JERRY ANGELO WAS fired as the Chicago Bears’ general manager today following a team collapse marked by injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte and a drug scandal involving receiver Sam Hurd.
Angelo had been in the job 11 years, a stretch in which the Bears reached one Super Bowl and advanced to another NFC championship game.
An 8-8 record this season, a questionable draft record and an inability to fill big holes, particularly on offense, led to his ousting.
His dismissal comes after a wild season in which the Bears at one point seemed a lock to make the playoffs. A five-game losing streak, however, spoiled a 7-3 start and kept Chicago out of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.
Cutler broke his right thumb trying to help make a tackle following an interception during a win over San Diego on 20 November. The Bears didn’t win again until the season-finale at Minnesota on Sunday.
It didn’t help that Forte sprained a ligament in his right knee against Kansas City on 4 December, leaving the offense without its two best players.
Those would be blows for any team, but they were crippling for Chicago. Throw in Hurd’s arrest on federal drug charges in mid-December, and what looked like a promising season turned into a disaster for the team and organization.
- Associated Press
