Ryan Pace has a sweet setup in 2018. His defense was rounding into one of the best in the NFL. He had a talented young quarterback in Mitch Trubisky and enough money to go shopping for some weapons later that offseason. All he needed to do was find the right man to develop the kid into what the GM believed he could be. After a careful search, he ended up going with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator.
The move was a slight surprise. Though Nagy was from the Andy Reid coaching tree, one that has produced good leaders in the past, his track record was somewhat limited. He’d only been a coordinator for two years and most of that having never called plays. Nagy had a great interview though, said the right things, and swayed the Bears brass into making him their guy. He was certain he could be what they needed.
Now with the benefit of hindsight, it’s time to ask this question.
Was that fateful decision by Pace the one he regrets the most? People always point to drafting Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson as the obvious blunder of the century. Yet after watching Nagy’s offense in the post-Trubisky era? People are starting to think the quarterback might not have been as big of a problem as many claimed. It is apparent the head coach doesn’t have a good grasp on running a professional NFL offense. When that happens, you get games like Sunday in Cleveland with one net passing yard and nine sacks allowed.
While nobody can say Trubisky would’ve been a star, it’s possible he might’ve been decent under somebody else. Remember the Indianapolis Colts hired Frank Reich a full month after the Bears chose Nagy. The Colts offense has been significantly more productive under his watch. There was also Mike Vrabel hired by Tennessee. Under his direction, the Titans have had a top 10 offense each of the past two years.
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Ryan Pace fell into a classic trap among GMs
People like to say that most guys in that job tend to lose it because they couldn’t find a quarterback. In truth, it’s because they couldn’t find a head coach. Jim Finks built the best roster the Bears have ever had in the Super Bowl era. Yet his two head coaching hires in the 1970s were disappointments. So in 1982, ownership went over his head to bring in Mike Ditka. It was the right call.
Conversely, Jerry Angelo wasn’t the best GM at times for the Bears but nobody can deny he nailed the head coaching hire in 2004 with Lovie Smith. That is a big reason he ended up running the organization for a decade. Ryan Pace needed to get that decision right in 2018. After such a promising start, things have slowly crumbled as the reality of who Nagy continues to sink in.
Bad offenses. Mismanaged quarterbacks.
If and when Pace gets fired at some point in the next few months, he will look back on that decision as the one that ultimately doomed him. Drafting Trubisky may not have led to huge success, but the reality is we’ll never know for sure because the guy put in charge to find out wasn’t remotely qualified.