Bears chairman George McCaskey, like GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy, spoke with reporters on Tuesday about the disappointing 2019 season and expressed frustration with the 8-8 record while maintaining confidence in the structure Chicago has in place to build a winning team.
"Every year we talk about the goal being to win the Super Bowl, and some years you feel you are better positioned to do that than others, and we certainly thought that was the case in 2019, so the 8-8 record was especially disappointing in that light," McCaskey said. "Bears fans should be relieved that I don’t get involved in the football decisions, that’s all Ryan and Matt. We’re confident in them making the right decisions for the Bears going forward."
Normally, votes of confidence would be viewed with pessimism. History tells us that when owners or chairmen express their confidence in a struggling coach or general manager, the pink slip isn't far behind.
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But that isn't the case with the Bears, especially considering how successful the Pace-Nagy duo was just one year ago. Remember: We're less than one year removed from Chicago hosting a playoff game.
"We’re confident in Ryan and Matt to do what is necessary to get us back on track," McCaskey said. "As Ryan mentioned, the core of this team won the division with a 12-4 record in 2018, and we took a step back in 2019, and we need to figure out why that happened. I don’t think it’s just one reason, we need to look at all of the reasons, and address all of the reasons, and get better.
"I’m not a patient person, that’s where it’s really helpful to have Ryan, he talks about not getting too high or too low, trying to keep an even keel, and that’s important for me to remember because I react like a fan, and that’s no way to run a football team."
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