Bear Digest

What Matt Ryan Said About Falcons Job Is Sure to Set Off Bears Fans

Analysis: In a CBS Sports interview, the former Falcons quarterback and current president of football described a situation that should mean two third-round Bears draft picks.
Gene Chamberlain|
Matt Ryan at a celebrity golf tournament. The new Falcons football president will apparently be Ian Cunningham's helper.
Matt Ryan at a celebrity golf tournament. The new Falcons football president will apparently be Ian Cunningham's helper. | Jason Bean/RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Matt Ryan's role as the Atlanta Falcons football president came up again during Super Bowl week and it's sure to trigger a new wave of Bears fan discontent.

Reports have said the Bears will not get the Rooney Rule benefit of two third-round draft picks from Ian Cunningham's departure for Atlanta as GM because there is a higher decision maker on Atlanta's football side of things than the GM. This, even though Ryan himself said at a press conference that the former Bears assistant GM is the top personnel decision maker.

Now, appearing on a CBS interview with Pete Prisco and former Bears offensive  lineman Kyle Long, Ryan made it clear once again how the GM, Cunningham, is calling the shots even though he owns the president of football title.

If that's the case, the Rooney rule says the Bears get two third-round picks. It's clear to everyone but Roger Goodell.

Prisco asked Ryan about who calls the shots at the draft.

"Man, Ian's in charge, Ian's in charge of that space," Ryan said. "I'm looking forward to learning about ... you know, I said it the other day in the presser, like, I've never sat in a draft meeting. And so Monday is going to be the first day I'm sitting in a draft meeting. I've got a lot to learn.

"So sitting, observing, being a fly on the wall, if there's something that Ian has  a question about or something I can help with, I'm all ears and I'm happy to share my opinion, but Ian is in charge and he is driving this boat."

And in the meantime the Bears don't get two draft picks?

"He's incredibly competent, qualified and he's awesome," Ryan said. "So I'm looking forward to watching him do his thing."

Maybe Ryan can fetch Cunningham coffee. He's the coffee boy.

And Roger Goodell thinks the Rooney Rule is working fine but it's not perfect. At least this was his message with all the usual platitudes he utters at his state of the league talk this week.

"This is Ian's regular season right now and he is in it and he's driving the ship for us,"  Ryan said.

"I'm going to be in it but I'm not driving," Ryan added.

It would be easy for the Bears to be angry about the way the Falcons have set up their front office, where the football president gets donuts for the GM.

But the Falcons didn't care how the Rooney Rule would be giving the Bears two third-round picks if Cunningham advanced as a minority member from assistant GM to GM elsewhere. It's not like the picks come from Atlanta.

The problem is, it appears the NFL didn't care, either, and they were the ones who came up with this rule to benefit teams who bring along young minority executives. Or at least it's supposed to foster better hiring practices.

Next time Goodell has something to say about the Rooney Rule at a league function, like at the owners meetings near the end of March, the Bears need to simply get up and walk out.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.