initial season, Nagy’s teams went 8-8, 8-8, and 6-11 and suffered for play-calling issues that tended to lead back to him. Pace has been GM since 2015, which includes just two playoff appearances in seven seasons.
McCaskey made a rare appearance in front of reporters on Monday to discuss the changes. And based on the reactions from those in attendance as well as Bears fans watching from home, he did not inspire much in the way of confidence.
McCaskey opened his press conference by scolding the Bears fanbase over a few kids booing Matt Nagy’s son at a high school football game, which set the tone for a strange day.
George McCaskey bringing up Bears fans chanting "fire Nagy" at Matt's son's high school football game for absolutely no reason.
— Matt Eurich (@MattEurich) January 10, 2022
McCaskey then noted that the next general manager of the Bears will report directly to him and will have full control of all football operations, which differs only in that Pace reported to team president Ted Phillips.
Bears' George McCaskey says he, not Ted Phillips, is the sole decider on the next GM. Phillips will remain as president and the McCaskey family has "full confidence" in him, but GM will report directly to ownership.
He hints Phillips will shift focus to the new stadium project.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) January 10, 2022
However, he also added that Phillips will still be involved in the hiring process, so…
When asked about whether or not he’s accountable for the way the Bears have failed to sustain winning while he has been chairman (2011), McCaskey said that he spoke with the board and “ownership has informed me it wishes me to continue in this role,” which sent a lot of people into hysterics as “ownership” is literally his mother.
George McCaskey asked about the Bears poor record under his leadership the last 11 years, says "ownership has informed me it wishes me to continue in this role" as Chairman.
Ownership is his mommy.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 10, 2022
McCaskey was then asked what his mother thinks of the state of the Bears and, well, things somehow got even more awkward.
Bears chairman George McCaskey just quoted Bears owner Virginia McCaskey — "I'm very, very disappointed" — and said she said it "as only a mother could."
This is sad.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 10, 2022
Asked if his mother, Virginia McCaskey, is "pissed" again this time around, George McCaskey says, "I asked her for her assessment of our season and she said, as only a mother can, `I’m very, very disappointed.'" Also said she was consulted on this, as was rest of Bears board
— Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) January 10, 2022
Virginia McCaskey in 2015: "She's pissed off."
2022: "I am very disappointed."Progress?
— Bret Buganski (@Bret_Buganski) January 10, 2022
Perhaps driving home that McCaskey doesn’t even realize how out of touch he sounds and how overmatched he seems, the chairman reiterated that he is “just a fan, I’m not a football evaluator.” That would be all well and good but how can you be the person who decides who the general manager is and also claim to not know anything about football?
Before ending his press conference, McCaskey took time to throw shade at longtime Bears star and current radio host Olin Kreutz over his claim that the team offered him a $15-an-hour assistant job, essentially calling the former player a liar.
I also believe that George McCaskey's answer to the question on Olin Kreutz's story on being offered $15 an hour to coach the O-Line was very bad. That's a very respected member of the team's alumni and it came off poorly. https://t.co/es07PmqxBB
— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) January 10, 2022
Kreutz himself responded to McCaskey’s words, saying it was a “crazy response.”
If Bears fans were hoping to come away from the press conference with any hope or clarity about the future of the Chicago Bears, that clearly did not happen. And while they might still make a splashy hire at the head coach position that gets people excited, it doesn’t appear that many fans are holding their breath.
The McCaskeys are a great example of why Logan Roy is terrified of giving the company to one of his kids
— Jay Rigdon (@jayrigdon5) January 10, 2022
I’ve quickly been reminded why George McCaskey only speaks once a year… #Bears
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) January 10, 2022
Well, good luck with all that, Bears fans…