Just when it seems like no more details are to be found on what happened in 2017, somebody comes out with something new. What do we know about that fateful evening? The Chicago Bears moved up for Mitch Trubisky. GM Ryan Pace coveted him greatly and had for months. So much in fact that he kept the intentions of drafting him hidden from head coach John Fox until an hour before the pick happened.
Fox didn’t care for drafting a quarterback. He wanted safety Jamal Adams. After the pick happened, Pace made it seem as if there was solidarity among the rank and file in Halas Hall for Trubisky. He was their guy. However, evidence has continued to emerge over the past several months that this was far from the case. A number of people in the organization weren’t totally on board with Trubisky. So rather than seek further “collaboration” as he’s so fond of saying, Pace simply hid what he was about to do from everybody.
How deep did the deception go? Check out this story from Daniel Jeremiah.
"Used to be in the draft room 10-15 guys a part of the process it was healthy & you had good debate & discussion you were in there together to stack the board..
Now when the final board is stacked it is a very small circle"@MoveTheSticks on misinformtation #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/sCyXLm3MID
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 16, 2021
That is incredible to think about. Prominent members inside the Bears organization on the coaching and scouting sides were utterly convinced Trubisky wasn’t the pick. Not only does this speak to Pace’s masterful deception campaign, but it also reveals how far out on a limb he went. This offers further proof that Trubisky was his pick. His guy. Not the team’s pick. The head coach didn’t want him. A number of scouts and others involved in the process didn’t want him.
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This was a case where the GM fell in love and would not be swayed from the path. He was going to get his guy. All he needed was a few people to agree with him in order to feel validated that it was the right course of action. Now the organization is paying dearly for his hubris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3Ssll6Kh9w&t=2s&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
Will the Mitch Trubisky pick serve as a lesson?
Like it or not, George McCaskey is giving Pace an incredibly rare gift. A second chance. Few GMs ever manage to survive whiffing on a highly-drafted quarterback. Pace has. The question is what will he do with it. Rumors persist the Bears are 100% planning to draft a quarterback this month. A thought that terrifies throngs of fans. All of whom can’t get the Mitch Trubisky fiasco out of their heads.
Why should they trust that Pace can get it right this time? There is evidence of GMs learning from past mistakes. Ozzie Newsome fumbled badly in 2003 with Kyle Boller. Five years later he did much better with Joe Flacco. Then in 2018, he grabbed Lamar Jackson. So it is possible for lessons to be learned on evaluating quarterbacks. Pace will also have additional help in the form of Matt Nagy. The head coach is a QB specialist.
He’ll know the little things to look for.
Even then that might not be enough. The Bears had their big opportunity in 2017 and they blew it. They’re going to need more than just solid evaluations to finally land that elusive franchise quarterback this time around. Lots of luck will be required this time. Luck that hasn’t exactly been in ample supply for this team going back around 70 years now.