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Is Louis Riddick trying to send messages to the McCaskey family?
Riddick, who currently works with Steve Levy and Brian Griese in the booth on Monday Night Football, appeared on ESPN 1000’s Waddle & Silvy show on December 23, and he spoke candidly about the Chicago Bears and what they need to do to get out of the mediocrity they’ve been mired in for decades.
A friend and former colleague of current Bears head coach Matt Nagy — who is presumably out the door come season’s end — Riddick was beyond candid when discussing the Bears and how the team needs to set its struggling rookie quarterback, Justin Fields, up for success.
He also confirmed his interest in potentially working for the Bears in a management capacity.
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Riddick Makes Strong Points About Building Around Fields
“I see a young man who … is three-quarters of the way into his rookie season on an offense that — I’m just gonna start bigger picture — needs more support around him,” Riddick told co-hosts Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman about Fields before rattling off a few things the young signal-caller needs. “Definitely need to fortify the tackle position and make it much better. He definitely needs to have a true No. 1. As nice as Darnell Mooney is, as good as Allen Robinson can be, it’s not enough.”
“A true Jamar Chase type of No. 1 that can grow and develop the kind of chemistry with Justin the same way that Jamar developed that kind of chemistry (with Joe Burrow). They had some history before the pros (at LSU) — but he needs that kind of guy,” Riddick said, also getting critical of Nagy’s offense, which currently features the league’s worst passing attack.
“That’s probably not the kind of system that he (Fields) needs right now. It’s not gonna put him in the best position to succeed.”
The system, personnel and Fields himself all need to improve, Riddick said.
Riddick also noted that if the Bears truly want to change the direction of their organization, they have to go beyond firing Nagy and get a new GM — and potentially a new team president.
Riddick Has Shown Interest in Bears for a While
Riddick tweeted this about Bears rookie Thomas Graham, who had an impressive debut in Chicago’s Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:
He then made a point to note Graham isn’t the only talented piece he sees on Chicago’s roster:
Riddick has also been incredibly supportive of Fields for a while now.
“We all know that there was a lot of B.S. circling around Justin Fields heading into the draft as far as whatever his level of football intelligence was, whatever his level of commitment was, to the game, was he gonna be the guy who was going to go the extra mile to be great or not? There was a lot of that going on,” Riddick said about Fields back in August.
It’s clear he sees a ton of potential in multiple Bears players.
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What Kind of Background Does Riddick Have?
Riddick played in the NFL from 1992-98, spending time with the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and then-Oakland Raiders. He has previously worked as a scout and was director of pro personnel for both the Eagles and the Washington Football Team and he has 13 years of experience working in NFL front offices. Here’s a look at his resumé:
- Washington Redskins (2001–2004) — Pro scout
- Washington Redskins (2005–2007) — Director of pro personnel
- Philadelphia Eagles (2008) — Pro scout
- Philadelphia Eagles (2009) — Assistant director of pro personnel
- Philadelphia Eagles (2010–2013) — Director of pro personnel
The Detroit Lions and Houston Texans interviewed Riddick for their vacant GM positions last year, but neither team elected to hire him. He hasn’t worked with an NFL team in several years, but his knowledge of the game is incredible — and he admitted he’d be interested in a gig with the Bears.
Silverman asked Riddick if he would he be interested in the general manager position if the Bears were to call, and Riddick’s answer was almost emphatic.
“Of course I would listen,” Riddick said. “Of course. It’s the Chicago Bears, man. It’s a blue blood franchise. Of course.”
The ball is officially in your court, George McCaskey.
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