When George McCaskey revealed Bill Polian would be part of the Chicago Bears’ five-person team to conduct the GM search last month, people rolled their eyes. They couldn’t understand why this outside consultant thing was necessary. McCaskey was the owner. Forget the committees and just go out there and hire somebody. Here’s the thing. To quote Dirty Harry, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” McCaskey has made it clear time and again that his actual football knowledge isn’t overly strong. He felt having Polian involved was crucial to finding the right guy. After hearing Ryan Poles talk about his interviews with the Bears, it is clear the team chairman deserves an apology.
During a talk with Adam Jahns of The Athletic, Poles revealed details of what happened when he met with Chicago. It became clear right away how different they were not because it was bad. Far from it. More because they had somebody that asked some of the most important questions a potential GM should be asked. Namely, about the types of players he’ll seek to acquire. All of those questions came from Polian.
The Bears’ process distinguished itself from Poles’ previous interviews. On Jan. 18, Poles met with the Vikings. A day after that, the Giants interviewed him a second time for their GM opening.
“I thought this one was a little different … with Bill Polian involved,” Poles said. “It was refreshing because it was a lot of football questions. Obviously, the makeup, what I’m about, philosophy, all of that stuff was covered by everybody.
“But I call it scout school. Like (Polian) went to scout school. What do you look for? What are the traits? What are the measurables? He went through all of that. I thought that was really refreshing.”
Think about that carefully.
What Ryan Poles said there reveals something crucial. In essence, if Polian isn’t involved in the process, there is a strong likelihood those questions aren’t being asked. Who else would be the ones to ask them? Not McCaskey. Not Ted Phillips. There would’ve been a strong possibility the Bears hired their next GM without learning a single thing about how he scouts talent. It would’ve been a glaring oversight.
So people can be critical of the Bears leaning on an outsider for help. Yes, Polian didn’t have a lot of skin in the game, and yes, he’s 79-years old. That doesn’t change the most crucial fact. He knows a lot about the game of football and what it takes to be a top GM. McCaskey, for all his shortcomings, understood that he would know the right questions to ask.
