Bears fire Jauron after 1 winning season in 5 years.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: David Haugh

CHICAGO _ What the McCaskeys always will consider one of the hardest decisions they have had to make _ firing family favorite Dick Jauron as the Bears' head coach _ ultimately was an easy one for general manager Jerry Angelo. Four losing seasons in five made it so.

Angelo concluded that Jauron's popularity wouldn't be enough to save his job shortly after the Bears were eliminated from the playoffs with a Dec. 7 loss to Green Bay. Part of Angelo's job description involves removing sentiment from the equation, much simpler to do with a coach like Jauron, with whom Angelo had a chilly relationship.

"I have to be the voice of reason and be more objective about these things," Angelo said Monday in announcing Jauron's dismissal.

Objectively, Angelo saw no way retaining a coach with a 35-45 record in five seasons would take the Bears closer to the Super Bowl, no matter how much some members of the McCaskey family lobbied for Jauron's return.

The organization had empowered Angelo to make such decisions, and it affixed his stamp on the franchise even more boldly Monday by extending Angelo's contract …