LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- There is no such thing as the Bears Way.

There is a Tress Way, but he's just a punter the Bears released.

I believe the Dodger Way was coined back in the 1940s, and other fan bases and teams have glommed on with their own versions. Some have real meaning. Some do not.

Several Bears, Lovie Smith guys, mainly, talked about this fanciful Bears Way as this 5-11 season wore down, and we dutifully transcribed these quotes.

But it's mostly nonsense.

As one of the founding members of the NFL, the Chicago Bears have every right to tout their tradition and believe it means something. But when it comes to winning championships -- or even just making the playoffs -- the Bears Way actually means done around New Year's.

Yes, even with Lovie's defense causing takeaways.

Bears president Ted Phillips, left, and chairman George McCaskey discussed their search strategy for a new general manager and coach. McCaskey said it will be "very much a collaborative effort." AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

So now we find ourselves wondering if the Bears can find their way, and get it right this time, after firing general manager Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman on Monday.

Bears chairman George McCaskey gets a lot of love for being different than his bumbling older brother, Michael, and, as many say, because he really "gets it." Maybe it's true.

But I'm unconvinced as he heads his second general manager search and second coaching search since taking over control of the team in 2011. McCaskey and team president Ted Phillips met the media Monday and didn't do much to impress me.

But at least they brought in someone to help by hiring Ernie Accorsi, the former New York Giants general manager, as a consultant.

Still, Accorsi is just there to give advice. McCaskey said he and Phillips will decide on the GM hire together and that it will be "very much a collaborative effort."

Wow, way to take the reins, George. Phillips, the former accountant who helped the McCaskeys get their stadium deal, remains the McCaskeys' Tom Hagen in perpetuity.

"We understand the magnitude of this decision, and we understand that Bears fans are counting on us to get it right," McCaskey said. "We think that the experience that we bring over the last three years -- having been through the process before and talking to various people around the league and adding Ernie as a consultant -- will help us in the process and get us the right people to lead the Bears."

Inspired yet? At least McCaskey showed some emotion, canned or not, when talking about his 91-year-old mother's dissatisfaction with her father's team. George paused for like 10 seconds, seemingly choking back tears before answering.

"She's been very supportive," he said. "She agrees with the decisions that we made. She's pissed off. I can't think of a 91-year-old woman that that description would apply to, but in this case I can't think of a more accurate description.