AL HAMNIK: Bears' new GM Emery remains a mystery

Phil Emery talked for what seemed like hours at his Monday press conference.

And basically said nothing.

The Bears' new general manager is painfully thorough, give him that, but equally evasive. He spent the first 10 minutes thanking everyone he's ever met in the NFL for helping him become the Bears' fifth GM in franchise history.

He went into great detail about his days as director of college scouting for the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons and as the strength and conditioning coach at both Tennessee and Navy.

Who cares? Certainly not fans who wanted answers and a reason for hope following an 8-8 season in which their team lost five of its last six games.

The Bears have missed the playoffs four of the last five seasons, and have a head coach who could be fired if the ship isn't righted in 2012.

Instead, we were spoon-fed generalities and very little substance.

Jerry Angelo was a terrible public speaker and poor judge of draft talent, but on a bad day, he was more direct than Emery may ever be.

It wasn't "inside" information we wanted, just an idea of what direction the Bears are headed with him now at the wheel. To win championships? Really? That doesn't tell us anything. All 32 teams have that goal from Day 1 of training camp.

"I have authority over the 53 (rostered players). I have authority over the head coach, but my mind's not there," Emery said. "My mind is on helping everybody in this building expand their expertise to having a consistent winner and championship teams."

He repeated that over and over.

The Bears need big-play wide receivers, another safety, a defensive tackle, a capable backup quarterback and more help on the offensive line.

But all the 53-year-old Emery would say is that to publicly assess the team's needs would be a competitive disadvantage.

He did pooh-pooh talk that the team was getting old.

"I look at it this way: Age is not a numerical number, it's whether you are making plays," Emery said. "If it was just a numerical number and number of gray hairs, I wouldn't be standing here."

Emery said his game plan includes evaluating free agents, correctly; looking for good football players who are producers and playmakers; not discussing contract negotiations or the possibility of applying the franchise tag to Matt Forte; and for Bears' employees to become an "expert" in their roles.

He said every staff member, himself included, will be evaluated on a daily basis.

Emery claims the current roster, no laughing please, has several playmakers already.

Jay Cutler. Matt Forte. OK, who else?

Emery added that, unlike Angelo, he'll be on the road much of the regular season, hoping to see a handful of college teams play each week.

And like Angelo, Emery hopes to be in sync with Lovie Smith at the end of their predraft evaluations, telling us Monday he has a very "good feel" for the upcoming draft.

He wants players with talent, good character,  passion for the game and who are accountable.

Careful now. Don't tip your hand too much.

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at al.hamnik@nwi.com.