Phillips: ‘We expect to play football in 2011'

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Saturday, March 12, 2011
Posted: 12:02 p.m.Updated: 2:24 p.m.

By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com

Bears President Ted Phillips said on Friday that he believed an agreement will be worked out between NFL ownership and players. In the wake of the unions move to decertify and leagues step to impose a lockout, Phillips expressed disappointment but stressed that a focus is still being kept on the 2011 season.

Were disappointed in the need to take this lockout step, but it is necessary for the long- term health of our league, Phillips said in a statement. Ultimately we believe an agreement will be reached at the bargaining table. As an individual club, our team focus is on our preparation for the 2011 season and we want Bears fans to know we are going to continue to do everything we can within the League rules to prepare for a championship season.

Our immediate focus is on preparing for the draft. We also continue to evaluate our team and will be ready to take advantage of all avenues to improve our team once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.

Phillips said Friday that the Bears will not be laying off or furloughing staff, including coaches, and no pay cuts or scale-backs have been enacted or are expected.

Still, some aspects of this offseason may look different, but our commitment to winning remains the same, Phillips said. We need to build off the success we had in 2010. We are committed to our fan base and appreciate their patience throughout this process. We will do our best to create opportunities for Bears fans to ask questions and keep them informed of what is happening with their team and the labor discussions. We still plan to host fan events this offseason starting with our Ultimate Weekend which includes our Draft Party and Bears Expo at Soldier Field.

A deal will get done and we expect to play football in 2011. Our goal remains the same as we prepare to play, bringing a Super Bowl title back to Chicago.

John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider, and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.

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