The Downfall of the Chicago Bears

I thought Ruskell had to go as much as the next guy, however I think him personally destroying the hawks isn't the case.

I think there were multiple factors. It wasn't like the guy missed on everything. I remember 10 months ago, everyone was calling this guy a genius. We got the best player on many teams boards, a starting center, and that pick at 14 this year that everyone is in love with.

So before everyone starts ripping Ruskell, I just want to say that I'm glad he's not here, but wish him and Jim Mora the very best were ever they land!

One big headed GM= A couple million bucks.

A couple OVER priced Free Agents= A quarter of your cap space.

1 over priced WR trade= Deion Branch

A couple of bad talent roster cuts from Atlanta and Tampa= Frest new talent for you!

Letting great talent walk out the door= A great character move....

What do you get, One hell of a mess.

Remember all the great ways you can save while using your Ruskell to build your team.....Priceless

On a serious note, The Bears will be a toilet team for the next couple of years. Look forward to going no where cutler!

I suspect there will more checks in place and Ruskell will not be allowed to run amock like he did in Seattle. Bears have been in decline similar to the 'Hawks. Poor personnel decisions.

Probably will just be more of the same.

On paper, Ruskell had an awesome draft last year. I think the downfall ultimately was a result of clashing egos and stupid free agency decisions, and we're definitely better off without him here now. The Bears could be in for a rough ride ahead.

Ruskell will not be the GM in Chicago, he will not have the power to destroy the Bears. A) they're already in pretty deep trouble; B) he was not as bad as people care to remember, and was actually quite good in the same role in Tampa Bay.

I think Ruskell will be fine in Chicago. He came into a more dysfunctional place in Seattle than any of us really acknowledged until the past few months. He made some rash decisions that a Director of Personnel will not be able to pull the trigger on, but also did a phenomenal job of finding talent in all rounds.

I get that we're angry at Ruskell and he's been scapegoated, and I think that he did indeed fail as GM, but lets not hang the man in effigy. Most of us supported him for most of his tenure here, but ultimately failure is failure, and it was time for his era to end. I wish him the best of luck in the more limited role he is taking in Chicago.

good luck timmay

I cant believe he got a job.Hope there looking for LBs

I hope he keeps 2 kickers on the roster.tell me that wasnt a move to piss holmgren off.maybe we have a new trading partner for branch,and jennings.

He destroyed the Hawks in two years? Come on, Steve. I'm glad he is gone, but please don't over simplify the situation. And remember that statement when you watch the Hawks making that 14th pick, and when Unger, Curry, Carlson, Tatupu, and the rest of his picks take the field on Sunday. He wasn't the sole reason for the Hawks decline....he was a small part that has been villified.

Not saying he made all the mess in Seattle, but nobody can deny he made the majority of it. I don't even have to list all the shit Ruskell F'd up in Seattle. We know it. My brother is a Bears fan, and to be quite honest I feel bad for him this evening (a little). However, I give it 2 years, and I'll have 2 favorite teams: The Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Seahawks of old. HA!!! I'm loving it!!!

I have a feeling he is going to do a good job in Chicago. I hope the Seahawks did the right thing in making the change but I am really getting excited in what they are trying to create here. Only time will tell.

Do you really need to say anything more?

Sure Ruskell made some mistakes as all GMs make some but, he drafted very good and anyone who says otherwise simply is not knowledgeable of the situation. I loved how Ruskell went from taking the Best Athlete available to the Best Football Player available! I never understood that concept. His problems were with Free Agency and started with Hutch but that was not all his fault. Kearney and Wistrom were good signings. Teams need tough hard nosed players like them to set a good example. Injuries happen in football folks. Branch did not work out as good as Peterson due to injuries. Wahle seemed like the perfect signing as well at the time. I am tired of Monday Night QBs who only see the final record. Good and bad luck happens and we had some real bad luck.

People do not fully understand the Walter Jones situation and that just killed the team last season. He was one of the best ever and I appreciate him but from everything I heard he was cleared to play and did not feel good enough to go out on the field at less than 100%. Any team in any sport having their highest paid player miss the entire year would have a major problem. Add in his backup (Locklear) missed about half the season and 2009 was doomed from the start. Imagine the M's without Ichiro or the Cavs without Lebron James as examples. In 2010 we are free to replace the retired (I think) Jones and that itself will make things easier

Just as long as Chicago doesnt hire Jim Mora as their secondary coach they might be okay, because we all know where that got us.

Condolences to Lofa Tatupu and the whole Tatupu family on the loss of his father, Mosi.

I hope Chicago likes 5'9" 175 lbs corners, who have high character though !!!

I'm sick of hearing the Aaron Curry selection get thrown around as some sort of Ruskell victory. Just remember two things:

1- Aaron Curry was the least impressive of last year's first round LB picks despite being the first off the board

2- Ruskell created a "need" for Curry by trading Peterson for a sub par Corey redding.

Yeah, great job Ruskell!

I agree that Curry was not a Ruskell victory. It was, in part, Ruskell's management of the team that got it to 4-12 that year and the 4th pick overall.
Ruskell had to pick Curry since he was the best player available. It's too bad that his rookie year was so mismanaged by the coaching staff. I suspect we'll be having positive conversations about Curry's performance for many years. He's very athletic, smart and loves the game. Those qualities make great players.

Peterson's subpar performance in 2008 and bloated salary in 2009 necessitated the trade. Cory Redding did well, and Pete Carroll has said pretty positive things about him. Getting Redding (and his renegotiated contract) was better than releasing Peterson, which I'm sure was plan B.

LEts do the timeline shall we LOL

Good moves:

Tatupu
Joe Jurevicius
Trading Darrell Jackson
Netting us our 14th pick this year

Moves Still on the Fence:

Late round Drafting

and last but not least, Bad( when i say bad i mean bad) moves:

Hutch
1st Round Drafting
Hutch
FA Signings .... Brian Russel, Colin Cole, Wahle, Jones, Tom Ashworth, Marcus Pollard, Edgerin James, TJ Duckett, Burleson
Fa Signings that didnt happen....... Alan Faneca, Weaver, Michael Turner, Shane Olivea, Ken Hamlin, Pork Chop Womack
Contract Signings..... Alexander, Leroy Hill, Locklear,
HUTCHINSON!!!
Piss Poor Trade Record(Players Only).....Deion Branch, Kerry Colbert


he completed Depleted the Depth this team had from its 2005 team where every Position was stacked 2-3 deep. Our Secondary consisted on former Pro Bowler Andre Dyson, Kelly Herndon, Ken Hamlin, Babs, Trufant, Marquan Manuel. Thats a very Stacked DB , somewhat of what the Saints just had this Year.

Lets do His Draft Record Shall we......

2005 Players Contributing today in the NFL:

(players ratings from ScoutsInc.)

Round 1 Pick 26. Chris Spencer (66 rating)

(we Originally had the 23rd pick, QB Aaron Rodgers (74 rating) was selected 24th Overall)

Players passed on:

27th pick Roddy White (78 Rating)

32nd pick Logan Mankins (81 Rating)

Round 2 Pick 45: Lofa Tatupu (79 Rating)
Round 3 pick 98: Leroy Hill (79 Rating)

2006 Draft:

Round 1 pick 30: Kelly Jennings (58 Rating)
players passed on:

32nd pick: Mathias Kiwanuka (71 rating)
33rd pick: DeMeco Ryans (81 Rating)

Round 2 pick 63: Darrly Tapp (66 Rating)
Round 4 pick 128: Rob Sims (66 Rating)
(round 4 pick 126 by DEN: Elvis Dumervil (69))

2007

Traded 1st round pick 24, who was Brandon Meriweather (70 rating) for Deion Branch (70 rating)
(players selected after Pick 28 Joe Staley (76 Rating)
Round 2 pick 55: Josh Wilson (60 rating)
Round 3 pick 85: Brandon Mebane (68 Rating)

2008

Round 1 pick 28: Lawrence Jackson (NA)
Round 2 pick 38: John Carlson (73)

Pick 44 by CHI Matt Forte (79)
pick 49 by PHI Desean Jackson (75)

Round 7 Pick 223: Justin Forsett (5

2009

TBD

Sift through the info as you like, Take it and way you would like and come up with your own Conclusions and remember where we were as a team Depth wise at certain Positions when making these selections.

Ha ha ha ha ha!! Good luck Chicago! Buddies or not, thier GM better watch out! Ruskell has the biggest ego in the NFL, and he wont take being second fiddle very long. Plus, he'll always believe his mistakes were someone elses fault.

I do not wish him well. From his deliberately sandbagging Holmgren and pushing him out the door, to his piss-poor first round drafts, to his pathetically underachieving/overpaid defenses,to his now-proven-failure philosophies (Small d-lineman, DB's, and WR's are the bees knees, O-lineman arent important, WR's are a dime a dozen--except aging big-headed posession recievers named TJ, All Holmgrenites need to go regardless of talent/character--Mo, Weaver, etc--etc), to his angry text message to his handpicked coach blaming his own failures on Mora, to his stubborn refusal to change his flawed philosphies and show any sign of humility, as GM and Head Honcho of our team for 4-5 years, Ruskell is the man most responsible for the mess we are in now.

He signed the players and coaches he wanted, and they ran systems he chose. The Tampa 2 defense with more than 60% of the cap was his idea. Decimating Holmgren's powerful offense and replacing it with garbage was also his idea, man for man. Not fixing the line was also his idea--he had all the money tied up on defense with little to show for it.

While injuries and bad luck had something to do with our struggles, the majority of our issues were directly related to Ruskell and his failed philosophies and coaching and personnell decisions.

As the front office qb of the franchise, Ruskell gets most of the blame--and rightly so.

I am aware of his draft history, and while he usually did well overall, especiall in later rounds, his first round record was execrable. His free agency moves started off excellent, then grew progressively worse. The last two years were a disaster.

I called Ruskell out for many of his mistakes in personnell and coaching choices, and I called into question his philosophies and how he implemented them. And guess what? I was right almost all of the time--and now its obvious.

I thought when he first left that he had learned some humility and would do well in his next gig. After my worst fears about the disfunctionality he caused since day 1 at Hawk Headquarters and his classless handling of his firing, I do not wish him well. I hope he crashes and burns--the sooner and brighter the better.

Cant we go back in time and fire him after the 2005 season and get Holmgren a GM he could work with?!

There is good, bad and ugly regarding Ruskell.
Good- Tatupu, Carlson, Curry, and generaly a better managed draft than Holmgren. Peterson and Jervicious and Kerney (for one year anyway) in free agency.

Bad- Disregard for size and over value of goody-two-shoes "character." Weaver, Hutch, Branch and other free agent moves.

Ugly- Even though he came into an organization replacing his coach, which had the potential to be problematic, he exacerbated the situation into an outright dysfunctional, schizophrenic and divided organization. He could have finessed the situation into a positive outcome, but failed to do so.

I do wish Timmy luck with the Bears. I hope that we kick their ass in the NFC title game in a few years.

This is the beginning of a slow slide into complete mediocrity for the Bears. Watch.

Where to start is the tough part... Peterson will be 32 years old when the season starts. Anyone who would prefer Peterson to Curry has no clue. Curry will be a stud. Redding is a good player if you watched the games you would know that. We also obtained the 1st pick in the 5th round in that trade.

Pointing out who we could have taken in a draft, are you serious? So every other team could have taken those players as well right? Mentioning what free agents we did not sign? Some of these comments are so ignorant they make me laugh with the monday night QBing when some people have no clue at all.

There are so many silly things Bruno said I cannot touch on all of them but here are a few. A Dyson was actually signed by Ruskell in 2005 as a FA same as Weaver. His 1st round drafting was not near as bad as Holmgrens AND remember in 2005 we selected 26th, 2006 we selected 31st because Ruskell did perfect in 2005! Wahle was thought to have been a great signing at the time by everyone! The Branch deal I agree did not work out but the biggest part of that was injuries.It was a BIG mistake not to franchise Hutch but it was very complicated and also involved the Vikings bending the rules to the max and seemingly Hutch wanting to leave. Teams that go to a Super Bowl tend to lose many players for obvious reasons and there is a cap that must be dealt with. I cannot believe you mentioned the Colbert tade but since you did please say the whole truth that we obtained a comp pick for Colbert the next season. Injuries happen in the NFL and most people do not understand that.

Please tell me what move (Besides Hutch) at the time it was made was a bad move ok?

Branch was a bad move because we were the ONLY team in the entire NFL who believed that Branch was a number 1 WR and thus worth a first round pick. Branch was a bad move because Matt Hasselbeck never has been a qb accurate enough to hit a small guy like Branch downfield in a tight window: The only small WR Matt had any chemistry with was Engram, and that was because Engram was a stud and worked at it--as well as the fact he was rarely downfield more than 15 yards and was amazing at finding open areas big enough for Matt to see him: Ruskell never paid enough attention to Matt' weaknesses to find him what he really needed--a big tall WR or three.

The deal with Branch was also a bad idea because we paid him like top-5 WR money, when he never was even a top-15 WR. This led to jealousy and anger in Darrell Jackson, which led to Jackson acting out, his trading, and the eventual disintegration of our WR corps.

I believe Ruskell brought Branch in intentionally to further his "small guys can do big things" philosophy, as well as to begin placing his stamp on the team, while undermining Holmgren's. I also beleive the ridiculously large contract was a deliberate baiting of Jackson, a nudge to push him out the door. Ruskell didnt like Jacksons laid-back demeanor and recognized that Jacksons knee problems would cause him to miss games and practice every year, and end his career early.

The beef I had with this move is it was deliberate, it was disingenous as he wasnt honest with Holmgren about what he was up to, and it pushed Jackson out when I firmly believe had he stayed, he would have performed well for another year or two, catupulting us further into the playoffs.

Despite costing twice what Jackson was earning (for the first year or two), the combo of Branch and Burleson barely produced 60% of what Darell Jackson managed by himself with a bad knee. And it cost us a first round pick.

Even before injuries ruined Branch's speed and agility, he was never for one minute a true number 1 WR, nor close to earning his money or cost.

IF that isnt a mistake in free agency and a poor personnell decision, I dont know what is.

As for having the 26th and 31st pick--thats marginally better than a high second round pick, where solid starters and even stars are often found. Its absolutely idiotic and wrong to say those picks dont matter and its ok that Ruskell whiffed on them.

Building a team thru the draft depends on hitting with all of your first rounders--most should be team stars, the rest solid starters for years. If you miss with those picks year after year, as Ruskell did, all the genius lower round picks in the world wont save your ass as GM because your team will suck.

Like we have for two years.

MrMali--I do agree completely on Peterson: the guy had become an aging liability who freelanced constantly to the detriment of the team. Despite Redding being a huge disapointment, he was still a decent player and did more good for us than Peterson would have.

And I really like Curry. I saw enough from him last season to reaffirm my faith that he will be a HOF player. We just had to get rid of that crew of incompetent FO and Coaching Staff folks!

I think that Ruskell overvalued Spencer, Jennings, and L. Jackson - in that order. He did not do well on drafting first rounders.

First off its Bruto bro.

What do you mean ignorance of comments, which ones pose a threat to my statements. im not saying w3e picked 36 and then the 57th player taken was so and so, im saying directly after our pick look at these players that were drafted and if you go back onto scouts inc and everyone elses big boards from then you will see each of those players were graded our HIGHER than the ones taken. Kelly Jennings was a second-to low third round prospect. WE excepted him with open arms becuz what we were coming off of. My point is ya, Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round 2 billionth overall so every GM should be fired except NE? no. Their was better decisions that could have been made with each of those first round picks. His late round drafting was unquestionable, but like every other sport, are you going to sign Jamarcus Russell becuz he excelled at one thing, arm strength. No. So why put up with a GM who was good at one thing, Late round drafting.

I generally liked Ruskell's drafts, and I think most here would agree that he was golden in rounds 2-5. Just another note, Spencer was a consensus first round pick, he made the right move on paper there. We had an aging center and right guard, and he drafted a guy who would eventually take over. At the time a Roddy White or Aaron Rodgers was not needed, so I don't blame him for that. I don't remember much about Jennings at the time so I can't comment on that. Jackson was a bit of a reach, but he was at least a fringe first round talent.

I didn't like how Ruskell kept drafting BPA. Thats good and all, but we had needs and we just kept drafting guys we thought were the best on the board. There never really seemed to be a long term plan in place.

Curry is the prime example. I love Curry and I know he will be a star, but you passed on a QB and 3 top 10 talent LTs to get him, I don't care about your current opinions of Sanchez, Oher, Smith or Monroe, I'm just making a point. This is why we are in such a quandry now, and why I don't advocate BPA as a fail proof strategy, as many people on this blog do. Its not a very sound strategy for building a team.

What I find funny is that some of the guys who are still just blasting away at Ruskell and wishing him ill are some of the same guys who started in on Carroll as soon as it was confirmed that he was going to be hired. I saw remarks similar to these where you could interchange the names on that day. Sounds like some people just like to criticize anyone in charge even if he hasn't even signed his contract yet or doesn't even work here anymore.

Ruskell was a good talent evaluator. Sure he missed sometimes. Show me the GM who hits it every time and I'll show you God in disguise. People want to look at it from Holmgren's side all the time because he was so personable and Ruskell wasn't much of a PR man but let's face it, Ruskell came into a situation that few GM's could have worked themselves out of. He inherited an aging team whose core players had been together for awhile and were ready to make one or two last shots at the title. He was able to staff the team with what it needed to get over the hump in his first year and we made it to the big show. After that, his core group disentigrated and we ended up with more holes than any GM could have filled. However, the name of the game is to win and after the first couple of years, his team didn't. When he resigned, he acknowledged the fact that the bottom line is you have to put up the wins and he didn't get the job done so it was time for him to leave.

It's also a bit funny to see some guys who supported him for much of his tenure now turning on him and now acting like he was bad from the start. Wow. Others praised him one week and called him names the next. I hope Carroll has a thick skin because he'll need it if he doesn't come up with a winner pretty soon. I wonder how long that honymoon will last.

It's no secret that I liked Ruskell but I also agreed that it was time for him to go and we needed to make a fresh start. When he resigned, I wished him the best of luck and hoped he would find a job somewhere instead of hoping publicly that something bad would happen to him.

As for those who were gleefully clucking about how he would never work in the NFL again, I've been waiting for this day to say that you guys never understoopd what he did good and what he can do for a team as well as how wrong you were. I think he might bring Chicago some good players who might turn that team around. Chicago has him in a position that plays to his strengths. I hope he doesn't out draft us in the next couple of drafts.

For the rest of you guys who are wishing bad things on him, shame on you and all I can say is come on guys, show a little class or is it true that Seattle fans have none? He's gone and he can't piss you off anymore. Let it go.

BillT....when he retired??/ come on get a grip.

Really mmf, thats all you got out of BillT's in depth post?

You know he meant to say resign.

Omar..I have listened to Bill defend and praise Ruskell for years as he ruined the team I love *(in my opnion)........He meant retired

retired ...resign....come on guys ,.....FIRED..he would of came back if....HE WAS ASKED good bye Ruskell you are a bad GM

BILLT great comments I agree 100% and I am so tired of the monday night QBs who think they know everything. D Jackson who led the NFL in drops how many years was the most overrated player I have ever seen. Matt with time was one of the most accurate QBs in the NFL so that comment was silly. Most all the negative comments about Ruskell have been flat out incorrect. Holmgren wanted Branch and was happy we got him. He was injured and again helloooo in the NFL injuries happen. Ruskell drafted much better than Holmgren did. I wonder how many people understand that players fit some schemes and not others and I am referring to small man to man CBs. We had a small window to win a Super Bowl and went for Branch. It did not work out. All GMs make some mistakes but that was a calculated risk to put us over the hump. I agree we overpaid but Branch was a very good WR at the time of the trade. A team needs 3 good WRs and this #1 and #2 stuff is funny it is obvious someone has been reading too much in that area. The Hawks are not that far away from winning the West again and now that Walt retired finally we can address our biggest need. Ruskell made a great trade last season that gave us the 14th selection in this draft. How many people who are so anti-Ruskell understand that most NFL games are decided by 5 plays or less?

Besides the Hutch fiasco the biggest mistake Ruskell did that not one person has mentioned was not cut Walter Jones. It is easy to say now but the doctors gave him the OK and he decided he was not well enough to play but was well enough to collect the biggest paycheck on the team. I get so tired of crybabies around seattle. Let's at least support Carroll a full season before we call for his head alright?

It is impossible to address all the negative comments as there are too many. The OL needs some time in one system to build chemistry. I was not happy with the Mora hiring at the start but once you decide soemone is the coach you should give them at least 2 seasons and especially so with a rash of injuries. That is the past so time to move on. I was not thrilled with carroll right away but I am on board now 100% as I hope all the real fans are. Please give P.C support and be a real fan and maybe even learn about the game other than who wins or loses...

For those of you who think Ruskell ruined the team I think with a good draft and hopefully FA signings we will win the west again. position by position-
QB- Matt has 2 good seasons left-replacement soon?
RB- I love Forsett 2x more than Alexander
WR- In decent shape
TE- Our best TE ever
OL- Need a LT badly!!
DL- Much better than they showed in 2009 (scheme)
LB- Our best ever with depth even
CB- could use a FA CB or Haden maybe?
S- Babs is a great reserve. Need a new safety maybe Berry?
The defensive scheme was terrible last season and we all saw we regularly rushed only 3/4 men vs 5/6 blockers and that will not cut it. Jones retired so we have his money to use. Branch hopefully will be gone to use his money as well. Free Agency is up in the air still not knowing if they will come to an agreement or have an uncapped year which could work good for us since we have the richest owner in the NFL. Let's see how FA plays out and what holes we could fill before the draft. As of now my draft is Berry or Haden at #6 and then trade down and grab our LT (Bulaga?) as we pick up an extra 3rd rounder. Our 2nd round selection should be a good one as well. Think positive and stop the Monday night QB please. Hawks NFC West Champs in 2010!

MrMali--Arent we all Monday morning qb's?! Your point is?! Jackson dropped balls. He also could be counted on to catch 3-5 balls on a drive to keep the chains moving, including the gamewinning TD. None of our WR's since have ever done that, not even once. And Nate Burleson, for instance, dropped more passes last year that any Seahawk I have ever seen--and I go back pretty far. I had over 16 drops calculated with more than 6 games left in the season when I gave it up!

I could care less about Jacksons drops because he made them irrelevant with his play--to a far lesser degree the same thing Rice did: He dropped more passes than folks gave him credit for, but it didnt matter 'cause he'd just catch the ball on the next play for 30 yards. While Jackson never was in Rice's league, its the same thing. He produced consistently, and Branch and Burleson NEVER have.

As for Billt aying we all changed our minds: Yes, of course we did: It would be insanity not to. When new info comes in, a realist makes adjustments. I have gone back and forth a bit with my opinion on Ruskell, but pretty much it stayed in the middle: The guy did some good things, but the issues I had with him all along turned out to be true and led to his undoing in Seattle, namely:

-His huge ego (Never so evident as when he texted Mora blaming him for supporting a Holmgren return and blaming his own epic failure on his chosen coach)
-His flawed philosophies (I have talked those to death)
-His sandbagging of Holmgren and struggle to take the team away from him, all while trying to make it look like he wasnt.
-His blown first round picks and overpaid free agents
-His stupidity in signing Duckett and Jones to more money (Especially in Ducketts case) than anyone else was close to offering them, while passing on a guy like Turner.
-His dumping of Morris and Weaver and other players simply because they were Holmgrenites
-His total failure to adequately replace the talented players he cut, as well as his miserable failure for FOUR YEARS, to fix an offensive line that worsened EVERY YEAR!

I could go on, but the point has been made. Its pretty obviouis that while Ruskell did many things right, he made too many mistakes and was a low-class jerk with a huge ego who sowed dissension throughout our organization.

To me, its pretty obvious that once he took control after our Supr Bowl, just about any halfway decent GM would have done better working alongside Holmgren.

It wasnt that he made some mistakes--its that his mistakes far outweighed the good decisions he made. Allen had faith in him, and chose him over Holmgren. ANd the whole world now knows he was wrong.

The reasons I do not wish Ruskell well include his lieing to Holmgren, the dissension he sowed in Seahawkland, and his pathetic anger directed at Mora for supporting a Holmgren return. What, after all Holmgren did for Mora and how well he treated him, Mora is supposed to be so stupidly blindly loyal to his FIRED ex-boss that he takes the cowards way out and refuses to support a proven winner, a mentor, and an all-around good guy?! Well, that did it for me. I have absolutely no respect at all for Ruskell.

Its funny that the only job offer he got was from his buddy in Chicago. FUnny because Angelo is known as an ego-maniac who is sandbagging his coach in the hopes of pushing him out. In fact, it was pretty obvious that Lovie Smith watned Martz as his OC for months--and Angelo refused to hire him in the most passive-aggressive way, interviewing everyone except the water boy for OC, while each and every candidate turned the job down. Now he's hired his buddy to be his assistant. Sounds eerily familiar, doesnt it?

Next year, Lovie will be gone. Angelo will hire his own handpicked toady coach, and if it all goes south, watch for him to blame it all on Smith, his new coach, and Ruskell. Meanwhile, Ruskell will blame it all on Holmgren...

I will never forgive Ruskell for destroying our team and running Holmgren off. Never. Just as I have never forgiven Ken Behring or Tom Flores--though with FLores he at least had class. I can respect that.

We'll see what happens in Chicago. Funny that he was only hired after calling Angelo every day for a week begging for work. Sure sounds like he was a hot commodity in the NFL!

As for Caroll, I had reservations about him when our courtship of him was leaked. I still have them. However, his choices in coaching staff and some of the things he said have made me cautiously optimistic. And he has had a lot more success than Mora in the NFL!

Its funny--almost every one of my reservations about Ruskell turned out to be true. Of course, I wish they had all been flat wrong: then we would have been a contender the last couple years and wouldnt be in the mess we're in now.

The bottom line is Ruskell failed miserably as GM of Seattle. Not only that, he sowed dissension and disfunction throughout. And he was fired for it. No ammount of spin will change the fact that ALlen wasnt going to let Ruskell make any more decisions for his team, and they told him that and he chose to resign.

Here is a good read on Ruskells drafts http://seattletimes.nwsource.c...awk25.html

Kinda harsh.

Interesting that only one of 37 draft choices picked during Ruskells tenure has been voted to a Pro Bowl. Very interesting indeed. Sounds like worst in the NFL to me. And here I have been touting Ruskells drafts outside the first round.

Honestly, I think Ruskell did a better job than that article gave him credit for, outside the first round.