Gotta Love Massie's Attitude

[soulman]

Bobby Massie doesn't care that he could've made more money in free agency

By: Bryan Perez | 7 hours ago

https://bearswire.usatoday.com/2019/03/25/bobby-massie-doesnt-care-that-he-couldve-made-more-money-in-free-agency/

 

Chicago Bears right tackle Bobby Massie signed a five-year, $40 million contract to remain with the team instead of testing free agency, a decision that certainly cost him a few million dollars considering the contracts signed by offensive linemen on the open market.

But Massie isn’t concerned with the money he left on the table. He wanted to stay in Chicago, and that’s more valuable than whatever payday he could’ve received this offseason.

“I don’t care,” Massie said of the money he left on the table. “At the end of the day, I was happy with what I got and I was where I wanted to be. Wait for a few more pennies? I am where I wanted to be.”

Retaining Massie was one of the Bears’ biggest moves of the offseason and ensures that the entire starting offensive line will return in 2019.

“I want to be in Chicago because I know something special is coming. We’ve got a great team, amazing people in the building. I just love it there. I didn’t want to leave on that note.”

[malagabears]

This is another example of players buying in and responding to the culture & values being instilled by Nagy/Pace. Luv it.

[WindyCity]

OL and DB are positions where a bad coach/scheme fit can kill you and your career.

I am thrilled that they kept Massie for as little as they did and he seems cool with it.

I am also glad that Chicago's rep in the league has clearly changed and improved. With the post football opportunities that exist in the city it should be a destination. The 85 Bears have made more money outside of football than when they played because of Chicago. I know Izzy [Idonije] has multiple thriving businesses in the city that were set up by his football profile and connections.

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

The easy narrative for 2019 is "it's all about Trubisky" which is probably #1, but I think we're starting to see (for the first time in my Bears fandom) that it's all about the details too.  The one thing I continue to be impressed with is Pace's reading of the market*. Getting the premium positions locked down early has been really nice.  Imagine there will be a similar value explosion in 2020 as well, so not sure how to prepare for that. 

 

*I am aware of and ignoring Mike Glennon

[beardown3231]

I'm not so sure he could've gotten more on the open market, but I guess we'll never know. I just hope he continues to play well. I'm a tad skeptical because his best years were his contract year in Arizona and his contract year last year in Chicago, but hopefully I'm proven wrong.

[Heinz D.]

That quote of his...

Made me the happiest I've been in a long time. 

The players know. They see it, they know what it's all about. 

[soulman]

Maybe Massie also realizes that if this team wins a Super Bowl they will supplant the '85 Bears for many fans and like those guys walk on water (Lake Michigan) once they retire.  Chicagoan's will embrace any business venture they become involved in and they will continue to benefit financially.

Many of the former Packer players from the Titletown years in the '60s opened successful business, bars, beer distributorships, pizza joints, and restaurants in an around GB and made far more money after their careers ended than they ever did playing the game.  Lombardi pushed that.

Nice for those guys but for a die hard Bears fan it was sickening to see so much crap painted forest green and baby **** yellow and so many places named Titletown this or Titletown that.  They had recent championships and trophies and I had memories of Abe Gibron and Bobby Douglass. 

[Heinz D.]

17 hours ago, soulman said:

Maybe Massie also realizes that if this team wins a Super Bowl they will supplant the '85 Bears for many fans and like those guys walk on water (Lake Michigan) once they retire.  Chicagoan's will embrace any business venture they become involved in and they will continue to benefit financially.

Many of the former Packer players from the Titletown years in the '60s opened successful business, bars, beer distributorships, pizza joints, and restaurants in an around GB and made far more money after their careers ended than they ever did playing the game.  Lombardi pushed that.

Nice for those guys but for a die hard Bears fan it was sickening to see so much crap painted forest green and baby **** yellow and so many places named Titletown this or Titletown that.  They had recent championships and trophies and I had memories of Abe Gibron and Bobby Douglass. 

How'd you get that crying emoji up there? Impressive. Or maybe I missed something, I don't know. 

The cool thing about these Bears is that if they end up being contenders for a while, they won't have Ditka around to **** things up for them. 

[WindyCity]

On 2019-03-26 at 10:06 AM, beardown3231 said:

I'm not so sure he could've gotten more on the open market, but I guess we'll never know. I just hope he continues to play well. I'm a tad skeptical because his best years were his contract year in Arizona and his contract year last year in Chicago, but hopefully I'm proven wrong.

Juwan James got 13/season and they are comparable players.

[Sugashane]

Massie seems like a great teammate, I remember how Long was going nuts over the signing. He isn't a guy who you base your offense around, but is good enough you don't really have to plan around him. He is a respectable starter, and after seeing how much the OTs got this offseason he went from not only a pretty good player to also being an absolute steal.

 

Pace got great value in the deal, and that is what really wins games IMO.

[soulman]

3 hours ago, Heinz D. said:

How'd you get that crying emoji up there? Impressive. Or maybe I missed something, I don't know. 

The cool thing about these Bears is that if they end up being contenders for a while, they won't have Ditka around to **** things up for them. 

Use the "Insert Other Media" option - "Insert Image From Url".  You'll need a source for a selection of emojis.  Select the one you want by left clicking on it then right click copy image location, select insert from URL from Insert Other Media and paste URL into the bar where you insert the image with a left click.   

"Sybil" Ditka had his own issues but in my mind Mike McCaskey's mis-management did far more harm because by firing Jerry Vainisi as GM and becoming de facto GM himself we never replaced many of those top players we lost due to FA, age or injury.  And in the '90s he and Wannstadt were even worse personnel guys.

Ginny should have listened to the old man when he told her anyone BUT Michael.  GSH knew what he was talking about because he knew his family.

 

[soulman]

2 minutes ago, Sugashane said:

Massie seems like a great teammate, I remember how Long was going nuts over the signing. He isn't a guy who you base your offense around, but is good enough you don't really have to plan around him. He is a respectable starter, and after seeing how much the OTs got this offseason he went from not only a pretty good player to also being an absolute steal.

 

Pace got great value in the deal, and that is what really wins games IMO.

To me one of the most impressive things about Massie is how hard he's worked to improve over the past three years.

His first season most of us wanted to hang Massie AND hang Pace for signing him but even then by seasons end he'd improved and I feel he made another leap this past year while under HH's tutelage.  He's a much better RT now than he was when he walked through our door day one.

I don't believe we could have drafted a rookie RT any better than Massie is now who wouldn't have taken 2-3 years of work to get him to the same level.

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

Sure looks like the Bears had some magic last year,  if you've ever been on a team where everyone is just excited to get to work in the morning and ends up performing above their own level you know the feeling. 

 

Someone on here, I think Windy?, has been saying draft an OL every year for Hiestand to develop. Makes a ton of sense the way OT are getting paid these days.  I still maintain that there were some really weird lapses in run blocking last year, but it does seem like the Bears are a getting a lot of OL perceived to be average. 

[soulman]

15 minutes ago, RunningVaccs said:

Sure looks like the Bears had some magic last year,  if you've ever been on a team where everyone is just excited to get to work in the morning and ends up performing above their own level you know the feeling. 

 

Someone on here, I think Windy?, has been saying draft an OL every year for Hiestand to develop. Makes a ton of sense the way OT are getting paid these days.  I still maintain that there were some really weird lapses in run blocking last year, but it does seem like the Bears are a getting a lot of OL perceived to be average. 

I'd chalk that up to two factors.

1) We used 4 different OG combinations throughout the season.

2) Playing more power/gap earlier in the season which they appeared to be less familiar with.

I'm all for feeding HH some young OL to develop.  Two he has now, Dejon Allen and Rashard Coward, were UDFAs who may have some promise.

Bringing back HH to coach the OL was another of the smartest offseason decision Pace made last year.  Now that we have the starting OL stabilized for at least a couple of years Pace can draft or sign OL on the basis of fit and upside without the need to spend top picks on day one starters.  The improvement in Massie and the rapid development of Daniels tends to indicate just how valuable HH is and his players love him.  He's a great teacher.