The Chicago Bears found their new general manager on Saturday, his name is Phil Emery.

Emery was with the Bears for seven years from 1998 to 2004.

He then moved on to the Atlanta Falcons to serve as the director of college scouting.

He went to Kansas City in 2010, where he held the same position.

He interviewed twice with the Bears this month alongside New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht.

San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye, New York Giants director of college scouting and former Bears director of player personnel Tim Ruskell all interviewed for the position as well.

The Bears fired Jerry Angelo after a tough season plagued with injuries and a clear lack of depth.

Emery has been able to do a good job at finding talent in his past jobs.

Emery was on the Bears staff, when they drafted receiver Marty Booker,linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs and safety Mike Brown and cornerback Charles Tillman. He was able to help the Bears attain eight future pro bowlers in those drafts.

He was also with the Bears, when they drafted Cade McCown, which turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes in draft history.

He went on to draft receiver Roddy White and quarterback Matt Ryan in his time in Atlanta.

Look for him to help the Bears land some solid prospects in the draft and key free agents this off-season.

With eight draft picks this draft and a lot of decisions to make on free agents Emery will have his hands full.

Emery is known for his talent evaluating skills something Jerry Angelo wasn’t very good at in his time with the Bears.

The Bears will introduce Emery at 2 P.M., it will be interesting to see what kind of questions the media asks him in his first press conference as the Chicago Bears general manager.

Jacob Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

Super Bowl 46 doesn’t take place until next Sunday, but that doesn’t mean we can’t focus on the facts.

Three former Bears will take the field in Indianapolis this Sunday.

There are two former Bears on the Patriots (defensive end Mark Anderson and fullback Lousaka Polite) and one on the Giants (defensive lineman Jimmy Kennedy).

Jacob Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

3:00 p.m. ET, the Baltimore Ravens travel to New England to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots.

The Patriots have been very good at home this season.

The Ravens rush offense has been very good, but their pass offense is unpredictable.

New England’s defense is led by former Bear Mark Anderson, who has 10 sacks this season.

They forced turnovers and brought pressure on Tim Tebow and the Broncos last week in the AFC Divisional Round.

Joe Flacco will have to play flawlessly for the Ravens to have a chance because the Patriots will be bringing pressure consistently on Sunday.

Tom Brady might be too much for the Ravens defense. The Ravens forced three interceptions off of Texans rookie quarterback T.J. Yates in the AFC Divisional Round.

Prediction: New England 27, Baltimore 17.

6:30 p.m. ET, the New York Giants head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. The 49ers upended the high flying Saints in the NFC Divisional Round.

49ers quarterback Alex Smith put together a solid performance and the defense was better than ever.

That defense might be too much for the Giants, who upset a poor defense in Green Bay last week.

The 49ers have been a great home team, just like the Patriots have been all season long.

Many fans would love to see a Harbaugh Bowl in the Super Bowl or a rematch of Super Bowl 42 between the Giants and Patriots.

But a Super Bowl between the Patriots and 49ers is the most likely matchup.

Look for the 49ers to beat the Giants in San Francisco and advance to the Super Bowl with their stingy defense.

Prediction: 49ers 24, Giants 17.

Jacob Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

The Bears decided to part ways with a pretty solid tight end in Greg Olsen last season.

In four seasons in Chicago, Olsen racked up over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns.

He played well with the Panthers this season, reeling in five touchdowns and over 500 yards.

Right now in the NFL, the tight end position is becoming a focal point for offenses.

Two of the four teams left in the playoffs have very good tight ends.

San Francisco has Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker, while New England has Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

With big weapons like those players listed above, it creates mismatches for the defense.

The Bears had a solid tight end tandem two seasons ago with Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark, but now they have Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth.

Spaeth is a solid blocker, but not much of a receiver. Davis is a free agent, who creates mismatches, but shouldn’t be a starter in the NFL.

Tight ends tend to be matched up against a linebacker or a nickelback.

Just look at what Jermichael Finley of the Packers did to Bears linebacker Nick Roach in Week 16. He tore him apart.

The Bears need a player who can create mismatches for opposing defenses.

Free agency could be a spot where they look for a tight end or in the draft.

Unfortunately this year’s draft won’t be packed with that much talent at the tight end position.

But there are a couple options for them in the earlier rounds.

The Bears have a pick in every round, including a second (3rd round pick) from Carolina, acquired in the Greg Olsen trade.

The top five tight ends in the 2012 NFL Draft:

1) Dwayne Allen, Clemson. Projected round: 1-2.

2) Coby Fleener, Stanford. Projected round: 2-3.

3) Orson Charles, Georgia. Projected round: 2-3.

4) David Paulson, Oregon. Projected round: 3-4.

5) Evan Rodriguez, Temple. Projected round: 3-4.

The top five tight ends in free agency:

1) Fred Davis, Washington. Likely will return to the Redskins for big money.

2) John Carlson, Seattle. Was out all of last season with a shoulder injury, could come cheap.

3) Martellus Bennett, Dallas. Has underachieved in Dallas, but will likely head back to Big D.

4) Daniel Fells, Denver. Has potential, but is more of a blocking tight end.

5) Jeremy Shockey, Carolina. Showed that he can still play at a high level, but the Panthers will likely bring him back.

Will the Bears add a tight end this off-season?

The draft or free agency are options for them.

Either way they need to realize how important a pass-catching tight end is for the success of this offense.

The elite teams in the NFL have very good tight ends, will the Bears spend the money to be elite next season?

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

The Baltimore Ravens will travel to New England next Sunday and the New York Giants will travel to San Fransisco.

Did anyone see that coming?

In the AFC the top two teams made the championship game as expected.

In the NFC, the 49ers took down the high flying Saints and the Giants upset the 15 win Packers at Lambeau.

When the Saints lost I figured the Packers would have an easy path the to Super Bowl, but the Packers blew their big chance.

Bears and Lions fans have to be smiling across the country over the Packers loss.

The next round will be a great test for both road teams.

Expect the Patriots and 49ers to represent their conferences in the Super Bowl.

Don’t be shocked if the Giants pull off another road upset, but it will be tough.

Next Sunday will be the best Sunday of football all season.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

Saturday:

4:30 p.m. ET, New Orleans Saints travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.

If the Saints get off to a fast start, the 49ers will be in a big trouble. They don’t want a shootout because Alex Smith won’t be able to keep up with Brees and Co.

Look for the Saints to win for the first time ever in the playoffs on the road.

Prediction: Saints 31, 49ers 17.

8:00 p.m. ET, Tim Tebow and the Broncos take on the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots have a very good offense, but one of the worst defenses. Will Tim Tebow be able to scorch the Patriots defense like he did a week ago to the Steelers?

Expect a closer game than what most fans are anticipating, but the Patriots will end Tebowmania once and for all this season.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Broncos 20.

Sunday:

1:00 p.m. ET, Houston takes on Baltimore in a clash of the running backs.

Ray Rice heads up against Arian Foster. That will be an interesting matchup to watch.

The defenses are both very stingy, but it will likely come down to the quarterbacks. Which quarterback will be able to make more plays, Joe Flacco or rookie T.J. Yates?

The Texans have more weapons on offense. Andre Johnson could be in line for a big day.

I’m picking the upset in Baltimore.

Prediction: Houston 17, Baltimore 14.

4:30 p.m. ET, the New York Giants head to Lambeau Field to play the 15-1 Green Bay Packers.

This is an interesting matchup considering the Giants pass rush is healthy and ready to attack.

The Packers offensive line has to hold up like it has all year for Rodgers to play his best.

This game will be close, but the Packers offense is just too much for the Giants defense that has a weak linebacking core.

Prediction: Packers 31, Giants 20

The home teams will go a combined 3-1 this weekend.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

This video gets funnier every time.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

The NFL Wild-Card round showcased some great moments this weekend especially Sunday night with Tim Tebow and the Broncos pulling out an overtime victory.

Tebow gets a lot of the credit in the 29-23 win because of his ironic 316 passing yards, but WR Demaryius Thomas reeled in some big catches.

He caught four passes for 204 yards and his 80-yard overtime game winning catch lifted the Broncos to the AFC divisional round.

Tebow deserves the credit for consistently avoiding the pressure from the Steelers defense.

He tossed two touchdowns and ran for another without throwing an interception.

He will have a tough matchup on Saturday against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

The Patriots brought in former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels as a offensive specialist.

McDaniels certainly knows a thing or two about Tim Tebow and the Denver offense.

Can Tebow keep his heroics going against the highly favored Patriots in New England?

The other AFC matchup this past weekend was between the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans.

Both teams had rookie quarterbacks at the helm and solid defenses on the field, but the Texans were simply the better team.

The Texans led 17-10 at the half, but scored 14 in the final two quarters, while holding the Bengals to zero points.

The good defense bodes well for them because they have a tough test in Baltimore Sunday afternoon.

The Texans fell to the Ravens during the regular season, but if Houston can contain Ray Rice, their pursuit of a win would be that much easier.

Expect a very good game between to solid defenses in Baltimore on Sunday.

NFC Playoffs Review and Prediction:

The Saints put up a whopping 45 points against the Detroit Lions on Saturday, but only 10 points came in the first half.

They will need to get off to a fast start on Saturday against the stingy San Fransisco 49ers defense.

Alex Smith and the 49ers would likely have a tough time if the game turned into a shootout, so if Drew Brees and the high flying Saints offense can get points early they could be on their way to their third NFC Championship in six years.

It won’t be easy considering the Saints are 0-4 all-time on the road in the playoffs, but they seem to be very tough to stop these past couple of games.

The other NFC matchup is a rematch of the 2007 NFC Championship.

The Giants travel to Lambeau Field to take on the 15-1 Packers.

The last playoff game at Lambeau was that NFC Championship where then Packers QB Brett Favre tossed an interception in overtime as the Giants kicked their way to Super Bowl 42.

This time around the teams are very different.

Aaron Rodgers is at the helm for the very impressive Packers offense, while Eli Manning is having one of his best seasons with many weapons around him.

The Packers are the clear favorite and rightfully so, but don’t be shocked if the cocky Giants team find a way to win.

The Giants pass rush has been effective with Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul providing consistent pressure.

The Packers are beaten up on the offensive line, so stopping the Giants defensive linemen will be a key matchup to watch.

What to Expect this weekend:

All four matchups should be very good, but don’t think all the home teams will walk away with victories like they did in the Wild-Card round this past weekend.

Since 2005, the home team has posted 12-12 record in the conference semifinals.

Storylines for all four games:

New Orleans (3) at San Francisco (2), 4:30 p.m. ET- Will Alex Smith and the 49ers offense be able to keep up with the high flying Saints offense?

Denver (4) at New England (1), 8:00 p.m. ET- Can Tom Brady end Tebowmania and help the Patriots pick up their first playoff win since the 2007 Super Bowl run?

Houston (3) at Baltimore (2), 1:00 p.m. ET- Which star running back will shine brighter in Baltimore, Ray Rice or Arian Foster?

New York (4) at Green Bay (1), 4:30 p.m. ET- Can the Giants once again take down the Packers at Lambeau or will Aaron Rodgers pick apart New York’s secondary?

This weekend should be interesting to say the least.

So sit back and enjoy the action NFL fans.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

The Bears found their offensive coordinator, his name is Mike Tice.

Today the Bears announced the promotion of Mike Tice to offensive coordinator.

Last season, the Bears didn’t allow the Tennessee Titans to interview Tice for their offensive coordinator position, which upset Tice.

Tice isn’t upset now. He will be taking over the offense and bringing a run-first mentality back to the unit.

The Bears offense ran for over 2,000 yards this season for the first time since 1990.

Tice was in charge of one of the most troubled units on the team, the offensive line.

He did a fine job with what he had to work with on the line, especially this season when they lost two key starters in Chris Williams and Gabe Carimi.

The Bears will be looking for a quarterbacks/passing coach and offensive line coach along with a new general manager

Tice has never been an offensive coordinator, but he was often in control of plays with Martz being unpredictable at times this season.

Bears fans weren’t pleased to hear Lovie Smith would be back next season, so they likely won’t be pleased to hear Tice is taking over the offense.

This move could make or break the Bears.

Key question:

Will a new general manager be pleased with Lovie Smith’s current staff or will that be a turn off for the new GM?

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

The last two times head coach Lovie Smith replaced offensive coordinators, the Bears went on to win a division crown the following season.

He’s going to need to make the correct choice or he maybe out of work come the end of next season.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.