The Ryan Pace and John Fox marriage isn’t looking so good. Let’s face it. This wouldn’t be the first time a head coach and GM have failed to mesh together. Nonetheless the ongoing rumors with their situation is getting surreal. One could say signs of a rift began to form as early as last year. The Bears collapsed to 3-13 and were decimated by injuries for the second-straight year.
Losing tends to bring out hostility and differences of opinion. That’s inevitable. These men are every bit as competitive as the players on the field. When disagreements grow more frequent, rifts form. This reality is staring them in the face. After a 9-23 run through two seasons, pressure is beyond high for the Bears to show improvement in 2017.
A critical step to that happening is the NFL draft. Problem is if the two men at the top aren’t cohesive, it can lead to lack of communication and forming of factions. Despite denials from Pace himself on the subject, rumors persist that something is wrong.
Growing hints of a Ryan Pace and John Fox divorce
Chris Mortensen of ESPN dropped the latest bomb on this situation when he indicated during the draft that Pace did not inform Fox that the team would be taking North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky until around 90 minutes before the pick was made.
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He wasn’t alone either. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports talked to other executives from around the league, all of whom were utterly perplexed at what the Bears did in the draft. Much of it they believe has to do with a growing divide between Pace and Fox over the composition of the roster.
“We don’t know what the hell they were doing,” an executive tells La Canfora. “It’s all anyone is talking about. It’s really bad between [Ryan] Pace and [John] Fox. Fox is fuming about being left in the dark on the trade (for Trubisky). I don’t know anyone who likes their draft. From the first pick on, we can’t figure out what they were doing. Go back and look at how many small-school kids they took. People around the league are shocked. It’s really bad between Pace and Fox.”
Remember just how steep an age difference we’re talking about here. Pace is set to turn 39-years old. Fox turned 62 in February. They are 23 years apart. These guys grew up in entirely different eras of the game. Fox was a disciple of the great Chuck Noll who believed in winning with defense and running the football. Pace came from New Orleans where he watched coaches like Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton build winners around quarterbacks.
Trubisky is a long-term investment
It seemed almost inevitable that they would end up clashing. The idea that the experience Fox brought would be good for Pace sounded nice at first. Over time though when a team continues to struggle through losing seasons? Pace has the luxury of time. Fox doesn’t. The Trubisky pick perfectly illustrates that critically important point.
Fox knows that he’s running out of time. After two-straight losing seasons it’s likely he can’t survive a third. In such a situation he’d want the front office to add as many impact players in free agency and the draft as possible. The problem is Pace is a man of conviction. He won’t overpay for any veteran player and will draft players he feels helps the franchise in the long-term. Sometimes that means getting guys who aren’t ready to play right away.
Like Trubisky.
I’ve heard from a source that Fox is “beyond livid” over that move by Pace. This backs up the statement by Mortensen. It also falls in line with Fox’s history. Before now every team he has head coached since he first started in 2002 has never taken a first round quarterback. Always it was a focus on getting players who could contribute right away.
Trubisky started only 13 games in college. He’s talented for sure, but far from ready to play. His long-term outlook is very bright, but 2017? He won’t help the Bears. That undoubtedly would frustrate Fox who knows he has to win this year if he wants to keep his job.
Fox doesn’t fit the Pace vision
In truth people forget that Pace grew up in a different template for team building. He saw how to make a champion in New Orleans. It involved a dynamic offense, opportunistic defense and a smart, accurate, clutch passer driving the machine. Not to mention an aggressive, charismatic head coach on the head set like Payton. The fact is Fox never fit with that vision. He’s a laid back, old school guy who believes in defense, power running, and ball security.
If this rumor is true and Pace conspired with chairman George McCaskey to cut Fox out of the loop, then he might as well be half out the door already.
Mort said that Pace and George decided a month ago that they would draft Trubisky and didn't tell anyone until 1.5 hours before draft.
— dan durkin (@djdurkin) April 28, 2017
One also can’t forget about the other rift reported by the Chicago Tribune months ago between Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. It’s clear that the man has either kicked up the most incredible nest of false rumors or he’s no longer Mr. Popular at Halas Hall despite the league-wide respect he still enjoys.
In truth the 2017 draft proves beyond any further doubt that the Chicago Bears are Ryan Pace’s team. He’s going to build it his way. If Fox can’t cope with that, then odds are he won’t be around much longer. For what it’s worth, SM is also hearing that’s a possibility as well. Nothing set in stone yet, but stay tuned.
