Phillips has long had the trust of the McCaskeys and they will not fire him just to please the fan baseGETTY IMAGES
There has been an "increasing tide of questions" about the future of Bears President & CEO Ted Phillips due to the "lack of postseason success" during his more than two decades in the role, according to Brad Biggs of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Phillips has to be "accountable to some degree for the performance on the field," even though he allows GM Ryan Pace to oversee football operations. Phillips "has a hand in selecting the general manager, though that move isn't made without approval from ownership." Firing Phillips -- or "giving him a new title that makes it clear football operations are not under his umbrella -- isn't a clear fix for the Bears' biggest problem." Biggs: "I would imagine the McCaskeys want to evaluate everything if this season continues to trend poorly." Only ownership can "answer how much involvement Phillips had in football operations in that time, and it goes without saying he has long had the trust of the McCaskey family." They are "not going to fire him just because it might please their fan base" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/2).
MONEY TALKS: THE ATHLETIC's Adam Jahns writes Bears Chair George McCaskey "doesn’t need to be reminded, but the longest championship drought of the four major sports in Chicago now belongs to him." It is "beyond time for him and his family to think bolder and bigger." From a business perspective, the McCaskey family "obviously likes what it has in Phillips." There is "no reason why he can’t remain in that role as the steward of business operations" (THEATHLETIC.com, 12/3). In Chicago, Rick Morrissey writes the public outcry is for the McCaskeys "to sell the team," but demanding that they sell the team is a "very passive exercise and, in the end, not at all satisfying." There is "no hint that the family wants out of the football business." The active way for fans to show their displeasure is to "give up their season tickets for next season and beyond." Morrissey: "That might not get the McCaskeys to sell, but you'll feel better for taking a stand." The Bears and other teams "have felt the financial pain that has come with those restrictions." The Bears "surely don't want another season of ticket-sale losses" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 12/3).
