Q. What do you make of the contract extensions granted Jerry Angelo and Ted Phillips after Dick Jauron was fired?
A. Obviously, Ted and Jerry are together . . . but it is really hard for me to comment on any of that. Since I have been with the Packers, we have been 12-4, 12-4 and 10-6. We have been able to win some games. Mike Sherman and the organization have been extremely good to me, and I have enjoyed my stay in Green Bay. Hopefully, we will be able to make a run in the playoffs this time. Everything went wrong until the last play of the Arizona-Minnesota game last Sunday. It was a pretty exciting week and now we are getting ready for Seattle.
Q. How much pride did you take in the 2001 Bears, considering that all 22 of the Bears’ starters were acquired during your tenure in the Bears’ front office, including back-to-back rookies of the year Brian Urlacher and Anthony Thomas?
A. I couldn’t take too much pride because [the Bears] won the division that year. But I was more tickled for Dick Jauron and his coaches. I thought they did a good job. They got a lot of breaks, but I think your breaks are earned by preparation and luck. I felt a sense of pride about [the players selected for the Bears].
Q. You had your ups and downs during your stint with the Bears. What did you take away from that experience?
A. I learned a lot there. I think the Bears, when I got there, were still in the ’80s [attitude-wise]. We made some good strides as far as going out and obtaining players. That was the first time I was completely in charge of the personnel. To Mike [McCaskey] and Virginia [McCaskey], I was real appreciative because they gave me an opportunity.
Q. You are responsible for overseeing all the Packers’ scouting efforts, including the college scouting department, directed by John Dorsey, and the pro personnel department, headed by Reggie McKenzie. What is your toughest challenge?
A. Just staying up on everything. Between the salary cap and the unrestricted free agents and the guys on the practice squad and the draft . . . it is a continuous process year-round. You very seldom have a break. You have to stay on top of everything from the Canadian Football League to the Arena League. There are so many ways to get players.
Q. Before joining the Bears organization, you spent 10 years with the Kansas City Chiefs (1987-97), playing a key role in helping to develop the club into a perennial playoff contender in the 1990s. Are you surprised that NFL general managers and player personnel executives are becoming practically as well known as the coaches in this league?
A. I think it has to do with the media and the Internet and everything that goes on. I know one thing: We all better be on the same page and pulling in the same direction. That is what we have been able to do in Green Bay.
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