Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey and team president Ted Phillips mentioned on multiple occasions Monday the team’s plans to utilize not only the services of Ernie Accorsi, but also those of the NFL's Career Development Advisory Panel in finding replacements for recently fired general manager Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman.
“We consider this a tool to assist us in the search process,” McCaskey said. “Several other teams have taken advantage of this resource, and we think it’s a good idea.”
It is, considering the breadth of experience on the eight-man panel, formed in 2013 “to continue to professionalize how the league identifies and develops talent," according to the NFL.
So while the organization hired Accorsi -- a member of the panel -- specifically to help Chicago identify potential candidates as replacements for Trestman and Emery, the Bears can also call upon other members of the panel to assist in the process.
Robert Gulliver, the NFL’s executive vice president of human resources, who is assisting with the initiative formed in 2013, sent teams -- including the Bears -- a book on Monday of general manager and coach prospects recommended by the panel, with each list totaling fewer than 20 candidates. According to the NFL, the books of the panel’s recommendations feature “a detailed 2-3 page bio on each candidate that includes a wide range of statistics and highlights on their body of work, along with information on getting access to video interviews for many of the candidates.”
The books are sent to any team requesting them, and the lists include varying types of candidates, such as coaches who specialize in offense or defense.
"The advisory panel at the league of which Ernie’s a member has done some of that homework," Phillips said of the team's initial list of candidates. "It’s not an exhaustive list or a list that can’t be added to, but we’ll start talking to Ernie and we’ll get to that level of detail really fast because we’ll obviously have a sense of urgency.”
Of the seven coaches hired headed into the 2014 season, six were recommended by the panel.
“Between hiring Ernie and still being able to consult with other members of that panel, we think we’ve got a good amount of football experience that will be really important to us as we make this decision,” Phillips said.
Here is the list of panelists, which consists of four former GMs, one former team president and three former coaches:
- Accorsi
- Charlie Casserly
- Bill Polian
- Ron Wolf
- Carl Peterson
- Tony Dungy
- Dennis Green
- John Madden
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