The Chicago Bears continue to suffer through losing seasons. At 1-4 it looks like they’re headed to the sixth-straight year without making the playoffs. Already questions are flying about whether it’s time to make some changes up top. After finishing 6-10 last season it looks like the team is in danger of having an even worse record in 2016. Head coach John Fox has come under fire for several of his decisions on and off the field. Even GM Ryan Pace can’t escape criticism with both of his first round picks out with injury.

However, for the longest time the real truth has been that the Bears’ issues may go even higher than that. It’s so easy to forget that much of this teams’ suffering can be traced to the arrival of Ted Phillips. Remember him? A former auditor and tax accountant who eventually became team president. For years chairman George McCaskey and other members of ownership have stuck by Phillips despite years of disappointment. Their excuse has always been that he has a tremendous business acumen. Something that has really helped the franchise thrive in a financial sense.

However that expertise does not extend to the actual game. Phillips had zero football background when he joined the team in 1983. Yet that didn’t stop him from eventually taking over operations in 1999. A move that has really hindered the organization. Here is what David Haugh said about it back in 2014.

“In the perception-is-reality world NFL teams live, to ignore that would be ignorant for the Bears. They don’t have to like it but they cannot deny it. This process could go smoothly and still be obscured by Phillips’ participation in it. The NFL Network reported that respected Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta wouldn’t be interested in the Bears’ GM job if Phillips still was involved in football decisions. What other quality candidates agree? That unofficially confirmed Phillips as the Bears’ Crane Kenney, the polarizing high-ranking team executive who was forced to assume a low profile for the sake of the brand. The jobs of coach and general manager of the Bears should stand out as premier positions in the NFL, attracting the best and brightest candidates. Yet idiosyncrasies inherent in the organization and the uncertainty of Phillips’ actual input muddy the waters. Before the Bears can find the right people, they must establish their work environment and hierarchy as one more prone to winning than dysfunction.”

In essence this means Phillips could be the obstacle between the front office and ownership that continues to slow the franchise down. John Madden once said the success of a team can often be traced to how many people stand between the head coach and ownership. A GM isn’t a bad thing, but a team president with no football background too? If the Bears are looking for a reason why the Phillips experiment may need to end, here it is.

Chicago now holds a 136-141 overall record spanning his time in charge. His crowning achievement is a Super Bowl defeat in 2006. Maybe McCaskey needs to think about a change at that job. If he’s not willing to cut it out entirely though, then who could possibly replace Phillips? One name jumps out right away. (continue to next page from top)