Football is a crazy sport for so many reasons. Perhaps none more so than just how susceptible it can be to karma. A perfect example is shaping up this Sunday at Soldier Field. The Chicago Bears are in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Their longest since 2002. At 5-7, their season is on life support. One more loss and any remaining hopes they had for making the playoffs are dead. How fitting is it then that Deshaun Watson arrives on the scene?
Everybody knows the story by now. GM Ryan Pace held the #3 overall pick in 2017. He was going to take a quarterback. It would be his defining moment in charge of the Bears. He was so confident in his choice that he even traded up from #3 to #2 just to make sure nobody would think about stealing his guy. Roger Goodell then strolled to the podium and made the announcement.
The Chicago Bears select…Mitchell Trubisky.
It was a bombshell. While Trubisky was a favorite in the draft community for his standout year at North Carolina, it was a genuine shock the Bears not only picked him but moved up to do so. Especially when Watson, a national champion at Clemson was still on the board. People did have concerns about his durability but the talent and competitiveness were impossible to argue.
What made it even more baffling is a couple of years later that the story went far deeper. Pace was so enamored with Trubisky during the pre-draft process that he didn’t even bother to meet Watson in person. Something the QB himself confirmed this past week. If that weren’t bad enough. Then-head coach John Fox preferred Watson as the QB of choice. Undoubtedly a big reason why Pace hid the selection of Trubisky from him until the last minute.
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Now Deshaun Watson can deliver the kill shot on Pace
One can only speculate what is going through Pace’s head right now. His seat is scorching hot as the Bears continue their freefall. They need to go 4-0 over these final games to have any hope of making the playoffs. Now his precious defense has wilted, allowing 68 points in the past two games just in time for Watson to arrive with the Houston Texans.
It also just so happens that the QB is playing the best football of his career. Despite not having his superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins anymore, the two-time Pro Bowler has been outstanding. In the past seven games, he’s completed 70.14% of his passes for 2,091 yards, 15 touchdowns, and one interception. Good for a 116.4 passer rating.
How fitting is it that he pretty much holds Pace’s future in his hands?
Deshaun Watson has no regrets. He’s happy in Houston. He just got a massive new contract and the fans down there love him. If the team can get out of its own way, they’ll be competing for championships for years to come. Pace meanwhile may never be a GM again after this season ends. Teams never forget when a guy so colossally misses on a quarterback.