"Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery still is considered the favorite to succeed Jerry Angelo as the Bears' general manager. But whether it's Emery or Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht, the winner will have a heavy workload the minute he signs his contract.

Though coach Lovie Smith is an untouchable and the core of the Bears' roster for 2012 is intact, hiring a general manager in the middle of the evaluation period for the draft and free agency puts the Bears in catch-up mode.

But there's more to it than that. When player evaluation and poor draft performance is the reason for change, every aspect of the player personnel department needs to be reviewed. Angelo was a ''consensus'' guy. Everybody who was part of the consensus contributed to his demise. A single change at the top isn't likely to slingshot the Bears past the Lions and Packers in the NFC North."