Black Monday: Bears Fire Marc Trestman and GM Phil Emery

The house cleaning for teams that did not make the NFL Playoffs continues with the Chicago Bears cleaning house in their top management.

Head Coach Marc Trestman and General Manager Phil Emery were let got Monday morning by the underachieving Bears who finished 2014 at 5-11 with lots of tension.

Trestman finished his second season in the Windy City on a real down note as reports of internal fights among teammates and the general lack of performance by high paid QB Jay Cutler ultimately undid the team.

Like all the others, the Bears will begin the search for replacements immediately. No telling which direction the team will go....

Jay Cutler and The Awkward Post Game Press Conference

As bad as Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler has been the past few weeks, we kind of feel bad for him after his Monday Night Football post-game presser. The Bears were again hammered, this time by the New Orleans Saints 31-15.

Cutler, who usually speaks after Bears coach Marc Trestman, came to the podium first. And there was only one reporter in the room at the time.

Cutler took 3 questions...all from ESPN.com's Mike Sando before a quizzical look at the PR folks. He then left the room before all the reporters, in the locker room at the time could get there.

Having participated in this ritual for many years, the usual procedure for most teams is the coach speaks first, then the locker room is opened. The quarterback for most teams will also speak in the conference room. Team PR generally notifies reporters/camera crews when that is about to happen.

It's a bit of a scramble/dance. Often times during a loss, players will get out of the place as fast as they can. If you aren't there, you miss your opportunity.

In this case, blame the PR staff. Poor Cutler has been under siege from opposing defenses, fans, his own coaches and teammates. This time he did nothing wrong, it just looked silly and really, really awkward.

Chicago Bears hire Marc Trestman as next head coach

Trestman in Grey Cup form. (Photo coachmarctrestman.com)

CHICAGO - The Bears have found Lovie Smith's successor.

Early Wednesday morning, in a team press release, Chicago announced they have hired Marc Trestman as the 14th coach in team history. Trestman has spent the last eight years out of the NFL, and won back-to-back Grey Cups with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 2011 and 2012.

“The skill set that Marc has, being an offensive mind, and then his great relationships that he's had with quarterbacks historically in the NFL and the work he's done with them makes him a good fit for the job,” Alouettes general manager Jim Popp told the Chicago Tribune.

Funny thing is, when GM Phil Emery hired his new coach yesterday, he did it on Trestman's 57th birthday. That's pretty cool.

Trestman is known around the League as a quarterback guru, and was probably brought in to "fix" Jay Cutler. Trestman worked with the beleaguered Bears QB in 2006, preparing him for the NFL draft combine.

Trestman was San Francisco's offensive coordinator from 1995-1996, and worked with a QB many people should know - Hall of Famer Steve Young.

''The CFL is just a place where he's gotten to show that he's a dynamic leader,'' Young said in an interview on the ''Waddle & Silvy Show'' on WMVP-AM on Tuesday. ''He's a dynamic straight-shooter. He's a soft-spoken guy, but the Bears with their defensive history...this is going to be a great hire.[He'll hire a] great defensive coordinator. Keep that tradition up and watch the flowering of a great offense. Look what's happening in San Francisco. That's what the Bears could be. And I think that's what Marc Trestman can bring them.''

The Bears will officially announce the hire Wednesday afternoon.

Emery brought in a reported 13 candidates to interview for the head coaching position, including Trestman, Indianapolis OC Bruce Arians (who was the other finalist), and Seattle OC Darrell Bevell. The Bears were definitely looking for an offensive-minded coach.

I knew Trestman when he worked as offensive coordinator for Chuck Amato at North Carolina State University from 2005-2006. The team won the Meineke Car Care Bowl in 2005, defeating a good South Florida team 14-0.

Good luck, Marc.
His name won't immediately translate to the Bears fan base, so in the interim, here's proof of his successes in the last few years up north...
((HT: GoAlsGodotcom/TSN))