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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency Services Missing girl's family, friends, want more info from police Couple's creativity and hard work fuel Kid Time! preschool expansion LNG project: Where the gas would flow, so would the money Time for a little winter prospecting Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Missing girl's family, friends, want more info from police Emergency Services Suspect in high-speed chase still unaccounted for Emergency services Politics and Elections State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Oregon missionary deported back to U.S. faces molestation charges Poverty rate in Oregon schools jumps since 2007 Northwest poultry producers fear bird flu outbreak may hurt exports John Day loggers, conservationists cut a deal to save a mill Seaside man accused in child's death Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Patricia Ann Burton Alan Leslie Kenmoen Sharon Kay Boldt David A. Schneider Dovie Mae Stout Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Harbaugh, 49ers agree to part ways Beavers' Andersen hires offensive coaches No. 10 Beavers fall to No. 8 Vols Falls comes up big for South Medford UCLA isn’t looking back after Kentucky shellacking Varsity 541 College Sports Beavers' Andersen hires offensive coaches No. 10 Beavers fall to No. 8 Vols UCLA isn’t looking back after Kentucky shellacking No. 1 Kentucky holds off No. 4 Louisville Winston is in his 'sanctuary' at Rose Bowl Pro Sports Harbaugh, 49ers agree to part ways Raptors halt Clippers' home streak NBA’s trading season has started early Ryan cleans out office, awaits his fate Garrett refused to give up on Cowboys Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape Business Latest Stories LNG project: Where the gas would flow, so would the money Southern Oregon Surrogacy Center opens in Medford Silvio Calabi: GLA250 is a Merc for the masses Blog: The Holidays Have Arrived Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Real Estate News Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Opinion Latest Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Letters to the Editor, Dec. 28 Another View: Jeb Bush's Republican primary hurdles Dana Milbank: Larry Klayman's legal massacre Robert Samuelson: The best stats of 2014 Editorials Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Other Views: Roseburg VA director sets the right goals Our View: Thanks to four departing leaders Other Views: Yes, Virginia ... 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Friday: Last 3-Team Parlay of 2014 Keeps the Empties in the Garage Longer Community blog: Why New Year�s Resolutions Don�t Work and What to Do Instead Fishing report: Friday, Dec. 26 Food Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Community blog: 'Cookbook Book' digests genre's past 300 years Community blog: Liver pat� an easy nosh for Hanukkah and beyond Home and Garden Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Dear Monty: Siblings dispute inherited real estate Health Community blog: Why New Year�s Resolutions Don�t Work and What to Do Instead Community blog: I Get It. Took a While. Health Watch: Small diet changes can make a big difference Community blog: Removing Barriers Is Good Insurance Health Watch: Change up your treadmill workout Hiking Biking Faith (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Fans, friends and family welcome home victorious SOU team at airport Wedding: Boldt-Mahon Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Live Music in Local Clubs Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Theater ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning TMTO presents 'A Christmas Carol: The Musical' Music SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Live Music in Local Clubs Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present 'The Holly and the Ivy' Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Community Events Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dance to the Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra Dining Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Council is barking up the right tree ... Suspect in high-speed chase still unaccounted for ... Southern Oregon Surrogacy Center opens in Medford ... Our View: Council is barking up the right tree ... Suspect in high-speed chase still unaccounted for ... Southern Oregon Surrogacy Center opens in Medford ... COMMENTARY McCaskey's Bears legacy is on the line Comment By David Haugh Chicago Tribune MailTribune.com By David Haugh Chicago Tribune Posted Dec. 27, 2014 @ 7:01 pm By David Haugh Chicago Tribune Posted Dec. 27, 2014 @ 7:01 pm » Social News When Marc Trestman ran onto the field at Metropolitan Stadium for the first time as a Vikings rookie free-agent defensive back in the 1978 preseason opener, emotion overcame the Minneapolis native. Trestman made eye contact with his proud dad, Jerry, who was sitting in his usual seat, and suddenly the memories of all those games together as father and son watching their favorite team came flooding back. “I will never forget the look on his face,” Trestman wrote in his book, “Perseverance.” Again today at the home of the Vikings, albeit TCF Bank Stadium, family and close friends will surround Trestman a generation later for another profound, personal football moment he perhaps never will forget — as hard as he tries. The Bears will finish their most disappointing season of the post-1985 Super Bowl era in what figures to be Trestman’s final game as head coach, likely ending a two-year experiment that did little more than prove the value of experience on an NFL sideline. Chicago anxiously awaits a Halas Hall overhaul, beginning with Trestman and perhaps continuing with general manager Phil Emery, depending on what Bears Chairman George McCaskey decides after ownership debated the GM’s future all week. The most obvious passion left in a football city is for significant change. Under Trestman, the Bears culture slowly became too permissive, the offense too cute and the defense too soft. The so-called quarterback whisperer never raised his voice enough to make a difference in Jay Cutler, who, after two years of more coddling than coaching, remains the “same old Jay.” The Bears defense and special teams steadily deteriorated under coordinators Trestman allowed Emery to choose for him. The comparisons to Bill Walsh and Marv Levy seem pretty silly now for a Bears head coach who awkwardly fit a job that Mike Ditka and George Halas had held. The news McCaskey must break to Trestman on Monday morning if the family truly considers the Bears a public trust reflects merely on Trestman the coach, but not the man. As an NFL head coach, Trestman was an exceedingly nice guy, but he never found a way to translate uncommon consideration into unparalleled success. He was hired in January 2013 to close the gap on the Packers. He should be fired, ultimately, for getting passed by the Vikings. Trestman inherited a 10-win team from Lovie Smith that, two dysfunctional seasons later, can smell its 11th loss. At what point do you think the McCaskeys realized the Canadian Football League where Trestman succeeded as a head coach has only eight teams? The irony is Trestman took the job intending to engage with every player on an individual, personal level and struggled largely because of his inability to connect deeply enough to create respect in the locker room. The latest example came when Trestman, asked about Lions center Dominic Raiola intentionally stomping on Bears defensive tackle Ego Ferguson’s ankle, passed on a chance to stick up for his player by offering a lame, “No comment.” Players in today’s money-first, me-first age of professional sports took advantage of Trestman’s outwardly meek demeanor, from Lance Briggs skipping Labor Day practice before Week 1 to Brandon Marshall turning the season into his own 17-week reality show, and every undisciplined act in between. Undisciplined teams commit penalties, make mistakes and miss assignments — not to mention the playoffs. Mr. and Mrs. Grabowski, your 2014 Chicago Bears under Trestman. How fitting that Trestman’s Bears tenure likely will end in his hometown, where it began to unravel Dec. 1, 2013, in an overtime defeat from which his credibility really never recovered. On that pivotal day, Trestman called on kicker Robbie Gould to attempt a 47-yard field goal on second down rather than improve the percentages with at least one more play. Fatefully, Gould missed. The loss, which essentially kept the Bears out of the playoffs, dropped Trestman’s record to .500 for the first time and preceded 12 losses in the next 19 games. That’s a trend McCaskey needs to stop immediately. The Bears haven’t won a playoff game in almost four years — Jan. 16, 2011. Since the Bears’ last postseason appearance, the Packers have won a Super Bowl and the Lions and Vikings each have made the playoffs. Whatever it is they think they’re doing at 1920 Football Drive in Lake Forest, Ill. isn’t working. Maybe the Bears quietly began exploring replacements for Emery this week, according to a league source, because they realize it. Maybe Emery signing center Roberto Garza to a modest one-year, $1.5 million contract signals he will keep his job or stay with the Bears in another role. Maybe McCaskey will emerge from his football bunker Monday morning with an appropriately strong message that enough is enough and the Bears are tired of being an organization nobody takes seriously as a Super Bowl contender. Only McCaskey’s legacy as a football executive depends on him responding to a lost season with clear direction. By David Haugh Chicago Tribune MailTribune.com By David Haugh Chicago Tribune Posted Dec. 27, 2014 @ 7:01 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Week 17 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Dec. 28, 2014 at 10:00 am Last-Minute Outlook for Fantasy Flex Players Dec. 28, 2014 at 9:00 am Last-Minute Fantasy Advice for Week 17 Dec. 28, 2014 at 7:00 am Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 17 Dec. 27, 2014 at 12:00 pm Final NFL Week 17 Odds Projections and Fantasy Stars to Watch Dec. 27, 2014 at 10:00 am Fantasy Football Daily League Guide to Week 17 Dec. 27, 2014 at 8:06 am calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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