Chicago Bears: Why Tim Ruskell Is Not a Viable Candidate for GM

If the Bears hire Tim Ruskell to be the permanent replacement for the ousted Jerry Angelo, I'm going to hold my breath until I turn blue and orange.

Look, Ruskell would simply not be a good choice for the Bears, and there are plenty of reasons to support this conclusion. However, never underestimate the stupidity of Bears management.

Yes, unfortunately, never say never when it comes to Ruskell's chances of landing the permanent gig. For one, he's already here, doing the job on an interim basis. And he already has a relationship with Bears President Ted Phillips.

Whether that relationship is good, bad or indifferent is something I don't claim to have knowledge of. Still, the thought, however scary, is worth giving some column space to.

Although some of the reasons I have for not wanting Ruskell to get the job are fairly esoteric, here are my five main reasons, in no particular order.

Perception 

While this may be one of those esoteric reasons, I do believe that Bears fans would view the hiring of Ruskell as simply more of the same.

Ruskell was brought in by Angelo, and they are friends. Fans would view this move as nothing more than window dressing.

Philosophy

Again, if you truly want change, why would you fire Angelo and bring in his right-hand man? Since Angelo brought Ruskell in here, they must share similar philosophies on the draft and how to run a football operation.

Ruskell's Draft Record

In short, it wasn't good. Yes, Ruskell started as Seattle’s president and general manager with the best run of postseason success in franchise history.

But as time went on, it became apparent that he wasn't very successful drafting players. Since this was an area of criticism with Angelo, that failure in the draft would bring even more negative attention.

The Seahawks finished a dismal 8-19 from 2008 to the time of Ruskell's departure. In addition, the Seahawks had only one Pro Bowler (LB Lofa Tatupu) in five drafts under Ruskell.

In 2006, Ruskell gave up a first-round pick in the 2007 draft to sign Deion Branch. He signed Branch to a six-year, $39 million extension.

Branch never started all 16 games in his five seasons or caught more than 53 passes. He was paid like a No. 1, yet never even sniffed a 1,000-yard season.

His Overall Performance

As ESPN's Micheal C. Wright points out, Ruskell didn't do too well outside of the draft either. In his second season, the Seahawks let All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson leave without any compensation.

He also re-signed aging running back Shaun Alexander to a big deal and then cut him just two years later. 

In a knee-jerk reaction to what happened with Alexander, Ruskell signed T.J. Duckett and Edgerrin James, and that didn't cut it.

What has Ruskell Done in Chicago to Earn a Promotion?

This is a valid question and concern.

Look, if you're going to jettison Angelo for his track record, then you have to hold his right-hand man at least partly accountable too.

Ruskell didn't come to Chicago until the spring of 2009, and the Bears did have a division title the following year.

While those who cover the team aren't exactly sure just how involved Ruskell was or what he even did, the lack of depth became obvious last season when injuries derailed an almost certain playoff run. 

The draft in '09, '10 and '11 has been less-than-stellar as well.

In short, Ruskell's record in talent acquisition and evaluation isn't good enough. There are plenty of other candidates out there to choose from to settle for Ruskell.

He may be a candidate, but he isn't very viable in my opinion.