One Sentence From George McCaskey To Ben Johnson Changes How We Should View The Bears Owner
George McCaskey has long been what you might call a divisive figure among Chicago Bears fans. While many agree he is a genuinely good person who loves the franchise, he also isn’t what you would call qualified for his position. Since taking over as team chairman in 2011, the Bears have gone through one of the worst down periods in team history, posting a 105-140 record throught 2024. His hiring of Matt Eberflus as head coach was the cherry on the garbage sundae, resulting in the two longest losing streaks the Bears have ever had.
People have pleaded with him to sell the team. Let somebody else try to fix this nightmare. McCaskey doesn’t know football. Why should he be trusted to run a football team? That may be true, but one thing he does know is the Bears. McCaskey has watched this team his entire life. He knows its history as well as anybody. That is why when Ben Johnson was hired as head coach, the owner decided to impart some advice before the season.
If he wants to make the playoffs, he would have to go through Green Bay. McCaskey explained this to Jarrett Payton on WGNTV.
George McCaskey knows the Bears better than we thought.
Say what you will about his prowess for identifying qualified people, but his memory is perfect. In the Super Bowl era, the Bears have made the playoffs 17 times. They beat the Packers at least once in 14 of those seasons. All three where they didn’t resulted in the Bears going one-and-done in the playoffs.
| Playoff season | Record vs. Packers |
| 1977 | 2-0 |
| 1979 | 2-0 |
| 1984 | 1-1 |
| 1985 | 2-0 |
| 1986 | 2-0 |
| 1987 | 2-0 |
| 1988 | 2-0 |
| 1990 | 2-0 |
| 1991 | 2-0 |
| 1994 | 0-2 |
| 2001 | 0-2 |
| 2005 | 2-0 |
| 2006 | 1-1 |
| 2010 | 1-1 |
| 2018 | 1-1 |
| 2020 | 0-2 |
| 2025 | 2-1 |
This lesson stems from something George Halas himself learned throughout his Hall of Fame career as a head coach. His last championship came in 1963. That year, he knew that getting to the mountaintop would require one objective: sweep the season series against the Packers. Green Bay had won back-to-back championships. They were the class of the NFL. To be the man, the Bears had to beat the man.
People have long teased George McCaskey for having an unhealthy obsession with the Packers rivalry. Maybe now they will understand that he saw the arithmetic better than anybody. The only way the Bears could return to championship form was finding a head coach who could break Green Bay’s iron grip on the rivalry. Johnson was the first to approach the rivalry different. Calm? Respect? To hell with that. He made it clear from the beginning that he has no love for the Packers and has every intention of ripping their hearts out in every meeting. He did this with the full blessing from his owner.
Say McCaskey is out of his depth. Don’t say he doesn’t understand his team.
It appears he always understood the reality of the Bears’ situation. If they wanted to regain their long lost NFL crown, they had to get past the gatekeepers to do it. Green Bay has stood in their way for over 30 years, often toying with Chicago thanks to holding the services of two all-time great quarterbacks, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. The Bears had neither the coach nor quarterbacks capable of matching them. That has finally changed. Johnson and Caleb Williams proved their mettle beyond a doubt with consecutive comeback victories over Green Bay, shattering the aura of invincibility.
For the first time in decades, it feels like the two organizations are on equal footing. McCaskey hasn’t experienced this since he was a boy. The formula is finally in place. He has a coach who embraces the rivalry and a quarterback talented enough to carry his team to victory. As an owner, his job is to have their backs. Give the man credit for understanding that.