Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace promises success

by Jordan Campbell2 hours agoFollow @campbelljordan_


Speaking for the first time since the pre-season, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace promised success is coming for the team.

One game separates the Chicago Bears from finally concluding their miserable 2016 NFL regular season. The Bears are 3-12 on the season following their 20-point loss to the Washington Redskins on Saturday and the future of the organization is in question considering the important decisions that needs to be made this off-season.

Pace told Bears’ radio announcer Jeff Joniak before Saturday’s game that the team will be successful.What I’d say is I promise it’s coming,” Pace said. “We’re going to be successful, and they’re going to be with us every step of the way. I can’t wait to see how the city reacts when we’re rolling and reeling off some consistent wins and watching young players that they can grow with.”

“There aren’t a lot of quick fixes in our league. It’s a process for an organization to be built the right way, and I think to do that you’ve got to draft well and we’re doing that and I think we’ll deliver a team that they can be proud of.”

There certainly have been signs of promise. Specifically with the success that Pace’s 2016 draft class has had. First round selection Leonard Floyd, second round selection Cody Whitehair, and fifth round selection Jordan Howard have all shown that Pace has a knack for evaluating talent. But there have also been signs of concern when looking at Pace’s draft class from 2015. Wide receiver Kevin White has essentially been injured since being drafted by the Bears and defensive lineman Eddie Goldman has also struggled with injuries.

The other concern is that the NFL is a league of quick fixes. It typically does not take three seasons to rebuild a team in the NFL. This is not Major League Baseball. In the NFL, if a team drafts well, that team generally is rebuilt in no more than the two season.

The fact that the Bears have regressed as opposed to progressed in the second season of Pace as general manager may be indicative of the poor coaching from John Fox. Pace has been criticized for the hire of Fox but that is unfair. For one, the consensus seems to be that the Bears’ owners were the ones that hired Fox and forced him on Pace. The argument could be made that Pace should have resisted such a move but he was in his first general managerial gig. As much as he should have said no, the fact of the matter is Pace was not going to contradict his new bosses so quickly. Though, perhaps Pace remedies the situation by firing Fox this off-season