DABEARSDABOMB

Garza came in and played good. There was no reason to move him. Cutler was happy and that was that.

If he was healthy, I'd make the trade. I love Briggs but Osi opposite Peppers would be a pretty impressive set of ends. And I think you can find decent lb'ers relatively easy. I said decent and it should be noted that I think Briggs is one of the best in the league.

From National Football Post; read the (laudatory) article here. Who is Phil Emery? An inside look at the new Bears GM. Greg Gabriel Just like a few weeks ago when the Indianapolis Colts named Ryan Grigson as their new general manager, the Chicago Bears have named a person who may not be well known as far as the media goes, but in the scouting world he carries a big name. Phil Emery is an excellent choice to lead the Bears. He has been a scout and a Scouting Director in the NFL since 1998. He started with the Bears in 1998 and worked there until after the 2004 Draft when he was hired by Atlanta to be the Director of College Scouting under general manager Rich McKay. He then went to Kansas City as the College Scouting Director under Scott Pioli. In his years in the league he has been able to learn the philosophies of Mark Hatley, Rich McKay, Jerry Angelo and of course Pioli, who formed his philosophy working in New England with Bill Belichick. That afforded him the opportunity to learn from some fairly good football people. Before becoming a scout, Emery was a strength coach at the Naval Academy for seven years and before that he was the strength coach at Tennessee. While a strength coach, Emery was known as a coach who was very scientific and innovative in his approach and the results were awesome. At Navy you don’t get 4 and 5 star recruits to work with, you get special people who are there preparing to serve their country and not make millions as a pro. Emery was able to help develop these kids into players who would compete from beginning to end. With scouting his approach was much the same way. When I came to Chicago in 2001 I was lucky enough to have Phil work with me as one of my area scouts. Phil’s area of responsibility was the southeast, easily the most productive area in the country. In the three years Phil worked with me we drafted nine players from his area, many if which had very good careers with the Bears. The players included defensive end Alex Brown, quarterback Rex Grossman, guard Terrance Metcalf, defensive tackle Ian Scott and running back/special teams player Adrian Peterson. While none of these players attained Pro Bowl status they all played an integral part in our success. Not only did he provide excellent information on players we drafted, but he also helped us make difficult decisions on players we didn’t draft. One thing I learned quickly about him was that he was a tireless worker. He left no stone unturned. He quickly grasped our system and gave us pertinent information and more. He knows how to find talent. There are many scouts who can grade tape and tell you if a prospect can play, but few do the in-depth work needed to find out about the intangibles and football character. I have written about football character before and it’s not the same as personal character. A prospect could be the greatest kid in the world but if he doesn’t possess great football character he will bust. Emery was and is excellent at differentiating between the two and finding players who will excel. I found Phil to be the leader of our scouts and he was highly respected by all his associates. He had two different nicknames that I know of, one was he was referred to by the other Bears scouts as “Doc.” This name came about because of the attention to detail that Phil paid to every assignment given. His other nickname was “Satan.” This nickname was given to him by some midshipmen who found Phil waiting for them at 5:30 a.m. for workouts during a snow storm. As the story goes, the Annapolis area was hit by a severe late winter storm. It was so severe that the Academy basically shut down and classes were canceled, something that rarely happens at the Naval Academy. Storm or not Phil felt an obligation to be at the training facility at the prescribed time. Emery lived close to 40 miles from the Academy so he left plenty early to be there on time. The midshipmen, thinking that there was no way Emery would be there, sent a couple of “scouts” to see if in fact the weight room was open. What they found was Emery sitting in his car having a cup of coffee waiting for his players. When they saw Phil waiting, they quickly informed the others that “Satan” was indeed there, the storm didn’t stop him! That’s being a leader. You don’t let obstacles hold you back. Having worked with Phil for the better part of three years, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. When I saw the list of candidates the Bears were going to interview for the position, I knew he was by far the best choice. That’s not to say the other candidates weren’t well qualified -- they were -- it’s just that Emery is the right man at the right time to take the Bears to a championship. I have been in the scouting business for 30 years now and I know few who have the work ethic, character and talent of Phil Emery. In short, he “gets it.” Bears CEO Ted Phillips did an excellent job in the search process. He found a group of well-qualified individuals and then picked the best man. I have heard and read some snide remarks in the Chicago media since the hiring of Emery and frankly they are baseless, unfounded and uneducated remarks. Many in the media wanted the Bears to hire the “big” name similar to the Chicago Cubs hiring Theo Epstein as GM. One thing I know holds true in football: the biggest name isn’t always the best name. Phil Emery has spent a lifetime preparing for this situation and he will succeed.

I must have been listening to something different, but he sounded like a man with a plan. But I don't put much weight on press conferences either way. But he sounded to me like a guy who has led, knows how to led, and already has a plan and structure in place.

Agree with the above.

I was a little surprised this happened. I figured Emery would have been the one guy who would have kept Ruskell, given there past history together, but usually in instances where someone doesn't get a job they interview for, they tend to leave the organization (in professional sports). I'm curious to see who Phil brings in.

I really think this is a good hire. Emery is very good at identifying talent. It will be interesting to see how he does from a pro personell perspective and how he ultimately manages the roster but as a pure talent evaluator, he's proven himself to have a strong eye for talent.

This is what I expected and he would be a very good hire, imo.

No scout has been right all the time? Get over it people. Its about a track record. Every GM has had busts and you guys all harp on the various busts and fail to talk about the hits.

I had completely forgotten Colston. He's clearly better than Johnson. But Wayne and all others are different.

I agree with you. There is no way he isn't a top 5 wideout in this market. If it weren't for the fact he's stuck in Buffalo, he'd be getting more love. Bowe and Jackson are both better and I suppose you could say Desean Jackson is as well, but outside of that, I can't see anyone else on the level of a Johnson.

Agreed; Sorry by requoting you there, it probably looked like I was disagreeing with you. I was more or less agreeing with you while disagreeing with the others comments.

Emery's resume from a talent finding perspective is pretty impressive.

Sorry guys. Tice is being real. If a great LT prospect would be there in the draft or FA, maybe the Bears would go that route. But the fact of the matter is that option doesn't exist and as a result, we will likely see another year of Webb. But I bet you see the Bears continue to work with him and add new wrinkles to the protection scheme to put him in the best position to be solid.

Someone is guilty by association? That argument is pretty pathetic. Ruskell can't and shouldn't be judged because someone you don't like brought him in. As far as I'm concerned, Angelo had this team in a superbowl and an NFC Championship game and put together and maintained a well above average defense for years. People spout about how shitty he was but that is pure crap. Was he the best, no? But there is a reason he kept his job as long as he did and no, I don't buy that the Bears are the worst run organization in the league or anything even close to that. Look at all of the teams that have consistently sucked. The Bears were nothing but competitive during Angelo's run. Some seasons better than others, but they were perennial playoff contenders and at times, were legit superbowl contenders. That is pretty freaking decent.

I'd take him over trading for Marshall, mainly because I think he's pretty good and would be considered a significant upgrade.

I still think the Bears will hire Clyde Christensen as the passing game coordinator. He is still under contract with the Colts (currently the OC) but my guess is he will be fired now that they've hired their head coach.

I'm an Iowa fan and I really like Marvin. He is a hard worker and a smart wide-out. He's physically strong and seems to be a good route runner. To me, he's the type of guy that I think a lot of people sleep on because he doesn't stand out from a physical standpoint, but all of his measureables are solid. Combine that with good route running and hands and I think you are talking about a guy you might be able to grab in the 2nd round that would make a nice impact.

I'm pretty sure Ruskell will still be here and will have say. I assume if the new GM didn't want him, he could get rid of him, but I'm under the assumption Emery is the guy and he's worked with Ruskell. I don't quite get why Ruskell or even Angelo are the devil. Both have pretty damn successful overall resumes in there career and had rather accomplishing careers. I realize the Bears fired Angelo but he had a pretty good track record here and his track record in Tampa was excellent.

He looks like he has a bright future. I was impressed with his overall athletism and he seemed to get better, which is to be expected, given his overall inexperience at the position.

All I know is when I hear Tice speak, I like what I hear. I really really really like what I hear.

It sounds like there is a chance we find out over the weekend. The only thing that might take more time is whether it is Licht, if the Bears will hold off officially announcing it until after the superbowl (since the Pats are still in it). Emery is a guy I can really get behind and I feel comfortable with him. I guess I can get behind Licht as well and his overall track record is impressive (he's worked in some of the best scouting/front offices in the league).

I think they are taking there time and making sure they get the GM in place. Either way, the assistant head coach title and more pay, is something pretty tough to beat. So I really am not at all surprised the Bears weren't able to hire him.

Jerome Simpson would be a nice pickup. I'm not proposing the Bears only add him, they must get one of the big names above, but I'm of the belief they should sign 2 wideouts.

The one candidate I'm not very interested in. The dude hasn't even had a seat in the Patriots warroom during the draft. (not that that is a bad thing because the Pats have struggled mightily in the draft the past few years; outside of there 2 TE's).