Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Saints. (Found in
).
After weeks of searching, the Chicago Bears have found their new general manager in Ryan Pace, former New Orleans Saints Director of Player Personnel. The speculation of who is going to replace the vacant position has produced many names, but it appears the team could do no better than Pace, a man who over 14 season with the Saints accumulated a record of 115-93. The Bears after all need a new GM with a new vision for the team, as Chicago will be hopeless to compete in the NFC North with this current roster.
Drafting:
Though the Bears have drafted a few good picks over the past few years (Alshon Jeffery, Kyle Long, Kyle Fuller) the team needs to start generating more talent from each pick they get in the coming years, including, and especially picks 7, 39, and 71 in this year’s draft. While Pace has been with the Saints for 14 seasons, he has only just recently been promoted to Director of Player Personnel, overseeing scouting for perspective prospects. As a former Director of Pro Scouting, Pro Scout, and Scouting Assistant Pace he has been responsible for everything from recommending player acquisitions, researching possible trade opportunities, to evaluating top college prospects. During his time in the Saints front office Pace has drafted guys like Kenny Vaccaro,, Cameron Jordan, Mark Ingram Jimmy Graham, but have failed to make much of an impact in the later rounds, aside from Kenny Stills (2013, 5th round). It remains to be seen how new general manager Ryan Pace will handle the Chicago Bears draft rounds one through seven.
Free Agents:
After a disastrous year of free agency for the New Orleans Saints, I suppose the hope is that Pace learned from his former teams mistakes and will be able to rebound in 2015. The Saints missed on several big-money free agents in a year that many expected the team to dominant in a weak NFC South. Instead the team finished (7-9) as the team’s reign as perianal contender appears to nearly be over. In Chicago however, he will be expected to rebuild rather than trying to plug holes in a leaking ship. With Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman set to hit free agency in the offseason, this spring will be an important time for Pace to set the tone for the transition to a younger team that is long overdue in Chicago.
Coaching Staff:
Easily the most pressing issue for new general manger Ryan Pace is ensuring a good and communicative relationship between the new front office and the new heading staff. The 2014 season ended in turmoil for the Bears and nobody, including the fan base, wants a repeat performance anytime soon. It’s unclear how much input will have in the decision of hiring a new head coach, but hopefully there is a clear and secure line of communication from day one with new management and coaching staff in Chicago.