Tuesday, December 30, 2014
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Bears ditch head coach Trestman and general manager

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[December 30, 2014]  (Reuters) - The Chicago Bears have fired head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery, the team announced on Twitter on Monday.

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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