A slight smile played on the face of Bears Chairman George McCaskey when the subject of GM Phil Emery was brought up. And it wasnt in relation to Brandon Marshall or any particular player.
Emery had been a Bears scout from 1998-2004 but that didnt necessarily vault him to the head of the list for McCaskey and President Ted Phillips.
I didnt really know him when he was an area scout because the area scouts are like phantoms, McCaskey told CSNChicago.com, laughing. Theyre on the road so much. They come in, file their expense and other reports and theyre back out on the road.
But hes demonstrated himself to be a leader. Theres something about him. Hes a take-charge guy without being over-bearing.
The Bears got the elite wide receiver they sought in Marshall. They bagged starter-grade backups at quarterback (Jason Campbell) and running back (Michael Bush). That part of the offseason has gone according to plan.
They werent able to secure a pass-rushing defensive end, however, and havent added to the offensive line, both targets going into the offseason.
But McCaskey is anything but disappointed in the early Emery efforts.
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You go in with a plan, I think it was well executed, and youre going to have curves thrown at you, McCaskey said on Tuesday. The key is how you adjust to them.
Free agency is not supposed to be the answer to all of your challenges anyway. Fill holes, find the right value and prepare for the draft.