Post by JABF on Mar 2, 2017 12:50:16 GMT -6
I think Hub may be right. And it is encouraging in a way. His take is that Pace is not trying for a quick fix or worrying about this coming season's wins as much as he wants to build the team right for the long-haul. As much as we fans would want this to be the year, it probably won't be very good. Hub is NOT being overly critical of the Bears in this article. He's just pointing out that he thinks the Bears may lose more games than they win this year, but the bigger picture may end up being good. At least that is how I interpreted this article.
My gut feeling is that Hub is pretty close to the truth here. And it could be that Pace will build something good here, and give us a team that can sustain winning. But not this year.
My gut feeling is that Hub is pretty close to the truth here. And it could be that Pace will build something good here, and give us a team that can sustain winning. But not this year.
LINK
Hub Arkush: Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace understands building team for long haul
INDIANAPOLIS – For those of us on the NFL beat, the Combine is our version of La La Land with open access to almost every head coach and general manager in the NFL plus the gold that can be mined depending on who you might just bump into in the cavernous halls of the Indiana Convention Center.
The problem, though, is that we are all still at work and their jobs are to make sure everyone else knows as little as possible about whatever they’re thinking relative to free agency and the draft to maintain as solid a competitive advantage as they can.
That leaves us listening and watching as intently as we can for every phrase, inflection, expression and slip of the tongue we can to try and gauge the particular direction a club may be heading.
So, I’m here to report that I think the Bears' Ryan Pace is preparing for another year of rebuilding with his focus on a perennial contender over winning football games in 2017.
Consider Pace’s response when asked about the decision to let Alshon Jeffery test the free-agent market.
“It was thought-out thoroughly obviously," he said. "I think sometimes when you can’t come to a common ground with a player and an agent, sometimes it’s necessary to kind of test the market to determine that player’s value, and that’s really where we’re at.
“He’s a good player and we’ll see how it plays out.”
I’m not sure how you can read that as anything other than he thinks Jeffery is a No. 1 receiver and we haven’t seen it.
The bigger question for the Bears of course is at quarterback, and if Pace believed he’s closer to solving that puzzle, it would be more important to have an option like Jeffery available.
How does Pace feel about his quarterback situation?
“It’s fluid; a lot’s got to play out," he said. "I think in general, the quarterback situation — and obviously that’s the hot topic and it should be — there are a lot of scenarios right now and there are a lot of different things that can happen as we approach free agency and even after free agency.
“It’s our responsibility to have a plan in place — which we do — that’s flexible and adaptable as the landscape is changing and that’s kind of where we’re at.”
I hear, "There is no clear answer to our problem available at the moment."
We don’t know if Pace agrees with the prevailing wisdom there are no top-10 or top-15 talents at quarterback this year, but he was clear he wouldn’t use the third pick at the position if there isn’t one.
“I think you have to get value," he said. "I think when you talk about reaching at any position it’s hard. I’ve referenced teams that I’ve been a part of before where I feel like we’ve done that. And I’ve learned from that experience. You just have to be careful about doing that.
“And there are positions in this draft that are really strong. And some of those positions fit our needs. And then there are certain positions in the draft that aren’t very strong. So you just have to recognize that.”
I asked Pace how he will balance a team that appears to be getting younger with the possible departures of Jeffery and Jay Cutler with wining games and he said, “We’re looking to set this thing up for long-term success. You’ve got to be careful not for these quick fixes that sometimes won’t work out.
“You pay an older player a lot of money, sometimes that doesn’t work, we’ve got to be conscious of that. But I also think there’s value to sprinkle in some vets with our young team, and there’s value with that, too. There’s kind of a mixture.
“We’re more in building this the right way through younger talent.”
The good news, Bears fans, is Pace appears to be taking the best long-term approach to his job and there may be a big payoff down the road.
The bad news is that’s likely to mean more losing than winning for at least another season.
Hub Arkush: Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace understands building team for long haul
INDIANAPOLIS – For those of us on the NFL beat, the Combine is our version of La La Land with open access to almost every head coach and general manager in the NFL plus the gold that can be mined depending on who you might just bump into in the cavernous halls of the Indiana Convention Center.
The problem, though, is that we are all still at work and their jobs are to make sure everyone else knows as little as possible about whatever they’re thinking relative to free agency and the draft to maintain as solid a competitive advantage as they can.
That leaves us listening and watching as intently as we can for every phrase, inflection, expression and slip of the tongue we can to try and gauge the particular direction a club may be heading.
So, I’m here to report that I think the Bears' Ryan Pace is preparing for another year of rebuilding with his focus on a perennial contender over winning football games in 2017.
Consider Pace’s response when asked about the decision to let Alshon Jeffery test the free-agent market.
“It was thought-out thoroughly obviously," he said. "I think sometimes when you can’t come to a common ground with a player and an agent, sometimes it’s necessary to kind of test the market to determine that player’s value, and that’s really where we’re at.
“He’s a good player and we’ll see how it plays out.”
I’m not sure how you can read that as anything other than he thinks Jeffery is a No. 1 receiver and we haven’t seen it.
The bigger question for the Bears of course is at quarterback, and if Pace believed he’s closer to solving that puzzle, it would be more important to have an option like Jeffery available.
How does Pace feel about his quarterback situation?
“It’s fluid; a lot’s got to play out," he said. "I think in general, the quarterback situation — and obviously that’s the hot topic and it should be — there are a lot of scenarios right now and there are a lot of different things that can happen as we approach free agency and even after free agency.
“It’s our responsibility to have a plan in place — which we do — that’s flexible and adaptable as the landscape is changing and that’s kind of where we’re at.”
I hear, "There is no clear answer to our problem available at the moment."
We don’t know if Pace agrees with the prevailing wisdom there are no top-10 or top-15 talents at quarterback this year, but he was clear he wouldn’t use the third pick at the position if there isn’t one.
“I think you have to get value," he said. "I think when you talk about reaching at any position it’s hard. I’ve referenced teams that I’ve been a part of before where I feel like we’ve done that. And I’ve learned from that experience. You just have to be careful about doing that.
“And there are positions in this draft that are really strong. And some of those positions fit our needs. And then there are certain positions in the draft that aren’t very strong. So you just have to recognize that.”
I asked Pace how he will balance a team that appears to be getting younger with the possible departures of Jeffery and Jay Cutler with wining games and he said, “We’re looking to set this thing up for long-term success. You’ve got to be careful not for these quick fixes that sometimes won’t work out.
“You pay an older player a lot of money, sometimes that doesn’t work, we’ve got to be conscious of that. But I also think there’s value to sprinkle in some vets with our young team, and there’s value with that, too. There’s kind of a mixture.
“We’re more in building this the right way through younger talent.”
The good news, Bears fans, is Pace appears to be taking the best long-term approach to his job and there may be a big payoff down the road.
The bad news is that’s likely to mean more losing than winning for at least another season.