The more things change, the more they stay the same. Is that how the saying goes? Here the Chicago Bears are. It’s a decade later and it feels like they’re replaying the same movie over again. A rebuild that went pretty well on defense. A regime that badly blundered at the quarterback multiple times. Repeated failures to overtake the Green Bay Packers and zero headway towards that elusive second Lombardi trophy.
No one offseason is the same as others, but one thing is becoming clear. When looking back, this 2021 version is starting to resemble the fateful one Chicago had back in 2011. Both from the circumstances to the lack of resources to the stakes. Anybody with a sharp memory knows how that spring went for the Bears. For those who can’t recall? Here is a rundown of the eerie connections the two share.
Chicago Bears are suffering from deja vu all over again
GM on the hot seat due to offensive failures:
- 2011 – Jerry Angelo
- 2021 – Ryan Pace
Even though the Bears had just gone to the NFC championship the year before, Angelo wasn’t exactly in a safe place. The team had once again come up short of a Super Bowl championship due to the failings of the offense. One that managed just 14 points in the loss to Green Bay. Since taking over in 2001, Angelo failed to produce a unit ranked higher than 15th in total offense.
That happens to be the same exact ceiling Pace has failed to cross thus far in his tenure. Like Angelo, he too is coming off a playoff loss where the offense was primarily to blame. A quarterback he acquired failed to rise to the occasion. George McCaskey didn’t hesitate to fire Angelo after a disappointing 8-8 finish in 2011. One has to imagine the same fate awaits Pace as well.
Lost a key player:
- 2011 – Traded Greg Olsen
- 2021 – Released Kyle Fuller
One of the more troubling things about both offseasons is how the teams failed to show signs of actual improvement. If anything, they got worse on paper through puzzling moves. Angelo adhered to Mike Martz’s wishes 10 years ago by trading tight end Greg Olsen to Carolina. The reasoning? He just wasn’t a system fit. Olsen went on to become a three-time Pro Bowler for the Panthers and the Bears failed to replace his offensive productivity that year.
For Pace? His decision to release Kyle Fuller isn’t quite as egregious but no less troubling. Outside of Khalil Mack, he was arguably the second-best player on the Bears defense. Yet due to cap issues and the failure to reach an agreement on some sort of reworking of his contract, the 29-year old was released. Thus far their only answer to this loss was signing Desmond Trufant. It certainly doesn’t feel like the defense is better.
Back in the 1st round after a two-year absence:
- 2011 – Via Jay Cutler trade
- 2021 – Via Khalil Mack trade
Where it gets truly creepy is how parallel the two teams are despite being so far apart. Back in 2009, Angelo sent a blockbuster package to Denver including two 1st round picks for quarterback Jay Cutler. Two seasons later, the team had made the playoffs but Cutler hadn’t played Pro Bowl-caliber football like he’d been doing for the Broncos. This increased pressure on Angelo to deliver a strong draft with his first pick in the 1st round. His choice ended up being Gabe Carimi. The big Wisconsin tackle dislocated his knee in the second game of his career and was never the same.
Pace finds himself in the same position. Free agency has yielded few results. This puts a ton of pressure on him to deliver a strong Chicago Bears draft. Ironically, it’s a class strong at offensive tackle and the team needs one. Could he end up walking the same path as Angelo? Possibly. If so, he better hope he has more luck this time around. Otherwise, he’ll end up suffering the same fate.
Not a fun place to be in. Especially for Bears fans who have vivid memories of what followed from 2012 to 2014 after that failed offseason in 2011.