Warren wants to ‘talk about winning a championship'

Share

On Tuesday, the Bears introduced newly hired president and CEO Kevin Warren to the organization and to the media. 

What are his objectives and goals as the new president?

He talked through a slew of boxes he wants to check off the presidential to-do list. Yet, he imported a bullet point already checked off with the Bears, before delving into his missions. 

"I think there are multiple objectives here, and that is to continually build on the culture that has been created here with (the) Halas family, the McCaskey family, Ted Phillips, Matt [Eberflus] and Ryan [Poles], all the history and tradition, just to make sure to build on that legacy," Warren said.

Matt Eberflus and his staff successfully implemented a hard-working, effort-driven culture this season. While not evident through their record, by the eye test, Bears players worked especially hard through each play. 

Through the H.I.T.S principle (Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways, Smart), the Bears were able to orchestrate a culture-driven team predicated upon effort and making the right play.

Now, Warren wants to take things up a notch.

"Make it okay to talk about winning a championship," Warren said. "So many times, people in organizations don't want to talk about winning a championship. I want to talk about it, but not only talk about it, but then put in the work to be able to do what we need to do to win a championship."

Warren, like the rest of the organization, has bought into the culture Eberflus and Poles have established since arriving last winter. And the president is rooting for optimism on the team's side, using the weakened NFC as evidence for a potential entry point in the playoffs. 

The wild card spots in the NFC came down to the wire. Multiple teams hovering around a .500 record had plausible opportunities to snag the final spots in the playoffs. In the end, the Seahawks (9-8) and the Giants (9-7-1) grabbed the bottom two, while the Buccaneers won their division with an 8-9 record. 

RELATED: Bears' new CEO Kevin Warren reveals thoughts on new stadium

For what it's worth, the Bears have made two playoff appearances in the last 12 seasons. The last Bears playoff win was in 2010. To that, Warren not only wants to build a successful team and organization, but one that has perennial success.

"I'm not interested in building something that lasts for a year (and) then goes away," Warren said. "I want to have sustainability from a long-term standpoint."

"There's a lot to do. It's exciting. It's a challenge. Many people, this may cause them to be fearful of this, but again, when you have these opportunities, especially here with the iconic nature of this franchise, it just fits it. It fit my personality, my DNA, and I'm looking forward to it."

Click here to follow the Under Center Podcast.

Contact Us