LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Even for a historically conservative NFL franchise, the 2014 edition of the Chicago Bears proved too dysfunctional for the McCaskey family to handle.
On Monday, team chairman George McCaskey made the decision to fire both general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman, a shocking turn of events for a franchise that embraces continuity and stability.
The call to launch Trestman after just two seasons was a relatively easy one to make. Trestman lost the locker room months ago, with respected players openly challenging the head coach's motives, privately and publicly, for keeping offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer on staff while benching embattled quarterback Jay Cutler in Week 16.
Kromer notoriously served as the anonymous source in an NFL Media report that was highly critical of Cutler, who clearly regressed in his second year under Trestman. Even after Kromer outed himself to the team, Trestman refused to fire the assistant coach, angering a large portion of the locker room. Trestman’s decision to bench Cutler a couple of weeks later, viewed as justified by many from a pure performance standpoint, further alienated the coach from his players because it was perceived as uneven discipline.
Trestman arrived in Chicago with the label of “offensive guru.” However, the offense tanked in 2014, due in large part to Trestman’s predictable play calling.
In three years on the job, Emery hit on multiple draft picks, including right guard Kyle Long, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and cornerback Kyle Fuller. There were also notable misses for Emery, such as Shea McClellin and Brandon Hardin.
But two moves involving Trestman and Cutler ultimately sealed Emery’s fate.
Emery inexplicably hired Trestman over Bruce Arians, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year at the time of the interviews, a move that baffled many in league circles. Arians’ success in Arizona, coupled with Trestman’s failures in Chicago (13-19 overall), cast a negative light on Emery’s ability to evaluate head coaches.
How could the Bears allow Emery to pick the next coach after passing up Arians for Trestman?
Emery is also the man responsible for awarding Cutler a lucrative seven-year extension back in January.
With new money in hand, Cutler turned the ball over 24 times in 15 games and failed to guide the Bears to the postseason for the fifth time in six years in Chicago.
Cutler is simply not viewed as a franchise quarterback by many, but Emery gave Cutler all the perks reserved for the game’s greats.
The organization must now find a way to either salvage Cutler, considered by some to be a lost cause, or cut ties via a trade.
While some positives were realized under their watch, the overall results under Trestman and Emery the last two years can best be classified as disastrous. Changes were going to happen.
Now we know how serious the McCaskey family is about restoring some pride to the NFL’s charter franchise.
