Do people still not understand? Do they not see the reality that Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace stared down when he accepted the job back in 2015? Here’s a reminder. Pace didn’t have to take the job. He had a comfortable position on a successful team in New Orleans. He easily could’ve waited for a more advantageous opportunity down the line. Instead he accepted the job, knowing full well what he was getting into.
Yet it seems other people from fans to some media are quick to denounce him after three offseasons as a scout masquerading as a GM. A man who is clearly unequal to the task. Is that really fair though. Unlike several general managers in the NFL, Pace didn’t just take over a losing team. That in itself is nothing new. He took over a losing team with almost no future prospects at all.
Typically there is a handful of quality young talent in place during a regime switch. Once in awhile that’s not the case, as it was three years ago.
Ryan Pace had almost nothing to work with when he took over
When he arrived in January of that year an honest assessment would’ve said the Bears had maybe two players on the roster 27 or younger with proven star potential. That was right guard Kyle Long and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Outside of them it was a long list of older veterans like Matt Forte and unproven kids like Kyle Fuller.
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This brings back the ugly truth of what got the Bears into this mess in the first place: the absolutely awful drafting they had from 2010 to 2014.
In total 30 players were selected in those five drafts. Just two of them (Long and Jeffery) managed to reach the Pro Bowl. Another 10 started at least one season for them. That means the remaining 18 offered little contribution to their efforts beyond special teams and reserve duty. In fact only four names from that list remain on the current roster.
Meanwhile people are celebrating the success of the Philadelphia Eagles who have the best record in football. That’s not an accident. Part of why they were rebuilt so quickly by GM Howie Roseman is they had a core in place. Here are some key names they had from their 2010 to 2014 drafts:
- Brandon Graham
- Jason Kelce
- Fletcher Cox
- Mychal Kendricks
- Vinny Curry
- Lane Johnson
- Zach Ertz
All of those men, especially Kelce, Cox, Johnson and Ertz have become key contributors to their success. Pace had nothing close to that when he took over. He literally had to tear the entire thing down and practically rebuild it from scratch.
Still the criticism continues
Here’s the latest example from Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Tribune, who thinks Pace is just as much to blame for the losing as head coach John Fox.
“At some point, Pace will have to answer for his free-agent bombs, but only if Trubisky doesn’t work out. Pace is lauded for his drafts with Eddie Goldman, Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair, Jordan Howard, Trubisky and Eddie Jackson regarded as legitimate NFL-quality starters and Adrian Amos, Jonathan Bullard, Nick Kwiatkoski, Tarik Cohen and maybe Adam Shaheen good backups, according to an informal poll of opposing scouts.
He has needed more picks to build a team from the draft. Don’t look at the Bears’ limited roster if you are in the blame-hunting business. You might realize that you have been looking at bad for so long, you no longer know how to judge good.”
Why blame Fox? Maybe he just doesn’t have the players.
The easiest answer is maybe Fox isn’t the coach he once was. Remember this is the guy who got fired in 2015 and the team who did so immediately won the Super Bowl. That’s an instant indictment on his ability to get the most from his players. The Bears have regularly looked unprepared and undisciplined going into games. Pace has no control over such things. His job is to provide the team with talent.
Based on recent indicators, he’s done his job. The signs point to one more good draft and a better coaching staff making this team a legitimate playoff contender. People who choose to ignore that in favor of bashing Pace are people who enjoy ignoring the big picture.
