He Drafted Kevin White

Do you realize that Kevin White could go down as the absolute worst top 10 pick the Chicago Bears franchise has ever made? This is a franchise that started in 1919 people.

Sure, it’s bad luck. Injuries are hard to predict and White hit every branch on the way down the “The NFL F*cks Your Legs Up” tree. However, there was a ton of risk attached to drafting White back in 2015 that other teams apparently saw and avoided.

The first weakness on White’s draft profile was “pigeon-toed and runs heel to toe.” No matter how fast you are, if you run pigeon-toed there could be something wrong with your legs. This weakness was exploited when White received a minor injury to his shin while training, before ever playing in a NFL game, that turn out to be a surgery followed by a steel rod. After healing he fractured another bone in his leg. This is a topic you could look at from 100 different angles, the point is the way White runs was flagged as a weakness and his running style contributed to his injuries.

You could skim back through all the news in 2015 and find a pattern of teams looking closely at White and falling off, most notably the Oakland Raiders. No matter how you argue it, this pick will go down as one of the worst ever and it was the first one ever made in Chicago by Pace. If the road to a championship starts in the draft, this is a huge red flag that Pace will carry throughout his career.

He Hired John Fox

Most Bears fans believe the hiring of John Fox was forced on Pace by Ernie Acorsi, a consultant team ownership hired to help find a new GM and head coach. This may be slightly true, but Pace made the hire. Not only did Pace hire him, he KEPT HIM. As noted by Sports Mockery Bears insider Erik Lambet, Marc Trestman was fired after two seasons with a total of 13 wins. Fox has 12 wins in almost three years. On top of that, the Giants just fired their head coach after he produced 13 wins in two years, again Fox has 12 in three. The .188 winning percentage in 2016 was the second worst in Bears history and Pace chose to bring Fox back for a third year.

Here we sit in 2017 with .250 winning percentage and a chance to lose all of the remaining games. This would mean the duo of Pace and Fox would account for two of the worst three seasons in franchise history. Is that all Fox’s fault? If your answer is yes, read on.

Do you don’t realize Fox has gone to the Super Bowl with two different teams? Do you realize Fox won the AFC West four times in a row before coming to Chicago? How about this, I give you a piece of bread and a slice of cheese …. now make me a pizza.

Odds Indicate Personnel Problems

The Chicago Bears are 0-7 in games they’ve been favored in with Fox as head coach. Other than laughing hysterically at the zero wins, one might pause for a moment and ask themself why Chicago was only favored 7 times in 44 games? It’s because the personnel on the team is laughable. Who the hell is going to favor the Bears when their number one cornerback is Kyle Fuller, even though he’s played better as of late, and their number one receiver is Dontrell Inman.

There’s two sides of that though, injuries have caused a lack of depth. That could be understandable, but look at all the depth Pace got rid of. Robbie Gould, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Martellus Bennett and Alshon Jeffery are all players that could have helped Fox. Sure, there’s a ton of negative attitude in that group and some of them could be considered a “cancer” to the locker room. That being said, Chicago had the second worst season in franchise history last year, could have another this year. How has ridding themselves of that “cancer” helped? It hasn’t. Bennett has a Super Bowl ring. Jeffery just got a four-year extension and Gould just kicked five field goals including the game winner. How did getting rid of these players help the team?

Historically Bad Decisions

When you look at Pace’s resume in Chicago, the negative marks on it aren’t only bad, they’re historically bad. Kevin White has already been discussed. Let’s talk about a few more decisions.

Known wife beater Ray McDonald was signed by Pace back in March of 2015. Pace backed this decision and told the media McDonald was a different man. Took less than two months and McDonald was arrested again for domestic violence charges and child endangerment. Historically bad choice.

The Mike Glennon contract is arguably the worst free agent decision, monetarily, in Bears history. This dude got a contract for $45 million dollars to be the team’s new starting quarterback. He took the field for four games and threw five interceptions while fumbling five times before getting yanked for Mitch Trubisky. NOBODY in the world will ever assume Glennon is a starting quarterback again, and it was the historically bad decision by Pace that resulted in Chicago guaranteeing him $18.5 million.

Pernell McPhee was signed to a five-year contract. This was after he showed great potential in Baltimore, but the Ravens no longer wanted him due to injury concerns … specifically his knee. Pace swooped in and signed McPhee for a whopping $38.7 million. Since joining the Bears McPhee has failed to play a full season. In his first two years with the team he missed 7 games and struggles to be a 3-down player when he is healthy. Outside linebacker will likely top Chicago’s list once again in the 2018 draft because McPhee hasn’t been the guy Pace signed him to be. This is also a prime reason why Leonard Floyd was drafted in the first round two years ago.

Honorable mentions: the disastrous kicker situation and PEDs.

Final Thoughts

The Chicago Bears are not going to fire Ryan Pace, but they should consider it. Pace has done some good things since coming here, but he’s also made some terrible decisions nobody will ever forget. With his trailer attached to Trubisky, it’s fair to let Pace finally pick his own coach and develop this team the way he’s envisioned. That being said, Pace’s legacy will be defined by the development of this rookie quarterback. This makes the head coaching search even harder than before…. primarily because the team is in even worse shape and that’s the GM’s fault.

Good luck Ryan, you’re going to need it.