Column: George McCaskey’s news conference to explain the Chicago Bears’ firings of Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy was destined to become an instant classic

As show creation goes, George McCaskey’s one-man amusement Monday day volition beryllium hard to apical successful 2022.

Playing the relation of finger-wagging firm enforcement connected a 59-minute video league telephone with the media, McCaskey lambasted precocious schoolhouse students for their “Fire Matt Nagy” chants astatine Nagy’s son’s shot game, insinuated one-time All-Pro halfway Olin Kreutz was a liar, informed america his 99-year-old mother, Virginia, was “very, precise disappointed” successful the Bears’ play and wrapped things up with a halfhearted transportation of “Go Bearsss.”

Say what you volition astir the McCaskey household and its mismanagement of the Bears, but it has retained a staggering consciousness of self-confidence, astatine times bordering connected arrogance, contempt a glaring deficiency of occurrence nether its stewardship.

McCaskey’s quality league to explicate the firings of wide manager Ryan Pace and manager Matt Nagy was not televised, a shame successful a municipality similar Chicago that treasures its shot and theatre scene. But astatine slightest the Bears were benignant capable to watercourse it connected their Twitter app, possibly knowing it would go an instant classical with babe boomers and TikTokkers alike.

And McCaskey did not disappoint. He was mildly combative and condescending portion perpetually “Bears-plaining” to a skeptical assemblage of fans who anxiously awaited Black Monday for months. He ne'er changed facial expressions oregon raised his dependable successful choler oregon frustration, acting calm, chill and collected. If anyone creates a world amusement featuring “Real Executives of Lake Forest,” look for McCaskey to beryllium the star.

We’ve seen immoderate classical quality conferences successful Chicago. Ex-Cubs reliever LaTroy Hawkins erstwhile called 1 successful 2004 to denote helium was not talking to the media. George’s brother, erstwhile Bears Chairman Mike McCaskey, was successful complaint successful 1999 erstwhile the squad issued a press merchandise announcing Dave McGinnis was the adjacent caput manager — earlier McGinnis had agreed to it. “There was an announcement made evidently earlier we adjacent agreed to immoderate terms,” McGinnis said astatine an impromptu quality league astatine O’Hare. “And it went downhill from there.” McGinnis said helium was wounded by “a deficiency of integrity successful the process.”

Maybe George McCaskey’s quality league Monday to explicate the firings won’t lucifer that memorable debacle, but it should basal the trial of clip for his circuit de unit performance.

When you person lone 1 quality league per year, you person plentifulness of clip to rehearse your answers. The lone question that stumped McCaskey came erstwhile idiosyncratic asked if helium was saying Kreutz lied erstwhile the fashionable erstwhile Bears halfway claimed the squad erstwhile offered him $15 an hr to assistance connected violative enactment coaching duties.

“Uh, that’s the mode it is sometimes with Olin,” McCaskey replied aft a agelong pause. “You don’t get the full story, and Olin knows the stories.”

Kreutz was predictably upset and told the Tribune’s Brad Biggs arsenic much Monday afternoon.

“I person ever had a feeling possibly George doesn’t similar me, and I confirmed that today,” Kreutz said. “That’s fine. I don’t interest astir him not liking me.”

Kreutz astir apt was taking a deed for the remainder of erstwhile Bears players-turned-media members, of which determination are excessively galore to mention. They each got nether McCaskey’s tegument and merit astatine slightest partial recognition for the sackings of Pace and Nagy.

Their criticisms of however the Bears run person been large and wide for the past mates of years and surely influenced fans who tune successful to speech vigor oregon postgame TV shows. Former Bears Ed O’Bradovich and Doug Buffone acceptable the template connected their postgame shows connected WSCR-AM 670 backmost successful the day, showing however it’s done. Buffone died successful 2015, but O’Bradovich continues to eviscerate Bears absorption and the coaching gaffes play connected WGN-AM 720, on with his outspoken partner, Hall of Famer Dan Hampton.

Kreutz, Lance Briggs, Alex Brown, Tom Waddle and Patrick Mannelly are among the different erstwhile Bears players who often person chosen to wound the manus that erstwhile fed them.

Take a bow, ex-Bears. Fans listened, and successful the end, truthful did George McCaskey.

While galore were mocking McCaskey connected Twitter, helium deserves immoderate applause for his bold denials of reality. He inactive firmly believes successful President Ted Phillips contempt grounds of Phillips’s fingerprints connected each the coaching and absorption decisions that haven’t panned out.

But McCaskey yet realized immoderate self-respecting wide manager the Bears were to prosecute wouldn’t instrumentality the occupation if helium oregon she had to study straight to Phillips. So McCaskey wisely declared Phillips would beryllium engaged connected the particulars concerning the imaginable Arlington Heights stadium tract for the foreseeable aboriginal and confirmed the caller GM would study lone to him.

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts made a akin telephone successful 2011, making Crane Kenney his president of concern operations truthful Theo Epstein would travel successful from Boston and instrumentality implicit the shot operations section without immoderate interference.

Epstein reported lone to Ricketts. Now each McCaskey indispensable to bash is find the Theo Epstein of NFL GMs, idiosyncratic with a proven way grounds who tin shingle the franchise from its instauration and assistance crook the Bears into a winner.

It’s unusual that McCaskey near Phillips connected his GM hunt committee, but you person to judge it’s retired of sheer loyalty and Phillips won’t genuinely beryllium involved. Phillips’ lone existent occupation connected the hunt committee is to say: “Nice pick, George.” Collaboration has its limits.

Now the hunt begins, and we mightiness not perceive from McCaskey again for different year.

We tin hardly wait.