Earlier this morning, the firings from Black Monday continued into Tuesday with the Bears relieving General Manager Jerry Angelo of his duties as reported by Chris Mortensen and others. Angelo had been one of the longest serving front office men in football as GM of the Bears for ten years. In that time, Chicago made four playoff appearances and had five winning seasons. This year, the Bears started 7-3 with a high flying offense featuring Jay Cutler and Matt Forte. However, the season derailed when they were lost for the season and the Bears finished 8-8 largely due to the inept play of backup QB Caleb Hanie.
But while those numbers may be encouraging, most Bears fans would argue they exist in spite of Jerry Angelo instead of because of him. In fact, it could be reasoned that Angelo was one of the most unpopular GMs in the NFL due to his management of the team and his bizarre press conference quotes and antics. Take a look at the reaction on Twitter to his firing:
lambethfield HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!! RT @mortreport: #Bears GM Jerry Angelo has been relieved of his duties, per league source.
LamontNxtLvlFit Yes the day has finally come Jerry Angelo has been fired!
Chazamm #firstdayback And Im still receiving Christmas Miracles!! No more Jerry Angelo. Thank you baby Jesus!
Dannypl1 Jerry Angelo has been relieved of his duties according to sources. Finally! #BEARDOWN
stevehoffman_83 JerryAngelo fired?! But who’s going to make draft picks based solely on YouTube videos of the player jumping out of a pool? #Bears
Alubicz Jerry Angelo FIRED! I haven’t been this happy since the #bears made the playoffs last year #BearDown
It’s not just that Jerry Angelo has a terrible record in the NFL Draft with the Chicago Bears, it’s that it might be the worst extended record by any general manager in the league. Chicago Bears Huddle has compiled an excellent look at Jerry Angelo’s history in the draft, which alone would be a fireable offense. Just a little more than 1/4 of Angelo’s draft picks are on the roster. The most impactful player of his 7 first round picks was Tommie Harris, who only really played like a first rounder for a couple of seasons. Names like Marc Colombo, Rex Grossman, Greg Olsen, and Cedric Benson have turned into serviceable NFL players, but certainly don’t look worhty of first-round picks in hindsight.
But, it’s in the later rounds in the draft where Angelo left the Bears with one of the thinnest rosters in the league. It’s after the 1st round where teams like the Steelers, Packers, Ravens, Saints, etc. have set their teams up for continued success. Most of Angelo’s draft picks aren’t even in the league at the moment! Dan Bazuin (2nd round), Mike Okwo (3rd round), Garrett Wolfe (3rd round), Kevin Payne (5th round), Marcus Harrison (3rd round), Jaron Gilbert (3rd round), Juaquin Iglesias (3rd round), Dusty Dvoracek (3rd round), Mark Bradley (2nd round), Tank Johnson (2nd round), and Roosevelt Williams (3rd round) were all busts.
Compare the disastrous Bears history in the draft to what the New Orleans Saints have done in the draft and free agency on the offensive side of the football and you’ll see the difference between a franchise that yo-yos from being in and out of the playoffs (Chicago) to a franchise that has established themselves as one of the best in football…
| Saints | Bears |
| QB – Drew Brees (free agent) | QB – Jay Cutler (trade) |
| RB – Pierre Thomas (undrafted free agent) | RB – Matt Forte (2nd round pick) |
| RB – Chris Ivory (undrafted free agent) | RB – Marion Barber (free agent) |
| RB/WR/KR – Darren Sproles (free agent) | RB – Kahlil Bell (undrafted free agent) |
| WR – Lance Moore (undrafted free agent) | WR – Devin Hester (2nd round pick) |
| WR – Robert Meachem (1st round pick) | WR – Roy Williams (free agent) |
| WR – Marques Colston (7th round pick) | WR – Johnny Knox (5th round pick) |
| WR – Devery Henderson (2nd round pick) | WR – Earl Bennett (3rd round pick) |
| TE – Jimmy Graham (3rd round pick) | TE – Kellen Davis (5th round pick) |
| LT – Jermon Bushrod (4th round pick) | LT – J’Marcus Webb (7th round pick) |
| LG – Carl Nicks (5th round pick) | LG – Edwin Williams (undrafted free agent) |
| C – Brian De La Puente (undrafted free agent) | C – Roberto Garza (free agent) |
| RG – Jahri Evans (4th round pick) | RG – Chris Spencer (free agent) |
| RT – Zach Strief (7th round pick) |
RT – Lance Louis (7th round pick) |
It’s painfully clear the Saints have the edge at almost every single position, except for Matt Forte in the backfield. However, the depth of the Saints offense has always been one of their biggest strengths. The Saints have also built arguably the best offense in league history (at least from a statistical perspective) with equal or worse draft picks than the Bears. The Saints have signed impact players like Drew Brees and Darren Sproles. The Bears went for cheaper retreads like Williams and Barber. At LG for the Bears, you can make the argument that UFA Edwin Williams has outperformed another Angelo bust, first rounder Chris Williams. Another first round pick on the line, rookie Gabe Carimi, had a brief cup of coffee before going on injured reserve. Compare that to New Orleans where late round picks Bushrod, Nicks, and Evans are all Pro Bowlers this year.
Angelo handcuffed his best, most aggressive move – trading for Jay Cutler – by refusing to add any talent around him and failing with draft pick after draft pick. If Jay Cutler had even half the offensive arsenal of Drew Brees, Chicago would be mentioned in the same breath with New Orleans, Green Bay, and Detroit. Setting the Bears offense against the best in the league and seeing the lack of production from Angelo’s moves, especially in finding quality receivers and linemen, is the biggest indictment of his era as Bears GM.
Yes, Angelo did strike gold with picks like Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Matt Forte, and Devin Hester… but those successes in the draft have been few and far between. And, aside from signing Julius Peppers in free agency, the Bears also haven’t made the moves necessary to truly join the elite teams in the NFL. Roy Williams and Marion Barber were low impact signings, unless you count Barber’s mistakes breaking the Bears’ back in Denver this season.
Look at how the Bears performed after the Super Bowl season in 2006 and the NFC Championship season in 2010. After the Super Bowl appearance they got rid of key players like Chris Harris and Thomas Jones and lost Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera. After the NFC Championship, they completely ignored the gaping holes on their roster, traded one of their most effective offensive weapons (Greg Olsen), and their biggest free agent signing was a punter.
The Bears have been blinded by their own marginal success and a conviction to stick to their guns, which are more like peashooters. They haven’t had a moderately successful starter at WR since Marty Booker! Marty Booker! None of their receivers on the current roster would see the field for the Packers or Saints.
The most frustrating aspect for Bears fans has been that the team seems perpetually on the precipice of joining those elite franchises. With the type of defense the Bears have had the last decade, they should have many more playoff and Super Bowl appearances than they do under Lovie Smith. Finally, Jerry Angelo has been held accountable for his arrogance and flat refusal to admit his mistakes and improve the team. Had Angelo improved certain areas of the team and not been so stubborn, he likely would still have a job today. The question remains whether or not the team finds the right GM to build through the draft successfully and work with Lovie Smith to rejuvenate the Monsters of the Midway.
