Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren reiterated Friday that the organization remains "extremely focused" on building a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
"That is our plan," Warren told reporters following the Bears' joint practice with the Dolphins at Halas Hall. "We strongly believe that is the only location in Cook County that will allow us to build a new Chicago Bears stadium with a fixed roof."
The Bears are hoping to construct a state-of-the-art stadium on the 326 acres of property they own on the former site of Arlington International Racecourse. Warren revealed that the Bears have been meeting with Arlington Heights officials on a weekly basis for the last couple months.
"We are making great progress," he said. "Those meetings are going well. Making excellent, excellent progress."
Warren said that the stadium design is complete, and the Bears are ready to move forward. The one hurdle that remains is that the project is dependent on the Illinois state legislature passing a "mega-project bill" that would allow the team to negotiate property tax assessments with local governments.
"The plan still is to proceed forward this year and hopefully receive a positive vote in the fall veto session from the Illinois state government to allow us to proceed forward with our project," Warren said. "It is very, very important that it passes because without that legislation, we are not able to proceed forward."
Warren estimated that the project would create 56,000 construction jobs and 9,100 permanent jobs.
"You are talking about putting people to work," he said. "This is an economic bill that would give people jobs, allow them to work, and get to work. Yes, the Bears would benefit from it. But there is much more than the Bears benefiting from this bill. The entire state of Illinois would benefit from it."
The Bears are eager to build a new stadium.
"This is a world-class facility for a world-class fan base," said chairman George H. McCaskey. "Chicagoland deserves it. We're missing out on major events. It's a great opportunity to provide jobs both on a temporary basis and permanent basis, and it's a chance to attract major events to the greatest city in the world. The village of Arlington Heights would benefit. The City of Chicago would benefit. The County of Cook would benefit. And the great state of Illinois would benefit."
Praise for Ben Johnson
Warren and McCaskey were asked for their opinions on head coach Ben Johnson through his first several months on the job.
"Coach Johnson is everything we had hoped for, everything we had planned for and then some," Warren said. "His leadership, his work ethic, his positivity but being realistic, his capabilities. He is an excellent planner, speaker, is diligent. He has a creative mind as you have seen from practice, and one of the greatest attributes is that he epitomizes what the Chicago Bears stand for – toughness and grit and attention to detail to carry forth the legacy that George Halas started and has carried through the McCaskey family."
McCaskey reiterated Warren's sentiments regarding Johnson's intangibles and noted the players' respect for their coach. The chairman also spoke about the intensity of Johnson's training camp practices.
"It reminded me of the good old days of two-a-days," McCaskey said. "You saw it getting a little chippy today with the joint practice. The guys are getting physical. I think that's an indication of how hard they're working."
Faith in Ryan Poles
Warren and McCaskey both have confidence in general manager Ryan Poles.
"Ryan will be the first person to tell you we don't have the results yet, but you can see him putting the building blocks together," McCaskey said. "His staff is strong. His leadership is sound. He's a great listener, he's a great leader, and we think he's a great talent evaluator, and we think that his partnership with Ben is going to bring Bears fans the winner they deserve."
"He is a world-class leader," Warren added. "He is talented. He is hard-working. He has a transformative thought process, which is critically important. I am thankful to the support of George McCaskey and the entire ownership group to be able to allow us to work that out with Ryan. And now to see the relationship that Ryan and coach Johnson have built allows us to have a chance to build a really good football team and a football program with two young leaders. I am grateful that Ryan is here as our general manager."
Honoring Mrs. McCaskey
The Bears will kick off the preseason this Sunday against the Dolphins at Soldier Field. It will be the club's first game since Virginia Halas McCaskey's passing.
George H. McCaskey shared an emotional response when talking about preparing for the family's first game without their matriarch.
"It'll be an adjustment. Sunday and next Sunday will help, because I think September 8, it will be difficult," McCaskey said. "But again, she showed us the way. Her leadership, her guidance, her direction have been invaluable, and we're all the beneficiaries of it."
