Adam Jahnhs Interviews Ted Phillips 3/24/2019

[soulman]

Risks with rewards: Why Ted Phillips sees a ‘special’ future for the Bears

 

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By Adam L. Jahns

@adamjahns | email

 

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/bears-matt-nagy-ryan-pace-ted-phillips-organization/

Before the Bears concluded the preseason last year against the Bills, coach Matt Nagy, general manager Ryan Pace and president/CEO Ted Phillips gathered in Nagy’s office at Soldier Field.

Earlier that day, conversations with the Raiders had intensified. The tone had changed. The unbelievable had become possible. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack was available.

Pace and Nagy had talked about the possibility of acquiring Mack during training camp. The superstar also remained a topic of conversation throughout the Bears’ elongated preseason.

And now — with the Bears’ regular-season opener in Green Bay only 10 days away — Mack was available via trade.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace is greeted by team president Ted Phillips in 2015. | Michael Schmidt/Sun-Times

 

“I remember [Pace] saying, ‘Geez, I’m hearing that they might move him,’ ” Phillips said. “And I never really gave it much of a second thought. I thought, ‘Why would they do that?’

“So now fast forward, he would bring it up periodically. But [it was] never like, ‘Oh, my God, if they do, we’re going to make a move.’ It was not really like that.”

Until it was — on the final day of the 2018 preseason. 

But Pace was prepared. Of course, he was, Phillips thought. It’s one of the attributes that Phillips has come to appreciate about him.

As Pace explained the positives — from Mack’s age to him playing a “need” position to his lack of baggage — Phillips said that trading for him started to make too much sense.

“I don’t need to have four committee meetings and let’s discuss it all,” Phillips said. “That’s why you have to have the right people in place.

“You have to be decisive. It wasn’t a long, drawn-out, lengthy discussion. Once I understood it all — because [Pace] never leaves a stone unturned, he’s very thorough — and when I hear it all, it’s, ‘Go get him.’ ”

And Pace did.

Mack is one of the many reasons why the Bears arrived in Phoenix for the NFL’s annual owners meetings this week in a good place. This season will be Phillips’ 37th with the organization, and it already feels different.

“I’ve never had more passion and been more fired up about the outlook of this team ever,” Phillips said in a wide-ranging interview with the Sun-Times. “It’s special.”

* * *

It was during negotiations with Nagy’s agent, former Bears defensive end Trace Armstrong, that Phillips realized his general manager was about to be in an unsure position.

“Once it became Matt, it became apparent that they wanted a five-year deal,” Phillips said. “Ryan only had through four.”

So Phillips turned to Pace.

“Do you need another year?” Phillips said. “Are you OK with his?”

Phillips needed his general manager to feel good about “all the aspects of hiring that head coach.” Pace did. Nagy always was his guy.

“No, this is fine,” Phillips recalled Pace saying at the time. “We’ll let it play out and see how it goes.”

On Sunday, Pace was named the Sporting News’ NFL Executive of the Year. The honor was voted on by his peers. In February, Nagy was named the NFL Coach of the Year.

In other words, everything played out just fine.

Pace never approached Phillips about a possible extension. That started with Phillips, who talked to chairman George McCaskey as the 2017 season neared its conclusion.

If coach John Fox was on the chopping block, what did that mean for Pace?

“I said, ‘We need to talk about Ryan before we go get a head coach because he only has two years left [on his contract],’ ” Phillips said. “Either he’s our guy or we need to make another change there, too.”

They discussed Pace’s signings in free agency.

“I would say it was 50-50 at best,” Phillips said.

And they discussed Pace’s draft picks.

“There was at least a sense in the ’16 and ’17 picks that, ‘OK, we may have hit something special here,’ ” Phillips said. “But we don’t know yet.”

But what Phillips did know is that he still felt strongly about the person they hired. Their conversation quickly turned into praise for Pace.

Together, Phillips and McCaskey highlighted Pace’s positives, such as his straightforwardness and thoroughness, and their strong belief in him when he drafted quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

“I can go on and on,” Phillips said.

Phillips called extending Pace’s contract by three years a “pretty easy decision.” It was a quick negotiation, too. No agents were needed.

Pace’s new deal still was criticized when it was announced. Fox’s 14-34 record still belonged to him. But Pace now was empowered to run his own coaching search — the one that resulted in Nagy.

More than a year later, Pace’s extension should be remembered as the starting point for the Bears’ turnaround. Without it, Nagy isn’t hired, Mack isn’t acquired and the Bears don’t win the NFC North.

“Whether it’s drafting a quarterback, signing a coach, signing a GM, extending a player, extending a coach or GM, there is always a risk,” Phillips said. “[But] I’m a big believer in this: When you find the right people, your risk is drastically reduced.

“Especially with the GM, you need someone you can trust, who can build relationships in the building, and [Pace] does that so well.”

* * *

When Pace presented his first-round “cloud” for the 2017 draft to Phillips and McCaskey, it included a quarterback from North Carolina who started one season. 

Pace went over Trubisky’s positives and negatives. He did the same for others, too. 

But Trubisky stood out because of his position. The Bears’ draft started with the third overall pick.

“Obviously, the quarterback position has been an Achilles’ heel for us literally for most of the decade of Bears history,” Phillips said. “So clearly, it’s a position that we need to address.”

If Pace wanted Trubisky, Phillips was “all in.” So was McCaskey. Even if it meant moving up.

“If you’re strong in your convictions at that position, you got to go for it,” Phillips said. “I never had a problem with [Pace] trading up, especially with the rumors of what might be going on up ahead of us.”

Pace wanted his quarterback and got him. All that mattered was that the Jets, Browns and Bills didn’t. There would be no regrets for Pace. Phillips loved that.

Under Pace, the Bears have a detailed five-part grading system. When Phillips looked at the Bears’ draft board, he saw what Trubisky represented.

“Very few players on our draft board check all those boxes, where [Pace] can put that little Bears hat up that says he’s a perfect fit,” Phillips said.

Trubisky had that “hat.” He was hope and change personified in one pick.

“I’ve been in that draft room, when you pick a player and you had hoped — not that you weren’t happy — but where it hasn’t been quite the celebratory feeling,” Phillips said. “But after that selection, the place erupted. Every scout. Every executive in there. Ownership. We were all so excited. It was as exhilarating of a moment on draft day as I remembered for many years.”

* * *

Mack didn’t disappoint in his Bears debut at Lambeau Field. He followed his sack, strip and fumble recovery with a 27-yard pick-six. He was an absolute terror.

“I get goosebumps thinking about that start,” Phillips said.

The Bears still lost to the Packers that night. But they made a statement on national television. The Bears were back, though Phillips already had believed it.

The trade for Mack — which required what Phillips called “scary” compensation, including two first-round picks — took it to another level.

“It’s easy to say now when we had the good year,” Phillips said. “But it’s all about what you think is going to happen. We felt that we were going to be a much better team. How much? I don’t know. [But] that’s going to make the first-rounders be less valuable.

“And then the whole key to that trade was we decided we are not giving up getting that second-round pick back [in 2020]. That was critical.”

The Bears also had to be prepared to make Mack the NFL’s highest-paid defender after Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s blockbuster deal. 

In two days, the Bears worked out a trade and a massive contract for Mack. All of it was another risk worth taking.

“Given that kind of player, we thought that the time was right,” Phillips said. “We got our franchise quarterback. We got our head coach. We got a long-term commitment to Matt and Ryan.”

And now the Bears had their top-tier pass rusher.

Adam L. Jahns

Follow me on Twitter @adamjahns

Email: ajahns@suntimes.com

[soulman]

Count me as one who the less I hear from or about Ted Phillips as it relates to football the better I feel.

But Adam Jahns is a writer I respect as one of the best on the Bears beat and I believe he did a nice job of eliciting some things from ol' Teddy Bears we're all somewhat curious about such as;

* How did Phillips and McCaskey feel about extending Pace after the Fox years and how did it happen.

* How did they feel about the trade for and the drafting of Trubisky.

* How do Pace, his staff, and the coaching staff grade draft picks.

* How did the trade for Kahlil Mack develop and how did Phillips and McCaskey respond.

Hope you all enjoy the interview.  I thought it was a worthwhile read.

[malagabears]

Nice writeup by Jahns. It really does confirm what we all felt. Teddy has pretty much bowed out of the spotlight and has handed the reigns completely to Pace. He had a great off season last year but still has work to do this year with FA and the draft. Let's hope we get another 2 decent pickups in FA and we have a nice draft.

[beardown3231]

It's funny how when the Bears were struggling, it was "KEEP PHILLIPS AWAY FROM THE FOOTBALL OPERATIONS" to now assuming he doesn't have a hand in things because the organization is on the rise. If we're going to trash him for Emery, Trestman, Fox, etc let's praise him for the way the organization is headed now.

Regardless, this was a great article. Jahns is the best guy on the Bears beat and it isn't close.

[soulman]

3 hours ago, beardown3231 said:

It's funny how when the Bears were struggling, it was "KEEP PHILLIPS AWAY FROM THE FOOTBALL OPERATIONS" to now assuming he doesn't have a hand in things because the organization is on the rise. If we're going to trash him for Emery, Trestman, Fox, etc let's praise him for the way the organization is headed now.

Regardless, this was a great article. Jahns is the best guy on the Bears beat and it isn't close.

So......do we praise him for finally staying the hell out of the way and not mucking things up any longer?  LOL

Ted is still gonna be involved at least in principal because he's CEO but my feeling is this is mostly Pace and GMcC running the show.  Case in point.  In an earlier interview with GMcC about the Mack deal it was him who told Phillips "Go get him" after having all of the costs both in $$$ and picks laid out for him.  Here Jahns extends that command to Phillips as well.

GMcC has stated his trust in Pace before and also made it clear Pace reports primarily to him.  Phillips has been with the team since Moses parted the Red Sea and is also trusted in money matters so of course he won't be ignored but I believe his role now is as much CFO as it is CEO.  Pace is running team ops now but he won't ignore Phillips either because that's not how to create organization wide happiness and synergism.

Nothing in has past will ever convince me that Ted Phillips is an astute football guy.  Without Ryan Pace we'd still be floundering in the NFCN cellar.  JMHO

[malagabears]

Didn't want to open another thread since this is absolutely related. Old Virginia even gave an interview about the past & future.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Rich_Campbell/status/1110169888016855045

Sorry Soul if I hijacked this thread somewhat.

[soulman]

39 minutes ago, malagabears said:

Didn't want to open another thread since this is absolutely related. Old Virginia even gave an interview about the past & future.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Rich_Campbell/status/1110169888016855045

Sorry Soul if I hijacked this thread somewhat.

Not at all brother.  Love to hear what Ginny has to say.  She deserves another Lombardi Trophy.  One that Mikey can't get his mitts on.

[beardown3231]

1 hour ago, soulman said:

So......do we praise him for finally staying the hell out of the way and not mucking things up any longer?  LOL

Ted is still gonna be involved at least in principal because he's CEO but my feeling is this is mostly Pace and GMcC running the show.  Case in point.  In an earlier interview with GMcC about the Mack deal it was him who told Phillips "Go get him" after having all of the costs both in $$$ and picks laid out for him.  Here Jahns extends that command to Phillips as well.

GMcC has stated his trust in Pace before and also made it clear Pace reports primarily to him.  Phillips has been with the team since Moses parted the Red Sea and is also trusted in money matters so of course he won't be ignored but I believe his role now is as much CFO as it is CEO.  Pace is running team ops now but he won't ignore Phillips either because that's not how to create organization wide happiness and synergism.

Nothing in has past will ever convince me that Ted Phillips is an astute football guy.  Without Ryan Pace we'd still be floundering in the NFCN cellar.  JMHO

Who said Phillips is staying out of it? I know he's trying to make it seem that way and I know he isn't "football astute," but then they talked about how it was HIM who extended Pace, HIM who gave the final approval for Mack, HIM who ok'd multiple draft trade-ups. Again, it's easy to trash the guy when they stink (which yes, they had more failure than success during his tenure) but let's give him due credit when they're winning.

[soulman]

1 hour ago, beardown3231 said:

Who said Phillips is staying out of it? I know he's trying to make it seem that way and I know he isn't "football astute," but then they talked about how it was HIM who extended Pace, HIM who gave the final approval for Mack, HIM who ok'd multiple draft trade-ups. Again, it's easy to trash the guy when they stink (which yes, they had more failure than success during his tenure) but let's give him due credit when they're winning.

I think you may be misinterpreting some of that.  A lot of that was done with GMcC's agreement and approval.  Teddy may sign some checks but it's McCaskey money he's drawing on when he does it.  And according to GMcC his was the final word on the Mack trade not only because of the picks but also because of the massive amount of guaranteed money.

As CEO he's never gonna be completely out of it but when Pace was given his extension GMcC made it clear that he and Pace would be the principals involved in major football decisions.  IMHO THAT is when things began to change for the better.  But as a rule the family, including GMcC, prefer to stay out of the spotlight so Phillips tends to be more available if only slightly.

Both have put their trust in Pace and it's paid off.  Since then Phillips has been more in the shadows but not wholly overlooked or ignored and I said that.  But no one will ever convince me that Ted Phillips has had all that much to do with the Bears most recent success when his track record of piss poor decisions is far more than a decade in length.  I'm not a fan.....can ya' tell. 

[soulman]

5 hours ago, malagabears said:

Didn't want to open another thread since this is absolutely related. Old Virginia even gave an interview about the past & future.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Rich_Campbell/status/1110169888016855045

Sorry Soul if I hijacked this thread somewhat.

Terrific interview.  She is truly an amazing person and still sharp as a tack.  She may live to be 120 and I honestly hope she does.

[soulman]

7 hours ago, beardown3231 said:

Who said Phillips is staying out of it? I know he's trying to make it seem that way and I know he isn't "football astute," but then they talked about how it was HIM who extended Pace, HIM who gave the final approval for Mack, HIM who ok'd multiple draft trade-ups. Again, it's easy to trash the guy when they stink (which yes, they had more failure than success during his tenure) but let's give him due credit when they're winning.

I'll add just one more thing.  My opinions of Phillips and Mikey McCaskey didn't just happen.  They were developed over many years of watching how poorly the team has been managed from the top down following GSH death and the firing on then GM Jerry Vainisi.  And my fandom reaches back long before that as well. 

Back to a time when GSH himself realized he was no longer the right person to make day to day personnel decisions and he hired the very best GM in the game to come in and help rebuild his team.  Finks left after GSH hired Ditka without consulting him and getting his agreement but Jerry Vainisi was also instrumental in building the '80s Bears.

Had Mugs survived GSH I'm certain we would not have experienced the painful decline we saw under Mike McCaskey and Ted Phillips is by in large his protege and along with Michael in command of the Bears finances throughout that era.  The best we can probably say about Ted is he gave us the modern renovated version of Soldier Field.

It's the third smallest venue in the NFL without any possibility of a major expansion so Chicago has the privilege of having two of the smallest outdoor sports facilities in the US for a population of roughly 9.5 million while Lambeau Field can seat 20,000 more fans with a county wide population of just 248,000.  This is Ted's greatest accomplishment.

So while I give all praise and credit to Ryan Pace for what he's been able to accomplish I give Phillips credit mostly for not interfering any longer.

[Superman(DH23)]

Ted is a bean counter who wishes he was a football guy.  No harm with that.  As long as you leave football decisions to football guys, take all the credit you want Ted.  I'm sure his role in the Mack decision was entirely about the financial compensation, and it's important to note.  The McCaskeys arent billionaire businessman who own a team as a hobby.  This IS their business.  This is the source of the family income.  They have to foot the bill at the end of the day.  No one should begrudge them wanting financial advice from an accomplished accountant.  I think that George has done the right thing in unofficially separating business ops from football ops.

[soulman]

On 3/25/2019 at 12:33 PM, malagabears said:

Didn't want to open another thread since this is absolutely related. Old Virginia even gave an interview about the past & future.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Rich_Campbell/status/1110169888016855045

Sorry Soul if I hijacked this thread somewhat.

Came across another NFL highlight.  https://247sports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/Article/Virginia-McCaskey-NFL-documentary-130531743/

The NFL is producing this documentary.

The league explained more about the documentary in a press release:

"A Lifetime of Sundays profiles four famously private women: Chicago Bears' McCaskey, Detroit Lions' Ford, Pittsburgh Steelers' Rooney, and Kansas City Chiefs' Hunt. They are the matriarchs of four American football families who, for the first time, share the history of the game from a very different perspective. What ties them together is not just their colorful memories, but their incredible passion and love of the game. The film takes viewers inside the personal and professional lives of these women, who have had front row seats as professional football has grown from very humble roots into a celebrated American institution and the country's most popular sport."

[soulman]

6 hours ago, Superman(DH23) said:

Ted is a bean counter who wishes he was a football guy.  No harm with that.  As long as you leave football decisions to football guys, take all the credit you want Ted.  I'm sure his role in the Mack decision was entirely about the financial compensation, and it's important to note.  The McCaskeys arent billionaire businessman who own a team as a hobby.  This IS their business.  This is the source of the family income.  They have to foot the bill at the end of the day.  No one should begrudge them wanting financial advice from an accomplished accountant.  I think that George has done the right thing in unofficially separating business ops from football ops.

Agreed on all.   My issues with Ted come from an era when he somehow "believed" he as a football guy.  History has proven him wrong.

One benefit we as fans do have is that Ginny and the McCaskeys don't live an elaborate or ostentatious life style.  Those who work for the team draw salaries for their roles and Ginny is financially secure and well provided for.  So the coffers aren't being drained and more cash is available for team ops.

The real intrinsic value to them is it's market value which as of Sept. 2018 is $2.9 bil.  Not a bad return on a $100 initial investment by GSH.

Here's the Forbes evaluation estimates along with team revenue sources and amounts.  With revenues of $431 mil and a net operating income of $100 mil in 2017 they're doing OK.  LOL

https://www.forbes.com/teams/chicago-bears/#761fc82f5979

[malagabears]

I see this a lot in major sports, whether it is good or bad. Most team owners or a good majority come from other business sectors and sometimes get too involved with the day to day ops until they finally realize they need to hire actual professionals with sports experience.