Chicago Bears: Ryan Pace’s Refreshing Refusal To Lie

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace vowed to do things different when he took over in 2015, and every decision since then has reinforced that.

Many things have stood out with the young executive. He’s obviously smart, shows experience beyond his years, takes money matters very seriously regarding player contracts, and isn’t afraid to place trust in colleagues and coaches regarding important roster decisions. Nothing seems to get him flustered when it comes time to do his job. These are all admirable traits to have, but perhaps the most unusual and enlightening one is something unexpected this day and age.

His honesty.

While he respects the idea of keeping certain team activities a secret like any GM would, Pace has also shown a certain frankness whenever asked questions about his team and where it sits on the NFL totem pole. He believes in his players and coaches, but he’s also not going to sugarcoat things for the fans either.

Pace explained during his first training camp press conference that he believes the team is headed in the right direction but refuses to entertain thoughts of playoffs or a Super Bowl.

"“From a personnel standpoint, we’ve just got to keep putting good drafts together, and we have to see how this draft unfolds,” Pace said. “We’ve got to stack good drafts. We’ve got to be accurate in free agency. I feel good about where we’re at right now, but truth will be told as this plays out.”"

He also showcased his honesty about the process of building a winning roster. When one inherits an aging team like he did last year, it

Firm but fair. That sounds like the best way to describe Ryan Pace and it’s something Chicago Bears fans have learned to respect and even admire about the 38-year old. So far the work he’s done has filled the roster with a bunch of young talents worth get excited over. Yet he’s not letting that go to his head. In his mind it’s still a 6-10 team that has proven nothing. From the beginning he made it clear to ownership that this job wasn’t going to be done overnight.

In fight, team chairman George McCaskey recalled the GMs’ assessment of the roster last year as a “sobering” experience. Maybe that’s what this somewhat outdated franchise needed to hear. Now they’re catching up and Pace will continue to work his plan until it works.