In a bit of a surprise considering that the Bears were just in the NFC Championship game last year, and did finish 8-8, Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo has been fired. He has been in that role since 2001.

Angelo, though, has been an unpopular figure among many Bears fans for years, and despite the team being reasonably successful, has drawn ire for his failure to draft adequately at the offensive line and skill positions. Angelo has made several free agent acquisitions and trades, such as the Cutler trade and signing Julius Peppers, but has not been as successful at drafting key parts. When Cutler went down with the injury, the lack of a backup and the problems that Cutler was shielding were exposed. He has also taken a hard stance with Matt Forte, the other star player on the Bears offense.

This spring, you might recall, Angelo also had the incident at the draft where the Ravens owner was critical of the Bears organization for botching a draft trade, causing Baltimore to miss their turn on a pick.

So what was the final straw? I guess we’ll probably find out. It could have been fatigue and need for a new voice, or disappointment over the lack of depth and quality around star players. Did Bill Polian’s firing yesterday have any impact to push the move that may have been pondered already to happen?

There has been no word on how this impacts Lovie Smith yet. Lovie signed an extension this offseason, and an 8-8 season as a result of a QB injury would ordinarily not put a coach in danger. All bets are off now for Lovie, though. Meanwhile, Angelo is out, and someone else will get to try to surround Cutler with weapons and blockers, and figure out how much Matt Forte is worth.

[Photo via Getty]