When Ted Phillips hired Ryan Pace to be the next General Manager of the Chicago Bears he said that he hired Pace because he loved his vision. He didn’t think Pace was the guy to put a few band aids on the roster and try and compete for a playoff spot in 2015, he thought Pace was the guy to bring in a new era of Beara’ football and make them a viable top notch franchise for years to come.
It’s clear the Bears have one of the great young football minds in the NFL.
Pace clearly didn’t like what he saw on the Bears roster. He churned roughly half the roster before the first preseason snap. Pace knows the type of player he’s looking for and if anyone on the current roster doesn’t fit the mold, he has no problem moving on and bringing in someone new.
When you see that type of turnover, you worry about the unknown. No one really knew what kind of eye for talent Pace had going into the season, as Bears fans we were are hopeful, but we didn’t know. He came from the New Orleans Saints and had a say in their personnel, but after several successful seasons, even the Saints have fallen on tough times.
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But as this season continues to play out, one thing is certain. It’s clear the Bears have one of the great young football minds in the NFL.
Pace made Pernell McPhee his top target in free agency and McPhee has responded with becoming one of the leaders in the locker room and a defensive force on the field. He is a player that offenses have to game plan for and exactly the type of difference maker this team needed.
Oct 4, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) is sacked by Chicago Bears nose tackle Eddie Goldman (91) in the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Pace’s rookie class is outstanding. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen what first round choice Kevin White can do, but his other rookies have been fantastic. Eddie Goldman has been a consistent anchor at nose tackle, Hronnis Grasu was showing steady improvement until being sidelined with a neck injury, and Adrian Amos has been one of the best defenders against the run on the entire unit. Jeremy Langford got his first big opportunity on Monday, and he turned in a nearly flawless performance.
That doesn’t even begin the mention the undrafted rookies that have shined this season. WR Cameron Meredith has proven to be an asset on offense and LB Jonathan Anderson is rapidly moving up the ladder and appears ready to start playing some serious minutes for the defense.
Add in the veteran players like Jarvis Jenkins and Tracy Porter that he took off the scrap heap and there shouldn’t be a Bears fan out there that’s not impressed with what Pace has accomplished in his first year. The Bears still have a long way to go. There are plenty of sizable holes left to fill and it’s going to take a couple more seasons to really start seeing this team come together.
I know Bears’ fans want to see immediate returns and want to be competing for a playoff spot every year, but if we as fans show some patience, I am gaining more and more confidence that Pace, along with John Fox and the coaching staff, are finally the regime to start taking this franchise to a level that it hasn’t seen in the last 25 years.