The axe fell after the Bears stumbled to a 5-11 record in the
2014 regular season that ended on Sunday, their worst record in a
decade, as they finished last in the NFC North.
Trestman was 8-8 in his first season in charge. Emery was 23-25 in
three seasons with the Bears.
"I want to thank Virginia, (Bears chairman) George and the McCaskey
family, Phil Emery and (Bears president) Ted Phillips for giving me
the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears," Trestman
said in a statement.
"I also want to thank all the coaches and players who gave us
everything we asked over the past two years. I have tremendous
respect for this organization. Chicago is a special city with great
fans."
Trestman's release comes after a season of poor on-field
performances and apparent discontent off the field as reports
surfaced of ineffectual leadership.
One of Trestman's underlings, offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer,
acknowledged earlier this month being the source of a media report
claiming that the team had "buyer's remorse" over the signing of
quarterback Jay Cutler to a new seven-year $126 million deal.
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Emery, meanwhile, paid the price for a series of questionable
decisions, most notably the lucrative contract extension for Cutler.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Mark
Lamport-Stokes)
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