Roster Shakeup Still Leaves Questions Unanswered...........
Sept 6, 2016 5:41:40 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2016 5:41:40 GMT -6
Roster shake-up doesn’t answer every question
David Haugh
More than anything, Labor Day weekend at Halas Hall proved just how much work remains before the Bears regain the benefit of the doubt.
In a frenetic 48-hour span, the Bears shelved defensive leader Pernell Mc-Phee for the first six games, swapped out long snappers again, signed cast-off Packers Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton and severed ties with the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Robbie Gould.
The Gould move raised eyebrows highest, especially with the Bears announcing the news at 10:55 p.m. Sunday. More on the depreciation of Gould later, but what immediately stood out were two words missing in the 275-word release: Thank you.
George McCaskey should have typed those himself. Gould could be irascible to deal with off the field but deserved a more respectful send-off from an organization he served well.
Whether you consider everything else the Bears did an exercise in improvement or the NFL equivalent of a dinner speech scribbled on a cocktail napkin depends on your confidence in general manager Ryan Pace. The great John Wooden once said never confuse activity with accomplishment, or was that noted football philosopher Jerry Angelo?
Some will view the 11th-hour moves as symptoms of desperation, while others will consider them signs of progress. The Bears took the practice field Monday with a deeper roster and closer to respectability than when they left Cleveland on Thursday; in an unsentimental league, that’s all that matters.
It simply becomes harder to believe in any plan when it constantly changes, and in signing Sitton and cutting Gould the Bears guaranteed their offensive line and special teams would enter game week in a state of flux.
Starting Sitton at left guard likely means moving rookie second-round pick Cody Whitehair to center six days before the opener. The Bears faced similar uncertainty a year ago when they converted Kyle Long from guard to tackle days before the opener, an experiment that failed.
Offensive lines depend on cohesion, and the Bears introduced themselves to a new starter Monday. Hello, chemistry issues?
In some ways, Sitton represents the mixed messages coming from 1920 Football Drive. His presence makes the Bears more likely to compete now but also stunts the growth of Whitehair, identified as a core player for the future. Whose voice carries furthest in the meeting room — the coach worried about winning Sunday or the GM also concerned with 2017 and beyond? Fox claims center is Whitehair’s best position, but if that really were true, he should have been moved there after Hroniss Grasu was injured.
The Bears believe they upgraded significantly on the offensive line, yet it said everything about the skepticism surrounding the organization when Pace was asked what he saw in Sitton that Packers counterpart Ted Thompson missed. It was a fair question with an obvious implication: How could a newbie such as Pace possibly know something a Super Bowl-winning GM doesn’t?
“I just think maybe on the (Packers’) end, there’s a lot of things going into their decisions, things I might not be aware of,” Pace said graciously.
Replacing Gould with journeyman Connor Barth, already cut twice in 2016, involves fewer moving parts but depends on developing timing with long snapper Patrick Scales, who played five games last year for the Bears. The arrival of Scales, who curiously rejoined the team within hours of Gould’s departure, continued the endless quest to replace Patrick Mannelly.
From a football perspective, the Bears could justify dumping Gould after the Saints cut Barth, but it looks risky. This will be Barth’s sixth NFL team, and despite playing five games for Fox with the Broncos, who knows how he will handle December at Soldier Field?
The Bears will save $3 million, and Gould missed key field goals last season in losses to the 49ers and Redskins that made the difference between Fox having a .500 record in his first season and going 6-10. You wonder if that factored into Fox’s thinking. Missing two extra points in Thursday’s exhibition finale against the Browns only underscored the subtle decline the Bears noticed in a kicker who turns 35 in December.
Still, that didn’t make it easy for Pace, who appeared earnest in making the transactions sound like dealing with relationships. Pace is best at being himself, with sincerity and without a script. His only minor misstep came when he likened the Bears pursuing players such as Sitton and Barth to rewarding the scouting staff more than improving the roster. But overall, Pace communicated the inner conflict he has come to expect when shaping a 53-man roster, complete with a pained expression.
“There’s a human side to it,” Pace said, wincing. “As a young general manager, that’s tough. I understand the personal side of it and I take that very seriously.”
Nobody doubts Pace’s words. Faith in his actions will take more time.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com Twitter @davidhaugh
David Haugh
More than anything, Labor Day weekend at Halas Hall proved just how much work remains before the Bears regain the benefit of the doubt.
In a frenetic 48-hour span, the Bears shelved defensive leader Pernell Mc-Phee for the first six games, swapped out long snappers again, signed cast-off Packers Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton and severed ties with the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Robbie Gould.
The Gould move raised eyebrows highest, especially with the Bears announcing the news at 10:55 p.m. Sunday. More on the depreciation of Gould later, but what immediately stood out were two words missing in the 275-word release: Thank you.
George McCaskey should have typed those himself. Gould could be irascible to deal with off the field but deserved a more respectful send-off from an organization he served well.
Whether you consider everything else the Bears did an exercise in improvement or the NFL equivalent of a dinner speech scribbled on a cocktail napkin depends on your confidence in general manager Ryan Pace. The great John Wooden once said never confuse activity with accomplishment, or was that noted football philosopher Jerry Angelo?
Some will view the 11th-hour moves as symptoms of desperation, while others will consider them signs of progress. The Bears took the practice field Monday with a deeper roster and closer to respectability than when they left Cleveland on Thursday; in an unsentimental league, that’s all that matters.
It simply becomes harder to believe in any plan when it constantly changes, and in signing Sitton and cutting Gould the Bears guaranteed their offensive line and special teams would enter game week in a state of flux.
Starting Sitton at left guard likely means moving rookie second-round pick Cody Whitehair to center six days before the opener. The Bears faced similar uncertainty a year ago when they converted Kyle Long from guard to tackle days before the opener, an experiment that failed.
Offensive lines depend on cohesion, and the Bears introduced themselves to a new starter Monday. Hello, chemistry issues?
In some ways, Sitton represents the mixed messages coming from 1920 Football Drive. His presence makes the Bears more likely to compete now but also stunts the growth of Whitehair, identified as a core player for the future. Whose voice carries furthest in the meeting room — the coach worried about winning Sunday or the GM also concerned with 2017 and beyond? Fox claims center is Whitehair’s best position, but if that really were true, he should have been moved there after Hroniss Grasu was injured.
The Bears believe they upgraded significantly on the offensive line, yet it said everything about the skepticism surrounding the organization when Pace was asked what he saw in Sitton that Packers counterpart Ted Thompson missed. It was a fair question with an obvious implication: How could a newbie such as Pace possibly know something a Super Bowl-winning GM doesn’t?
“I just think maybe on the (Packers’) end, there’s a lot of things going into their decisions, things I might not be aware of,” Pace said graciously.
Replacing Gould with journeyman Connor Barth, already cut twice in 2016, involves fewer moving parts but depends on developing timing with long snapper Patrick Scales, who played five games last year for the Bears. The arrival of Scales, who curiously rejoined the team within hours of Gould’s departure, continued the endless quest to replace Patrick Mannelly.
From a football perspective, the Bears could justify dumping Gould after the Saints cut Barth, but it looks risky. This will be Barth’s sixth NFL team, and despite playing five games for Fox with the Broncos, who knows how he will handle December at Soldier Field?
The Bears will save $3 million, and Gould missed key field goals last season in losses to the 49ers and Redskins that made the difference between Fox having a .500 record in his first season and going 6-10. You wonder if that factored into Fox’s thinking. Missing two extra points in Thursday’s exhibition finale against the Browns only underscored the subtle decline the Bears noticed in a kicker who turns 35 in December.
Still, that didn’t make it easy for Pace, who appeared earnest in making the transactions sound like dealing with relationships. Pace is best at being himself, with sincerity and without a script. His only minor misstep came when he likened the Bears pursuing players such as Sitton and Barth to rewarding the scouting staff more than improving the roster. But overall, Pace communicated the inner conflict he has come to expect when shaping a 53-man roster, complete with a pained expression.
“There’s a human side to it,” Pace said, wincing. “As a young general manager, that’s tough. I understand the personal side of it and I take that very seriously.”
Nobody doubts Pace’s words. Faith in his actions will take more time.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com Twitter @davidhaugh
