It is his responsibility, the way he sees it, to do anything Bears general manager Ryan Poles needs him to do.
“Offensive linemen at heart are selfless people,” he said. “Having Ryan as (a former) offensive lineman, we’re alike. Wherever I can help him.”
Poles and Cunningham can excel at combination blocks, front-office style. To Cunningham, they have lived parallel lives.
Cunningham first became aware of Poles when they were being recruited by the same schools. Poles heard Cunningham’s name for the first time when he was trying to get his first scouting job at the combine in 2009 and had an interview with the Ravens. He walked into a room with DeCosta, who looked at him and started chuckling. When Poles asked what was funny, DeCosta said, “Have you ever heard of Ian Cunningham? You guys look alike.”
A few years later, Cunningham and Poles met on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, where both were scouting. They clicked immediately and started having dinners or beers together whenever they were in the same cities. They talked for hours, debating about current players and former players, going through “who would you rather have?” scenarios, challenging one another on how they would handle a specific type of conduct breach, or asking how the other was managing to balance work and family.
“We tried,” Poles said, “to better each other.”
When Poles made a campus visit to Ohio State, he was asked, “Weren’t you just here last week?” He had not been, but he suspected who was. He texted Cunningham and asked if he was at the school the previous week. “Yeah,” came the reply. “How did you know?”
They not only look alike, they think alike, too. They both embrace open debate and welcome different opinions. Poles encourages Cunningham to question him.
It has happened already, in a free-agency meeting with other team personnel people. Poles said he was looking at opportunities with a narrow vision.
“I don’t want to be too specific, but it was like, would you rather pay one receiver one lump sum, or have two receivers that better your team?” said Poles, who apparently decided against paying one receiver big money. “Or do you go with a guy that has versatility or no versatility? Wait, this guy can do his job and another job. Should we consider that? In free agency, we’re trying to be disciplined in how we spend money and cap space, so it’s negotiating which player to choose.”
Poles didn’t just hire Cunningham. He moved in with him. They rent a house together in Lake Bluff while their wives and children prepare to move to the Chicago area. They drive 20 minutes to and from work together, doing “post-operative reviews” and coming up with to-do lists.
Their goal is to operate with the Four Agreements in mind.
• Be impeccable with your word
• Don’t take anything personally
• Don’t make assumptions
• Always do your best