Following the 2017 NFL draft, it suddenly dawned on people what Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace was doing. He was building a roster that was almost a mirror image of the New Orleans Saints teams he was part of as a scout and executive. The similarities in skill sets between the players was almost impossible to ignore.
- An accurate and charismatic quarterback (Mitch Trubisky)
- A cat quick, fast and undersized running back (Tarik Cohen)
- The big, athletic tight end who excels in passing game (Adam Shaheen)
- An aggressive and physical defensive front seven
- An offensive line built with a strong interior trio
- Free safety with a history at cornerback (Eddie Jackson)
- Underappreciated inside linebacker who just makes plays (Danny Trevathan)
Of course the winning part of those similarities hasn’t shown up yet. Still it’s at least clear Pace is following the blueprint that he saw have success. That makes it easy to miss how deep the GM has taken it. Talking about the roster is one thing, but believe it or not Pace also is doing it with his coaching staff too.
Ryan Pace is remarkably like Mickey Loomis in approach
People don’t know how similar Pace is to his former mentor, Saints GM Mickey Loomis. Pace took over the Bears when he was 38-years old in 2015. Turns out that was the exact same age Loomis was when he became GM. Like Pace he was faced with a choice. Does he go with a fresh head coach or stick with one who had experience?
Such was the case in 2002. Jim Haslett has been the coach for two seasons in New Orleans. During that time he went 10-6 and 7-9 respectively. Thus it’s not hard to see why Loomis stuck with him. Being a rookie general manager, it was preferable to have a head coach already in place. Somebody with experience and a conservative approach to the game per his defensive background.
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Sounds just like the approach Pace took when he hired John Fox.
Loomis stuck with Haslett for the next few seasons as he acclimated to the job. By 2006 though he was ready for a change. Haslett had failed to lift the team to the playoffs during that time and crashed to earth at 3-13 the year before. This was coincided by the loss of offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy to San Francisco. Is any coincidence the same happened to Fox after losing Adam Gase?
Loomis realized the team needed an overhaul on that side of the ball. So he hired Cowboys assistant head coach Sean Payton. As luck would have it a few months later they signed Drew Brees.
Pace has his window to get the final puzzle piece
Part of the reason Loomis clung to Haslett for so long was reasonable success. The Saints went 9-7, 8-8 and 8-8 the first three years together. Nobody criticized it. Pace doesn’t have to worry about such a conundrum. Barring a drastic turnaround Fox won’t even sniff 8-8 this season, marking the third-straight time he’ll have a losing record in Chicago.
Like Loomis, Pace has had time to find his identity as a GM. He’s far more sure of himself and his actions than he was in 2015. That is proven by his quality drafting and his string of overhauls to the Bears organizational structure. He also believes he’s found his Brees in Trubisky. Given how close he’s stuck to the blueprint to this point, there’s only one mission left to accomplish.
He has to find his Payton. Like Haslett in New Orleans, Fox’s usefulness to the organization has come to an end. The locker room is strong. The defense and running game are rebuilt. It’s time to throw the weight of the organization behind their young QB. That starts with the man at the top.
