And since he lacked the power of making the final call on players in New Orleans, we have no idea what decisions he agreed or disagreed with. The best GMs in the league grow old with the team that hires them because there is no incentive to move elsewhere.
General managers who fail in their first job rarely get a second crack at it. You may be upset that he lacks previous experience in the role he's taking over, the checkered history of decisions he's been involved in, or his youth in general, but you shouldn't be. Phil Emery looked and sounded impressive his first day too - preaching the same gospel of Bears football that everyone who sat in the chair before him did.
You don't get one of the 32 NFL GM jobs without having an interview presence. You may be impressed by his stoic look, his deep voice, and his command of a press conference, but you shouldn't be. The only things we truly know about him are the bullet points on his résumé. A fact like that, or anything you've read about the history of 37-year-old Ryan Pace, shouldn't invoke massive amounts of excitement or despair. The youngest general manager in football is the leading football man for the Chicago Bears. Can you blame him after taking a look at the dumpster fire he inherited?īears Sat Strong Takes on New Bears GM Are Foolish Ones It's also possible that Pace didn't want to risk his own backside with someone who had no prior experience. Maybe if he had more time to prepare, or came back around a second time to discuss the job, Bowles might be the coach. Pace was rushed immediately into the Todd Bowles interview with the ink barely dry on his own contract with the Bears. Is it the best the Bears could do? Obviously that question can't be answered right now, but it's probably safe to say they could've done better. That's already a step ahead of his predecessor, and is a great way for Pace to ensure that he won't get fired in a couple years for making a terrible mistake at such an important spot. In John Fox, Pace gets a guy that he knows won't be a complete embarrassment. That's why when a veteran coach with a long history of success and respect became available, Pace didn't hesitate. If he fails here, there will be no second chance. This was his one and only shot to be a general manager in the NFL.
Picking a coach was the biggest decision Ryan Pace had to make in his professional life. Both are 4-3 players trying to fake it in a 3-4 scheme (or, if you're Bostic, just trying to actually participate in a football game), and the Bears should be thrilled to get anything for them.īears Mon Bears Go Safe With John Fox Selection & That's OK
Yesterday afternoon, the Bears dealt free agent bust Jared Allen and second-round flop Jon Bostic, to Carolina and New England respectively, for a pair of sixth-round picks. Ryan Pace knew this coming in, and he's doing whatever he possibly can to turn the page. Nearly a decade's worth of players drafted with such high expectations are either on another team or gone from football completely. The Bears are the worst team in the NFL because of multiple, consecutive, failed drafts. It would be days had he been around as long as Jerry Angelo was, but in just three years, Emery took a middling team on the brink of the playoffs and slammed the organization straight into the septic tank. One could spend hours dissecting mistake after mistake that Phil Emery made as general manager of the Bears. Bears Tue Ryan Pace Purging Phil Emery's Mistakes