Up until this week there was a fog uncertainty around Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace. The general belief was simple. Odds favored him being retained beyond 2017 despite the struggles of the team through his first three years. Most of the problems have centered around head coach John Fox and his inability to elevate their play on a consistent enough basis.
At the same time there was a danger. A loss to the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Eve might just sway ownership to blow the whole thing up. Thankfully Pace’s young roster saved him, cruising to an easy 20-3 victory led by prized quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Though it does nothing in the grand scheme for this season, it was a valuable win to reinforce the work Pace is doing.
More than that, confirmation on a vital subject matter finally came to the forefront. One that could go a long way towards determining how the 2018 season shapes up for the Bears and perhaps beyond.
Bears GM Ryan Pace will have final say on next head coach
One of the great fears for many fans is that the McCaskey ownership and team president Ted Phillips might try to hijack the hiring process this January. Similar to how the situation with Fox came about in the first place. They put forth their strong recommendation for a candidate and Pace is forced to go along with it.
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For a heart-stopping moment it seemed like that was the case. Ian Rapoport relayed the information before the Browns game that Phillips was making calls inquiring about coaches who were available. Thankfully Dan Bernstein of CBS Sports has it on good authority that the final say on this matter belongs to Pace.
Sources: any #Bears coaching hire will be made by Pace. Ted Phillips's only role is to contact other teams regarding availability of potential candidates, in his capacity as president. Bears just following protocol in that regard. 1/2
— Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) December 24, 2017
Pace is the top #Bears football voice. At this stage, Phillips is ensuring that all contractual and league obligations are followed properly as they consider options. 2/2
— Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) December 24, 2017
This is an important development. One of the worst things the Bears could’ve done is muck up the hiring process with too many cooks in the kitchen. If they indeed believe that Pace is to remain the man running the show, then they have to let him run it. This next coach must be the one that fulfill his vision for where he wants this Bears team to go.
With Trubisky in place that vision is so close to becoming a reality. If Pace can get the right head coach in place to bring it all together, this team is finally ready to make a run at the NFC after nearly a decade. Who will he choose? Stay tuned for January to find out.
