Here is what worries me more than anything else.

I'm at the point where I'm willing to trust Pace with this himself because after drafting Trubisky before he could hire his HC all in deference to Phillips and GMcC now he has to not only have a clear deck to make his own hire but it also has to be the right one.  The sand in his hourglass is already half run out and he knows it.  There won't be one more chance after this.

Now the challenge is to keep Teddy Bears and GMcC out of this as much as possible.  Especially Phillips who should also be fired for even having been part of the hiring process of the last two HCs.  The McCaskeys own the team and hold the power so expecting GMcC to not have any part in this is like me expecting an invitation to a Thanksgiving Dinner from my ex.

Pace should be laying out his plan and doing his ground work now if he hasn't already.  He has enough connections around the NFL by now to be able to gather some data on his potential candidates and if he needs more help from the NFL that option is there for him as well but this time the right guy needs to be one who shares his vision not one who pleases Teddy Bears and GMcC.  They have failed miserably not once, not twice, but three times; Emery, Trestman, and now Focks.

IMHO three strikes and you're out of the game as far as who to hire.  A blind monkey with a dart board has a better chance of success than those guys do.  They hired a GM to run the team and they either need to allow him to do it or as I've suggested many times hire a VP of Football Ops with mucho NFL experience and let him work with Pace on coaching hires, free agents, and the draft. 

Either they trust Pace and believe he can do the job or they don't.  There's no middle ground here that says either Phillips or GMcC should have any real say in this next coaching decision.  Not when it's Pace's ass in both the saddle and at risk if it goes bad again.  If I was in Pace's shoes and they insisted on having a major say in this next coaching hire I'd tell them my resignation will be on their desks in the morning.

There are a boatload of qualified prospects out there looking to move up and many of them are successful OC who have done well developing rookie QBs or improving the games of vets.  Or you have a guy like Dave Toub whose been here before who has an offensive background as an OL and OL coach and whose STeams always rise to the top wherever he coaches.  That takes some serious coaching skills something we sadly lacked for half a decade.

If Pace wants to stick with a defensive minded HC and look to hire a top OC to handle Trubisky's development and play calling then he has Fangio to consider along with a guy like Pagano if Indy fires him and possibly one or two more good DCs.  It doesn't have to be an offensive guy but it does have to be someone whose a good game planner and game day HC neither of which Fox has ever been.

This team has it's potential franchise QB now, a good core of defensive players, and enough offensive talent to compete once someone can come in and get them actually doing it. Focks is lost.  He keeps claiming they've had opportunities to win when all I see is them throwing those opportunities out the window even before half time most games.  How does that jive with having your team ready to play which is he one of a HCs main responsibilities?

About now I settle for just about anyone who isn't Focks and who doesn't now work for Belicheat.  Beyond that I have an open mind.  Let's see what Pace can do because it's gonna be his ass in a sling all alone once Focks is gone.