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Quick Hit Responses to the Phil Emery Press Conference

| January 30th, 2012

Here are my reactions to Phil Emery’s introductory press conference at Halas Hall:

  • Reverend said it to me (we spent presser on IM) and he was right. Emery was far more comfortable responding to questions from reporters than he was delivering his prepared statement. It took Emery some time to get through the emotion of the moment, I think.
  • It was very evident that the awkwardness Jerry often displayed with the media will no longer be visible from the Bears GM. Emery basically told the press he won’t tell them anything and called out a reporter for forcing two question into a one question slot. I dig it. This media needs to be slapped and Emery seems like a guy ready to do some slapping.
  • Emery seems like a tough boss. The guy who walks into your office and says, “You need to be better” and it hurts you profoundly to hear it.
  • It sure sounded like Phil Emery intends to sign Matt Forte to a long-term deal.
  • I don’t have a counter here but I’d bet he said “playmaker” 20 times. Take from that what you will but I think he was sending a clear message about getting Jay Cutler some weapons.
  • Ted Phillips said he was looking for a GM to build the Bears through the draft and Emery made it clear the draft is going to be the focal point of the front office.
  • Jerry Angelo often said strange things but reports were rampant that Angelo disregarded the opinions of scouts and relied on his own experience on draft day. Emery made it clear he is going to trust his men in the field.
  • My favorite quote. “This is a big man’s game”
  • Emery is going to build a scouting department that mirrors the Pats’ scouting department. Let’s hope they are as productive as the Pats scouts used to be.
  • Emery is clearly most heavily influenced by his time at the Naval Academy. He mentioned all the GMs he’s worked with a few times but almost waxes poetic when he gets into his time at Navy.
  • Bears fans will love this sentence: “I’m a very different person than Jerry”. When asked about whether his hiring is a sign of status quo at Halas Hall, Emery went out of his way to point out the differences between himself and Jerry Angelo.
  • A couple writers kept trying to press Emery on the question of control, asking if he had full control. He handled the question with class by acknowledging his DOES have full control but repeating, “that’s now where my heads at.”

I liked the Phil Emery I saw in this press conference. He’s not a comic. He’s not Spalding Gray. He is a tough guy, a leader, organized and methodical. I’m excited to see what he does this spring.