Ryan Pace his critics. That just comes with the job of being an NFL GM. Plenty of Chicago Bears fans don’t like him. Mostly because they feel he flubbed the Mitch Trubisky pick three years ago, which is fair. At the same time, one can’t sit there and say Pace hasn’t done some good work too. This roster has a lot of talent on it. Especially on defense.
When people think about the GM, they see him as a behind-the-scenes guy. Somebody who sits atop his perch in the front office and just acquires the pieces. Nothing more. That clearly is not the case. Pace knows Matt Nagy is the voice of this team, but that doesn’t mean he shrinks from the responsibility of doing his part to help motivate guys too.
That was on display in the first episode of “1920 Football Drive.” It’s a web series created by the Bears covering their entire journey from the start of training camp through the beginning of the regular season. When players arrived for their first team meeting at Halas Hall, Pace was among the first to speak with them. He didn’t mince words. The goal for 2020 is clear.
“There’s never been a time when the saying, ‘We’re all in this together,’ applies more than this season. I know we have a championship-caliber team. I know that and I can’t wait to get rolling so everyone can see that. What we got. I know you guys know that. So thank you guys and good luck this camp.”
Ryan Pace did the absolute right thing in that speech
The job of a GM is simple. Build the team, build the culture, and set the level of expectation within the organization. One thing to say about Pace? He’s gotten two of the three absolutely right. The Bears’ culture is one of the best and most stable in the NFL. Now he’s shown that this idea of a winning season or the playoffs are not the goals. It’s all about getting to and winning the Super Bowl.
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Are the Bears good enough to accomplish that? Well, they have the defense to make it happen. A loaded pass rush with capable linebackers and playmakers in the secondary. Offensively is where that question will be answered. Allen Robinson is a stud. Beyond him is where it gets cloudy. If one of the quarterbacks can step up and play good football, then this becomes a team nobody will want to play in January.