Post by JABF on Oct 9, 2016 7:31:31 GMT -6
Oct 8, 2016 22:41:27 GMT -6 @soulman said:
My comments probably come as much from frustration with the whole mess and the wonder of whose really running the train at Halas Hall and who only gets to blow the whistle.Pace seemed to me like a man with a plan when he arrived and Fox strikes me as a HC without one. It's always been kinda blah, blah this and blah, blah that and next man up and blah, blah again. What I'd like to know is whose really running the show on draft weekend.
Fox's lack of focus and direction at times strike me as a guy willing to make due and since he on year two of a four year deal he's not the guy I want having much influence in future drafts because I don't believe many of those we do draft will be playing for him very long and certainly not in the selection of a QB.
I sure don't know the answer to it either. That in itself is frustrating because I get impatient wanting to know how this Pace/Fox era is going to unfold. From the beginning it seemed like they were working closely together - joined at the hip. They undoubtedly have a plan. Whether or not it is a good one remains to be seen. Like all GMs and HCs there will be some mistakes made.
The most important factor will be how many and how serious they are.
I don't think John Fox is a complicated guy to figure out. He seems to like a team with a tough defense and a conservative ball-control offense. He persuaded Vic Fangio to come here and help with the defense. I think we can see a glimmer of hope there, but it is just a beginning. The talent level is still not what it should be, and injuries are hurting this 2nd season into the rebuilding effort. I think Vic Fangio is coaching his ass off right now. I am pleased.
The offense is a different animal. Fox seems to like to run the ball and be a conservative ball control offense. Losing Gase was significant I think. And it takes a bit of time to rebuild the OL to where you can successfully run the kind of offense Fox would like to see here. I really question if Jay Cutler is the best fit for a conservative ball control offense. Mistakes may have been made letting guys like Forte, Bennett & B.Marshall go, while adding White with the 1st round pick. But again, my feeling is that it is still early to definitively judge Fox in his Bears tenure. I really don't care what the guy did in years past with other teams. I want to watch and see what he does here. I want to see more than 1 season and 4 games of the second season before I judge what he can do here. I'm not sure any head coach could have done much better - this fast - with the talent issues left after Emery left.
I am willing to give Pace/Fox at least another year to see if there is significant progress. That means (for me anyway) I want to see the 2017 season and at the end of that year - three years into the rebuild - make up my own mind as to what I think we have here.
It is going to be hard for fans to have that kind of patience. We've suffered through a number of bad years here. But I don't believe there is a quick fix. It is going to take some time for both the GM and the HC to get the team back to where it needs to be. Right now, the team isn't even at the level that Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith had it. Emery/Trestman did a lot of damage here. More than a lot of fans seem to realize. Hopefully Pace/Fox do have the ability to get us to where we need to be, and make relatively few serious mistakes along the way.
