Bears say they have playmakers, and Mike Glennon sees plenty

I hope Glennon doesn't get too attached to Eddie 'glass' Royal because he's not likely to be here that much longer.

still have the draft added to Wright, Meredith and White.

Maybe if I had not been hearing these same claims for so very long it would be much easier to buy in but that's really not the case.  I haven't lost all faith in Pace yet as I have with most of the rest but I still see him as the spokesperson for a very inept management team and their HC saddled with the task of being the guy to speak about this.

When even the inept CEO states the team will make a big splash in FA while he simultaneously tells fans it will cost them even more $$$ to see their 3-13 team then you see your GM whiff on all of his priority signings and a trade for a future franchise QB it's pretty hard to accept stuff like this without a major eye roll and a snicker.

Sorry, but I can't accept the "it's all good because we planned it this way" explanation I know is very far from the truth.  It's pretty clear the NFLPA got through to player agents as far as this limited workman's comp thing goes and the Bears support of it.  How big a deal it actually is isn't really the point.  It's how it was perceived by players and their agents and a great way for the Bears to shoot themselves is the foot just when they needed to avoid that.

Also given that those who play for the Jags or other Florida teams pay no state income tax our offers need to be equal or higher not less just to compete and that says nothing about the rest of the disarray around Halas Hall.  The Jags have been awful more than they've been good and have equally bad ownership but they have no trouble at all signing top UFAs.  We have chosen not to compete with that so we don't land many top UFAs and we won't.

I listened to a lot of talk around here last fall about how we lacked talent and it appears that may still be the case.  How does a team so lacking in impact players feel they can continue to sign only 2nd and 3rd tier UFAs and improve upon that?  The draft alone can't supply enough of them fast enough and it's still a crap shoot where you don't know what you really have in a guy until at least year two or three.  Every pick will not even end up becoming a starter let alone and impact player and some will be a total loss.

This is becoming a painfully slow process but not because it needs to be but because the Bears are making it so.  If Fox fails again this year, and I'm certain he will, then we'll see another coaching change and yet another reset in 2018.  If so will we hear more requests for patience?  Guys I'm convinced this team hasn't the faintest idea of how to structure itself for long term success.  That's simply the spin being put on things by a team who can't seen to get out of it's own way.

So where do they go? It's pretty easy to critique the team and be all pessimistic about it but the Bears are what they are for the moment and Pace and Fox and their staffs are trying their best to put something winnable together. I don't agree with all of their moves but I think the team is better now than a few years ago. They are younger, have more playmakers who are still rising (not on the down turn), the offensive line which was a perennial weakness has turned into a strength. The defensive line is one building block away from being good. The linebackers are good. We have a legit running game. Those are all areas of improvement that have taken time but that look better. 

Our weaknesses are there, sure. 
Quarterback
Secondary
Tight End 
Wide Receiver

I would argue that Pace is working his ass off trying to address those needs. 

I don't feel great about the Glennon signing, but I would have felt worse with Cutler returning. We know what we're getting with Cutler and it's someone who's shown he can't work in the Log's system. Glennon will probably suck too but you have to start trying to fix the problem and this is an effort. 

Find the guys you think might work, try them out and then get more guys. QB is a hard situation to fix and it's an easy position to go overboard on (in terms of cap). Pace is trying to work that system with what's available. It's tough. 

On the secondary, wide receiver and TE front, Pace has been disciplined and smart.

When looking at the overall picture, I feel optimistic. I think we'll be a better team this year. More importantly, I think we're becoming more and more Pace's team and we're becoming a team moving in the right direction. 

We aren't getting to the destination until we get a good QB but tell me a franchise that isn't looking to get to that promised land. There just aren't a lot of great QBs out there.