Chicago Bears: Asking the Question That Must Be Asked
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears are flirting with a possible second-straight 3-13 finish. Let that sit for a moment and then ask why GM Ryan Pace is safe?
This is not some sort of piece meant to attack the young executive. He’s actually done a fair job at acquiring young players with huge upside. Jordan Howard, Mitch Trubisky and Leonard Floyd look like they could form a core of something special if only they got the coaching and supporting cast to help their abilities flourish. Still, facts are facts. The NFL is a bottom line business.
That bottom line is, “You don’t win? You don’t keep your job.” Not only has Pace not won, he’s actually lost at a more spectacular rate than any other GM in modern Bears history. He has 12 victories in 44 games. Can all of that really be put on the shoulders of just the coaching staff? No. At some point one has to wonder if Pace has done a good enough job to make this team better.
Pace has the right ideas but too often not the right execution
One thing that has become apparent about Pace is he’s not stupid. He’s a detailed, methodical man who operates with a measure of common sense. That’s how he came around to his decision to draft a quarterback this year. He understood the Bears’ woeful history at the position and made an aggressive move to change their fortunes. That’s not only logical, it’s commendable.
Still a few problems have begun to crop up about Pace’s mode of operation. His first round picks being a big one. Though no one will say Kevin White, Leonard Floyd and Mitch Trubisky lack talent they also all came in with significant inexperience. White only played one year of major college football. Floyd had not played outside linebacker as a pass rusher full-time at Georgia. Trubisky only started 13 games at North Carolina.
Worse still he’s developed a streak of bad luck at picking players who are injury prone. Of the 20 total picks he’s made to date, six have ended up on injured reserve at least once. This isn’t even counting some of his free agents doing the same like Pernell McPhee and Danny Trevathan. Yes injuries are part of the NFL but the job of a good GM is to find players who spend more time on the field than they do on the training room table.
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This is not to say a new coaching staff and by default training staff can’t curb the problem. Still, it comes back to the original question. Is a GM who possibly goes 12-36 in his first three season worth keeping around?