Many fans might be concerned about the hiring of Ryan Poles. The one thing I keep hearing people say is that Poles is just another Ryan Pace and this team cannot go down that road once again. It is important for us to look at this objectively though. Obviously, the Chicago Bears did not hire Ryan Poles because his initials are the same as Ryan Pace and the team was looking to go as cheap as possible in this transition. It appears to me that the team did their due diligence and determined Poles was the best candidate.
The Chicago Bears hire Ryan Poles as their next general manager
Here is the thing, I also put Ryan Poles as the top candidate once my actual top candidates were no longer options. Ed Dodds was my top choice and he backed out for whatever reasons. My number two GM candidate was Omar Khan, but he was not even given a second interview. Finally, Rick Smith was my number three choice and although early reports came out that there was mutual interest, Smith hasn’t interviewed for any positions and is rumored to not be ready to return to the NFL.
At the time of these rankings, Ryan Poles was not even being rumored for interviews. After he was announced and I looked into him further, he actually jumped Omar Khan in my rankings and took over as the top spot. I am very, very excited about this hire. Although there are some similarities between him and Ryan Pace, there are some major differences that should be noted.
Ryan Poles and Ryan Pace backgrounds are very different
Despite both only being with one team when the Chicago Bears decided to hire both of these young general managers, their backgrounds are very different. Ryan Pace was 37 years old, while Ryan Poles is 36. Do not let Poles age fool you though. While Ryan Pace was in New Orleans, he essentially worked under one regime — Mickey Loomis. That is not the case with Ryan Poles.
Poles has been with the Chiefs for 13 years but has worked under three different general managers. That is something to note because it is not often that an executive or coach will stick around through one regime change, let alone two. Poles was hired by Scott Pioli, a very well-respected general manager throughout the league and part of the early 2000s New England Patriots. That era included four Super Bowls.
Ryan Poles was kept on by John Dorsey when he took over in 2013. Dorsey never saw a losing season while with Kansas City, yet was fired after the Chiefs went 12-4 and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs. Poles was kept onboard again when current general manager Brett Veach took over. Veach not only kept him but made him a fast riser in the organization.
Although the two are of similar age when hired by the Bears and only came from one organization, this should not instantly lead people to the thought of Ryan Poles being just another Ryan Pace.
Ryan Poles deserves credit for helping fix the Chiefs offensive line
When the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, one glaring issue was the offensive line. This was not to say that it should have and could have been better, but injuries got in the way taking out both right tackle (Mitchell Schwartz) and left tackle (Eric Fisher) before the Super Bowl showdown. After the team lost that matchup, they completely revamped the offensive line for the 2021 season — and revamped it very well.
This was one big area that I would always harp on Ryan Pace for over his time here in Chicago. Maybe it’s because Ryan Pace played defensive end when he was in school and that’s why we saw him find these late-round gems on the defensive side of the ball. Poles on the other hand was a former offensive lineman out of Boston College (2005-2007). In fact, he was there while Matt Ryan was under center. I originally didn’t think this was that interesting but some pointed out that his connection to Matt Ryan is likely why Dan Quinn is a rumored head coach possibility.
Back to the Chiefs rebuilding their offensive line after it failed them in the Super Bowl in 2020. They drafted new center Creed Humphrey, signed offensive guard Joe Thuney and traded for left tackle Orlando Brown. The revamped offensive line finished in the top 10 of Pro Football Focus (PFF) rankings and were in the top five for sacks allowed (28), meanwhile, the Bears gave up the most sacks (58) on the year.
It should be noted that many have given Ryan Poles credit for finding Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears would love having a guy like Creed Humphrey over Sam Mustipher.
4 head coaches who could be favored by Chicago Bears GM finalists
4 head coaches who could be favored by Chicago Bears GM finalists. The Chicago Bears appear to be locked in on four finalists for the General Manager job.
Here is the thing. The coaching staff is going to matter a great deal and as happy as I am that Ryan Poles got the job, I am struggling to get behind the rumored head coaching candidates being put out there in Dan Quinn, Jim Caldwell and Matt Eberflus. Buckle up Chicago Bears fans, this ride is just getting started.