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Ryan Pace’s Rivalry With The 49ers Is Heating Up

By
Erik Lambert
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ryan pace

Rivalries in sports are typically reserved for two categories:  players or teams. It’s Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady or the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the New York Giants. Rivalries are always reserved for on the field. Rarely do they spill over to off of it. Yet sometimes in a rare sequence of circumstances, there is an exception to that rule. It seems this has become the case for Ryan Pace and John Lynch.

The two men have a connection that goes back 16 years. Pace became a scout for the New Orleans Saints in 2002. That same year Lynch was winning the Super Bowl as the starting safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Neither men could’ve known at the time they’d cross paths again in spring of 2017 when Pace placed a phone call to the San Francisco 49ers.

Lynch, the new GM of the team, held the #2 pick in the NFL draft. He was fielding possible calls to move down, hoping to acquire extra draft picks to aid the rebuild of his depleted roster. Pace, on the other hand, was seeking a slight move up the board in order to secure a new quarterback. The two spoke for quite some time and eventually settled on a deal.

That deal, unbeknownst to everybody, is what sparked their unlikely rivalry.

Ryan Pace and John Lynch story began with a “fleecing”

The Bears moved up from #3 to #2, selecting North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky. In return the 49ers received a third round pick in 2017, a fourth round pick in 2017 and a third round pick in 2018. Experts were baffled by the deal at the time. They felt it was totally unnecessary for Pace to make such a move, believing Trubisky would’ve been available at #3 had he just waited. It was clear to them that Lynch had hoodwinked him, that the Bears were “fleeced.”

Time has proven that’s not necessarily the case. So far the return on that trade for San Francisco hasn’t been overwhelming. Their first pick, Solomon Thomas, had just three sacks as a rookie. Their other first rounder, Reuben Foster, was recently arrested for domestic violence and possession of an assault rifle. The third round pick last year they picked up was traded to New Orleans, who took Alvin Kamara. Thus far one can say neither side holds a decisive advantage in this microwave rivalry.

It’s about to heat up again

Now it looks like Round 2 is set to begin. The legal tampering window for NFL free agency begins today with the new season opening March 14th. Both teams have some of the most cap space in the league and are expected to be big spenders on the market. What’s more, it appears they’ll also be pursuing the same players, pitting Pace and Lynch head-to-head yet again.

The Allen Robinson situation has Bears fans transfixed. The former Jaguars wide receiver is considered the best among those set to hit the market. Securing him would give a team a 25-year old player who has produced at peak levels in the NFL. It’s no surprise the Bears and 49ers are both in on him, having less than ideal situations at receiver. So who will win in this latest tug-of-war?

On the surface, it looks like Lynch has the inside position.

He has more cap space, a team on the west coast, and a more proven head coach-quarterback combination in Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo. The Bears aren’t devoid of negotiating power. They reside close to Robinson’s hometown of Detroit. Robinson is reportedly a big Cubs fan and also friends with Bears safety Adrian Amos.

This will come down to who can be the better negotiator and who’s willing to be more aggressive. Pace has a rough reputation in free agency, so the odds appear against him. Will the narrative that Lynch is superior continue? That’s for him to decide.

A Dire Bears Off-Season Problem Is About To Get More Challenging

By
Erik Lambert
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bears off-season

Don’t let anybody steer the conversation a different direction. Wide receiver may be the most hyped up Chicago Bears off-season issue. It is not, however, their biggest worry. No that lay elsewhere at the edge rusher position. Why though? Both the receiver and edge rusher spots are going to be totally barren when free agency starts March 14th. How can one be considered worse off than the other?

The answer to that comes down to supply and demand. Chicago has an equal demand for wide receivers and edge rushers. It’s the supply situation that creates the difference. Put simply there are a number of decent options available to the Bears at receiver, both in free agency and the draft. The same can’t be said for pass rushers.

In fact, the 2018 free agent class is already totally void of any proven names outside of the 38-year old Julius Peppers. After that, it’s a long list of mostly former reserves seeking a chance to become starters. What’s worse is that list is in danger of losing one of its biggest names.

Bears off-season plans may soon no longer include Trent Murphy

According to JP Finley of NBC Sports Washington, the Redskins are making a last-second push to re-sign young pass rusher, Trent Murphy. Though he missed 2017 with a torn ACL, he seemed on the cusp of a breakout the year before when he had nine sacks for the team. He’s a power rusher who is familiar with a 3-4 defense. It’s unclear where he stands, but Washington is moving hard to get it done.

“With less than 24 hours to go before the legal tampering period opens up in NFL Free Agency, the Redskins have extended a contract offer to outside linebacker Trent Murphy, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NBC Sports Washington.

Murphy is slated for unrestricted free agency when the new league year opens on Wednesday, unless he signs a deal with Washington first.”

It’s not known if the Bears were planning to make a hard charge for Murphy but there’s no question he could’ve helped ease the biggest problem on their roster. He’s 27-years old and by all accounts fully recovered from his injury. If Washington manages to keep him it strips the last noteworthy young rusher from the market, making it likely the Bears will have to try solving their problem in the draft.

Not ideal given the lack of high profile talent coming out of this class.

Teams Are Trying To Find Ways to Pry Kyle Fuller From Bears

By
Erik Lambert
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kyle fuller

The Chicago Bears weren’t taking any chances. GM Ryan Pace didn’t want to apply the franchise tag to cornerback Kyle Fuller. At the same time, he also didn’t want the 26-year old to leave for free agency. This left the team with a clear option and they executed it, utilizing the transition tag to keep Fuller in place for the time being.

For those who aren’t familiar the transition tag works basically like a restricted free agent. He’s under control by the original team but is allowed to negotiate offer sheets with other teams. If he accepts one of them, the host team would be allowed to match the offer if they wish. If they refuse, that player ends up going to the other team.

The sole difference is if that were to happen on the transition tag, the Bears would not get any compensation in return. So it would likely take a significant offer from another team to prevent them from matching it. Well, the current buzz is that other teams might be seeking ways to pull such a maneuver off.

Bears likely to weather a storm of offers for Kyle Fuller

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports has become somewhat of a punchline to Bears fans due to his largely inaccurate predictions regarding the team. In fact, he’s already swung and missed once by saying Fuller would not be tagged. Even so, he decided to double down by stating other teams plan to make a hard run at him in order to force Pace to avoid matching.

“Some execs I spoke to believe it’s quite possible Bears corner Kyle Fuller could receive multiple offer sheets while on the transition tag. There isn’t that much blue-chip talent available and with no draft compensation, there is a sense there may be a way to design an offer sheet that the Bears would be hesitant to match.”

Typically this would come down to a question of guaranteed money. It was reported the last two years that the Bears were in on corners Janoris Jenkins and Stephon Gilmore. Both ended up turning them down for deals from the Giants and Patriots. A big reason for why was the guarantees. Jenkins got 46.1% of his $62.5 million deal from New York guaranteed. Gilmore got 47.7% of his $65 million from New England.

To date, Pace has never offered a deal exceeding $50 million. The highest at present is Akiem Hicks’ $48 million contract signed last year. It will likely take that much and more to retain Fuller. Is Pace willing to go that high and also willing to cough up some decent guarantees?

Bears don’t seem too concerned with outside threats

I reached out to a source close to the situation and asked about La Canfora’s statement. It was affirmed that the Bears do expect other teams to come sniffing around Fuller but that’s about it.

“There is a possibility he gets an offer sheet but the Bears aren’t too worried.”

It’s important to remember the context here. Fuller didn’t play any football in 2016. He had knee surgery. His tremendous 2017 season came out of nowhere and it came when his contract was expiring. NFL history is filled with examples of disappointing players putting together a great year when it’s time to get paid. Is Fuller a one-year wonder or is he turning the corner (pardon the pun)? Teams can’t know for sure.

Are they willing to throw loads of guaranteed money at him to find out? The Bears are wisely banking on that not being the case.

Eloy Jimenez Makes First Start, Hits A Home Run, Shows Off More Power, Hits A Triple

By
Aldo Soto
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Before Saturday, Eloy Jimenez has been out of action for the Chicago White Sox in spring training, but boy has he made his return known. The top prospect on the South Side and a top-five prospect in MLB, Jimenez is making sure no one has forgotten about just what a beast he is at the plate.

Jimenez hit a two-run homer against the Cubs Saturday, pinch-hitting late in that game. It was a beautiful opposite-field blast against the team that traded him last summer.

Then, on Sunday in his first start this spring training, Jimenez did it again, smashing another opposite-field dinger.

He wasn’t done though. The next time up, Jimenez cranked a triple. He finished Sunday’s game with a walk.

So, Jimenez didn’t play for a couple weeks and then when he came back all he accomplished was a pinch-hit home run, home run, triple and a walk in his first four plate appearances in Cactus League games.

Pray for the damn league is right.

Cubs Free Agent Jake Arrieta Signs With Phillies

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Cubs made their decision earlier in the offseason that Yu Darvish was their No. 1 target and with Tyler Chatwood already signed, it was only a matter of time that Jake Arrieta found a new home. That time was longer than anyone imagined, but Arrieta has finally signed and it’s with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Arrieta, 32, has reportedly signed a three-year deal.

Following his 2015 Cy Young Award season, Arrieta’s agent Scott Boras frequently brought up how he was going to be asking for a Max Scherzer type deal. Scherzer received a seven-year, $210 million from the Washington Nationals. Obviously with this offseason’s free agent market, Arrieta wasn’t going to get anything close to that, but seeing as though it’s March 11, you might be safe to assume Arrieta was holding out for more money.

While Arrieta rejuvenated his career with the Cubs, the last two seasons simply looked different than his dominant form in 2015. The control got worse and Arrieta’s fastball velocity decreased. Although he can still be very good, the consistency wasn’t there anymore.

That’s probably the reason he only got three years, as the $25 million per year is what most expected he would get a few months ago.

For the Phillies, signing Arrieta firmly gets them into the Wild Card mix in the National League.

As for Arrieta’s legacy with the Cubs, what else can you say other than he had one of the most impressive runs as a pitcher ever in franchise history. In five years with the Cubs, Arrieta went 68-31, with a 2.73 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 2015 Cy Young, 2015 Wild Card complete-game, ass-kicking of the Pirates, 2016 World Series and two no-hitters.

That second half in 2015, might go down as the most dominant ever by a pitcher in MLB history. At his peak, Jake Arrieta was a bad, bad man on the mound and boy was it a pleasure to watch.

So, good luck to Jake in Philadelphia.

Kyle Schwarber Hits Another Monster Home Run In Spring Training

By
Aldo Soto
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Kyle Schwarber now has three home runs this week and his latest was another monster blast down in Arizona.

The Chicago Cubs are playing the Oakland A’s at their former spring training home Hohokam Stadium and Schwarber sent a moonshot to right field, clearing the bullpens and landing on the bern above.

Yeah, so about him losing weight and making some of his power go away, not quite correct.

After Schwarber’s home run, Cubs catcher Chris Gimenez hit a home run too on the very next pitch.

A Ryan Pace Decision Has Totally Altered Bears Free Agent Outlook

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy and ryan pace

Ryan Pace deserves credit for one thing. He’s not prone to making the same mistakes twice. His Ray McDonald experience back in 2015 has seen him avoid any players with questionable character. His inability to pull the trigger on trading up for Marcus Mariota and Carson Wentz drove him to do so for Mitch Trubisky. The John Fox results taught him that maybe experience isn’t all its cracked up to be for a head coach, leading him to hire Matt Nagy.

Pace is a young GM who is learning as he goes and the lessons seem to be getting through. His drafting significantly improved when comparing his earlier work to his latest. The biggest problem remaining on his record is how he’s managed free agency. Simply put it is by far his greatest weak point. Aside from a few notable hits like Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan and Josh Sitton it’s been a rough go for Pace on the veteran market.

His 2017 class was clearly a low point with Mike Glennon headlining a group that did next to nothing for the team. It’s this reason that has so many Bears fans worried. Despite having a wealth of salary cap space, people are skeptical that Pace will know how to use it this time. Except it may not be on him anymore.

Ryan Pace likely to delegate in 2018 free agency

A few weeks ago I reported that one of the biggest reasons Pace was able to lure Nagy to Chicago, along with retaining Vic Fangio, was a concession on personnel. Put simply the two coaches would have far greater latitude on the types of players pursued for their respective schemes. It seems he’s ready to follow through on that pledge as a source indicated to me. I asked who the Bears would be in on for this free agent market. The answer received was crystal clear.

“Anyone and everyone. Pace is giving free reign letting Vic and Matt dictate who to sign. Reality is the Bears are in on everyone who’s available.”

This changes things. By this point, it’s usually easy to predict how Pace approaches free agency. He might go after one top tier free agent at a need position and then sit back to starting digging through the second and third tier groups looking for hidden gems. Pace is not a man who views free agency as a primary avenue to long-term success. The problem is he’s running out of time after three-straight losing seasons.

Giving Nagy and Fangio the green light could mean the Bears are significantly more aggressive this free agency period than in recent memory. Coaches, after all, aren’t overly concerned with the long-term. They’re trying to win now. So even at the cost of their healthy cap, they’ll go after every notable talent they can to upgrade this roster.

It will be up to Pace to make the deals happen. Bears fans should buckle up since this could mean unexpected names may be surfacing in the coming days.

Another Way The Bears Could Exploit the Browns Fire Sale

By
Erik Lambert
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Credit: Cleveland.com

The Chicago Bears roster situation isn’t nearly as bad as its been the past three years. GM Ryan Pace finally has them on a stable footing with a strong core of young players. That said he’s still got lots of work to do. Preliminary evaluations would suggest that wide receiver headlines their list of biggest needs. However, when evaluating the talent likely to be available? That shifts drastically to another position.

Finding decent wide receivers shouldn’t be hard for the Bears in 2018. Both the free agent and draft avenues should offer quality talent. The far bigger problem is at the edge rusher position. Outside of Leonard Floyd, who is coming off a torn ACL, the Bears have no proven talent at that position. Pernell McPhee and Willie Young were both cuts. Lamarr Houston is a free agent.

What’s worse is the free agent market looks barren on that front and the draft isn’t much better. This means the Bears might have to get creative, meaning the trade front. Problem is teams aren’t prone to giving away productive pass rushers. So any deal would likely come with a degree of risk and faith. Is there one name out there who might fit the bill?

Chicago Bears roster may benefit from giving Nate Orchard a fresh start

It’s hard to say where things went wrong with Nate Orchard. Then again there are a ton of players who can say that after spending their early careers in Cleveland. The fact is the former second round pick hasn’t been able to get his career off the ground. He delivered a whopping 18.5 sacks for Utah in his final college season. Yet in the three years since joining the NFL? He only has five.

Now he could be on the chopping block. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract and buried on the Browns depth chart behind other players. Not only that but he is playing a position at defensive end many don’t think he fits well. Projections hinted he was a better fit for a 3-4 outside linebacker. Other notable Browns picks were already shipped out like DeShone Kizer and Danny Shelton. Orchard could be next and likely be had dirt cheap too.

Rest assured this move should not be considered THE solution to the Bears’ problem. More like part of a solution. Orchard would be a young depth piece who still has room to grow. He’s only 25-years old. Perhaps playing under Vic Fangio, who’s no stranger to reclamation projects, could reignite the force he was during his final year at Utah.

If it doesn’t work out the Bears don’t lose much in terms of draft capital. If it does? They score a young pass rusher who can help them for years to come. It’s a calculated risk at a favorable cost. The sort of thing that would appeal to Pace.

Cubs Hire Two Former Players To Front Office Roles

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Cubs have signed two former players, but not to play baseball. The team announced that Chris Denorfia and Matt Murton have been hired to roles in the front office.

Denorfia last played in MLB in 2015 with the Cubs, which happened to be the final season of his 10-year career. He’ll be a special assistant to Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Meanwhile, Murton is back in the organization as a baseball operations assistant.

Murton spent the first 3.5 years with the Cubs before he was traded to the Oakland A’s in 2008, in the six-player deal that saw Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin head to Chicago and Josh Donaldson, Eric Patterson and Sean Gallagher along with Murton go to Oakland.

Murton played in Japan for six years and was a hitting machine. He broke Ichiro’s single-season hitting record in 2010, and became the 16th foreign player to eclipse the 1,000 hit mark in Japan.

The Cubs haven’t been shy about hiring former MLB players to front office jobs. The team’s current first base coach, Will Venable, was originally brought tp the organization as an assistant to the president/GM before he was picked to be the first base coach after 2017.

There’s also David Ross, who is diving deeper into his front office responsibilities with the Cubs this year.

It seems as though this front office has been very proactive in giving ex MLB players an avenue to continue working in baseball. A little more than a week ago, Jon Heyman reported the Cubs tried to hire three other former players to be a coach for Joe Maddon. One of those names was Aaron Boone, who was eventually hired by the New York Yankees to be their manager.

Former Cubs player Mark DeRosa and Raul Ibanez were the other two tabbed by the Cubs front office that feels they can be future managers. 

A Cheaper Trade Option That Could Ease Bears Wide Receiver Issue

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

Thus far the Chicago Bears have stayed out of the trade frenzy that continues to sweep across the NFL like a wildfire. Is GM Ryan Pace gunshy or is he just waiting for the opportunity to strike? The Bears don’t have a ton of draft capital to give up in any sort of deal. So anything they pursue would likely be of the cheaper variety. That involves an element of risk.

Then again Pace can’t hope to make this team better without risks. If he wants to entertain a possible deal, he should pay attention to the Cleveland Browns. It’s become obvious that they are in the process of a massive roster overhaul. Just in the past 48 hours, they’ve executed four different trades. They sent Danny Shelton to New England while bringing in Damarious Randall, Tyrod Taylor, and Jarvis Landry.

That last one creates an interest situation. It’s clear that Landry and Josh Gordon will be the primary receivers for Cleveland in 2018. This begs the question. What do they plan to do with Corey Coleman? Given what just happened to Shelton, another former first round pick, is it possible the wide receiver is on the trade block?

Chicago Bears could take the acceptable risk in Coleman trade

Cleveland sports radio host Daryl Ruiter of 923 The Fan seems to think that likelihood is growing by the day. It’s becoming clear new GM John Dorsey is unloading all the notable names acquired by the previous regime. Coleman is among them.

Coleman is an interesting case. He’s missed 13 combined games through his first two seasons with a pair of hand injuries. That obviously won’t appeal to Bears fans who’ve seen more than enough of receivers who can’t stay healthy whether it’s Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, Kevin White or Cameron Meredith. That said Coleman has continued to flash his potential as a big play threat.

He’s also just 23-years old, still quite young for a player going into his third year. Coleman did his biggest damage at Baylor in college, playing in their fast-paced spread offense. Considering this is a style embraced by new Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, somebody like Coleman with his quickness and speed would seem appealing.

It’s possible the Bears might employ a system far better suited to his talents. Matt Nagy could end up seeing some Tyreek Hill in his game. Any deal will come down to price though. Pace won’t entertain the idea if the Browns try to extort anything beyond a late round pick. So this will rely on Dorsey’s personal evaluation of Coleman.

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