When interviewing head coaches, the Chicago Bears are casting a wider net than any other team this cycle. They have reached 19 candidates now that they’re planning to meet with, and that number could grow even further as more become available as teams drop out of the playoffs. Concerns have been raised about the pool getting too big, making it difficult for GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren to be properly thorough. That is especially true if they don’t have any sense of structure with their interviews.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune shed some light on this in a recent article. Based on what he’s hearing, Poles wasn’t lying about who was involved in the meetings. Each of the names mentioned, including himself, has been part of each one. However, there are some important details worth noting. It appears every candidate is getting personal time with each of the Bears’ top decision-makers.
The virtual interview process to this point has been as Poles and President/CEO Kevin Warren described. One source said a candidate’s virtual interview was spent mostly with the group the team detailed — Poles, Warren, chairman George McCaskey, senior director of player personnel Jeff King, special advisor Ted Crews and HR head Liz Geist. There was individual time for just the candidate and Poles, and the candidate had a window where he met with only Warren and McCaskey.
The Chicago Bears are showing they understand public perception.
One of the biggest concerns many had was a lack of understanding of the power structure inside the building. Who’s really in charge? There is also the question of Poles’ contract and how involved ownership will be. The Chicago Bears are giving candidates a chance to ask each of the top men in the organization difficult questions privately. This way, they don’t have to feel like they’re outnumbered when asking tough questions to such a large group of people. It is a smart decision.
Coaches can believe their voices will be heard and can speak to Poles, Warren, or McCaskey at any time. This will be a group effort. It is refreshing to hear this. While nothing is guaranteed about the Chicago Bears’ decision, it at least appears as if they have a firm grasp on what message they must convey to these coaches. It should help assuage some fears about it being every man for himself inside Halas Hall.
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Well sally I’m sure the Bears need and could use one but unfortunately George Mc Crapskey and Warren aren’t smart enough to realize it. So you won’t be getting an interview. So sad too bad. As I’m sure you think you’re perfect for the job. But between your ego and Warren’s ego, Halas Hall would sink into lake Michigan taking Lake forest with it.
Does anyone on this site have a master’s degree in industrial psychology? If so, weigh in here.
@Tcloud — There’s still plenty of room out here on this ledge. I know because, I’ve been out here for a couple of years — trying to warn y’all. But people seem to come and go with the various “band-aid” solutions the Chicago Bears “geniuses” apply. Consider these facts: The “organizational alignment” that the DC Commanders applied to individuals the Bears actually interviewed illustrates the fact that Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury (with Jayden Daniels) plus GM Adam Peters — rather than Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, Shane Waldron (and even Caleb Williams) would have made things really interesting in Chicago,… Read more »
@Veece and others. Poles has 20 candidates because he wants to give the public perception of doing something besides sitting on his hands waiting for the Lions to finish their playoff run before making Johnson (or whomever) an offer. If the Lions were expected to lose last Sunday (not possible since they didn’t play) the list would have been shorter. @Tcloud – well, if the GB team is so superior, how did the Bears beat them? JJ would start on 32 of 32 NFL teams, he’s a true shutdown corner, and no other team has two of those. Gordon would… Read more »
@me and Mr. Jones: the ignorance here is undeniable. And if they were not ignorant, then they would be just plain stupid.