A thread for the "New Pace/Nagy Era"

[Uncle Buck]

I'm sure there had to be at least one "Fire Pace" or "Fire Nagy" thread out there in the past.  As an outsider, I think Pace and Nagy bought themselves some more time in their positions.  The Bears' draft was one of the best, if not THE best in the league this year.

For this reason, I was thinking it might be cathartic for Bears fans to have a new, positive thread considering their GM and Head Coach.  I hope it will last for a long time for you.

The reason I thought about making this thread is that I just watched this interview of Nagy and really liked what he had to say.  Let's hope he has gotten everything back on track moving forward with Justin Fields.

 

[Bfan]

They seem to have collected most of the right ingredients now we need to see them make the meal.

[soulman]

I for one believe the media made far more out of Pace and Nagy dangling by a thread than the reality of it.  IMHO a whole lot of it was click bait chatter because there was little else to write about in the way of news related to the Bears.  Only a very significant regression in 2021 would have been a reason to consider letting both go.  Whatever "progress" was expected was never defined.

Nagy is under contract through 2022 and he's assembled a pretty fair offensive staff now so you don't want to lose the gains some of those guys like Castillo and Furrey have made with their units and Lazor and Defilippo are both respected offensive coaches as well.  My problem has typically been with "Game Day Nagy", with his decision making and his inconsistent play calling.

Pace is so well liked by the McCaskey's and around Halas Hall that his job was far more secure than the media projected.  Based on what's in print his contract is up at the end of 2021 but few of us believe that hasn't been extended verbally if not in writing.  GMcC seems to have anointed him head of football ops needing only a strong draft to restore confidence in him.  We got that.

It would have proven embarrassing to both Phillips and GMC to fire yet another HC while he was still under contract when they were part of his hiring process and if Pace was let go as well that would be two positions they'd need to hire early in 2022.  Top NFL GM talent have declined to interview for the Bears GM spot before which is how we ended up with a rookie GM like Pace.

On top of all of that they'd have been firing a HC/GM pairing with a winning record and two playoff appearances in three years.  While Bears fans may not appreciate that as being more than a weak excuse I believe the message it would send to other GM and HC prospects would indicate a lack of patience and still ongoing issues with the Bears upper management and ownership.

Now that some major gains at the QB position are at least perceived I'd have to believe both Pace and Nagy will receive official extensions for at least another two years so through 2024.  By then Fields should have had two full seasons as the starting QB under his belt and Pace will have had time to rebuild around him without the cap constraints he's under now and possibly in 2022 as well.

As frustrating as this team has been for many of it's fans there's little sense now in throwing out the baby with the bath water before allowing Pace and Nagy an opportunity to manage the team through at least two seasons under their prize QB.  It wouldn't be good for Fields either.  2021 should be used to set the stage for another aggressive run at a championship in 2023 and 2024.

Edited May 6, 2021 by soulman

[Heinz D.]

1 minute ago, soulman said:

I for one believe the media made far more out of Pace and Nagy dangling by a thread than the reality of it.  IMHO a whole lot of it was click bait chatter because there was little else to write about in the way of news related to the Bears.  Only a very significant regression in 2021 would have been a reason to consider letting both go.  Whatever "progress" was expected was never defined.

You're right about the media perception being off. But it's not, or wasn't, clickbait. Most Head Coach/General Manager combos that completely screwed up to the degree Nagy and Pace did WOULD be on the hottest of seats...in just about any other organization in the league. 

[soulman]

Just now, Heinz D. said:

You're right about the media perception being off. But it's not, or wasn't, clickbait. Most Head Coach/General Manager combos that completely screwed up to the degree Nagy and Pace did WOULD be on the hottest of seats...in just about any other organization in the league. 

But luckily for them they're working for the Bears and the McCaskey's who are more hesitant than many others to make wholesale changes at GM and HC every few years.  Look at how many years Ginny allowed Mikey to run the team into the ground and stick with HCs like Wannstedt and Jauron.

Then they allow Teddy Bears to hire that assclown Phil Emery and allow him to fire a HC with a winning record a SB appearance and two NFL Championship Games for Marc Trestman and yet Phillips still got to keep his job as CEO!!!!  Talk about patience and loyalty above and beyond the call.  That's the McCaskey's for ya'.

Pace should also have been allowed to fire John Fox prior to the 2017 season as well especially when Pace knew he was gonna use his top pick on a QB and then he would have had the kind of "collaboration" with his HC he had this time as far as who to draft.  So by virtue of their refusal to allow Fox to be fired then they also had a hand in the Trubisky pick and it's eventual failure as well.

But to fire Fox after only two seasons as well would have also reflected poorly on them and been another embarrassment because we all know Fox was not Pace's guy or his first choice regardless of the malarkey we've been fed about that.  Accorsi sold that whole deal as a package pairing an inexperienced GM with a checked out HC who'd been fired in Denver and they bought it.

To be perfectly honest I think Teddy Bears and GMcC should have to forfeit their rights to hiring or firing anyone.  Neither has proven to be good at it at all.  I'll give high marks to Ryan Pace for not throwing up his hands and failing to take the kind of risks a good GM needs to take in order to build a winning team.  At least he's grown into his job which is more than I can say for Ted Phillips.

[JAF-N72EX]

I have nothing more to say.  After spending the last 2 years being the most vocal user to defend Pace against an angry mob of "fire pace" fans and taking hits left and right for it.....I'm just gonna sit back like this and watch.

 

[G08]

Saw this on reddit...

 

Others:

Sam Mustipher, 24
Alex Bars, 25
Tarik Cohen, 25

Eddie Goldman, 27
Eddie Jackson, 27
Allen Robinson, 27

Cody Whitehair, 28

[Superman(DH23)]

Count me as one who never really thought Pace was in trouble.  In terms of who up at HH has actually shown capable of doing their job, Pace is probably top of the list.  I did think that he could be moved up to VP of Football operations if they wanted to bring in someone else to build the roster day to day, but now I'm pretty well convinced he will just become team president when Phillips retires next year.  I think if they find out he got the QB position right, they will rename a wing at HH after him.  The McCaskeys not only love Pace the person, but they trust him with the pocket book and he brought the team into the 21st century.  I think Pace is probably a mainstay with the team if he wants to be.

[Superman(DH23)]

Now, Nagy on the other hand, well let's just say I'm happy we got Justin Fields bc I believe he is talented enough to overcome Nagys shortcomings as a play caller.  Honestly Nagy needs to hire an assistant coach whose whole job is to tell him "Now is not the time to get cute" when he wants to do something even us as fans can see is incredibly stupid.  Maybe Olin can be that guy who just walks over to Nagy and says, "not today Satan"

[soulman]

17 hours ago, JAF-N72EX said:

I have nothing more to say.  After spending the last 2 years being the most vocal user to defend Pace against an angry mob of "fire pace" fans and taking hits left and right for it.....I'm just gonna sit back like this and watch.

 

Many Bears fans haven't enough patience to look at the big picture, take note of the McCaskey's attitude and the way they manage their team, and also have few enough suggestions for who they believe would be willing to come to Chicago to replace Pace if he was fired.

It's easy to complain but far more complicated to produce solutions so griping is substituted as if that will change anything.

[soulman]

4 hours ago, Superman(DH23) said:

Count me as one who never really thought Pace was in trouble.  In terms of who up at HH has actually shown capable of doing their job, Pace is probably top of the list.  I did think that he could be moved up to VP of Football operations if they wanted to bring in someone else to build the roster day to day, but now I'm pretty well convinced he will just become team president when Phillips retires next year.  I think if they find out he got the QB position right, they will rename a wing at HH after him.  The McCaskeys not only love Pace the person, but they trust him with the pocket book and he brought the team into the 21st century.  I think Pace is probably a mainstay with the team if he wants to be.

Replacing whatever business acumen Ted Phillips has brought to the franchise and the teams net worth would not be that difficult to replace.

Replacing whatever he offers that substitutes for football knowledge should be very easy.  My position over the past few years has been a simple one.  The Bears mediocrity rests as much on the shoulders of Phillips and GMcC as it does on Ryan Pace or Matt Nagy.  The hiring of Phil Emery by Ted Phillips set this team back for half of the last decade.

Pace came in saddled with the monumental task of rebuilding a defense that had completely cratered and finding ways to win under an aging HC who'd lost his job in Denver because of his stubbornness and lack of modern offensive knowledge or a willingness to learn it and apply it.  John Fox was ready for retirement before he arrived.  The Bears were no more than his golden parachute.

Pace's work has been somewhat inconsistent at times but he seems to have grown into his position as GM and chief personnel manager. Is that good enough to say HE should be the guy to take over from the very top?  I dunno.  If I'm GMcC I'd want to be evaluating other prospects as well but knowing him a promotion from within is more likely should Teddy Bears finally be persuaded to retire.

[Sugashane]

My biggest two concerns with Pace was that he had floundered every QB signing of note he had and neglected the OT spots for the last several years.

I love the move to get Fields, a lot of luck was involved but he took the shot and got the guy to build around IMO. Then he got a hell of an OT in the 2nd on another aggressive move. So he has broken two of my concerns. Hopefully they work out, they were two of my favorite guys and ones that shouldn't have made it to where we got them.

Now Nagy is my biggest concern. Hopefully he smashes my doubts and shows the QBs were his weak link. I'd rather eat crow and the team thrive than be right that Nagy is another Reid puppet.

[soulman]

3 hours ago, Sugashane said:

My biggest two concerns with Pace was that he had floundered every QB signing of note he had and neglected the OT spots for the last several years.

I love the move to get Fields, a lot of luck was involved but he took the shot and got the guy to build around IMO. Then he got a hell of an OT in the 2nd on another aggressive move. So he has broken two of my concerns. Hopefully they work out, they were two of my favorite guys and ones that shouldn't have made it to where we got them.

Now Nagy is my biggest concern. Hopefully he smashes my doubts and shows the QBs were his weak link. I'd rather eat crow and the team thrive than be right that Nagy is another Reid puppet.

We're about to find out over the next two years or so just how good Fields is and what his ceiling may look like but I have no doubt the lack of a good QB has hurt this rebuild.  In retrospect Pace would have been much better off and so would the Bears if he'd kept Cutler on board for at least another year and just told Fox to deal with it.....or been allowed to fire Fox in 2017.

The idea that Cutler might have been a bad influence or a bad teacher is such BS.  How much did Mitch benefit from having Glennon around as a rookie or Chase Daniel?  Might have worked out much better had he kept Cutler and told Mitch he's the #1 now and when you can beat him out then you're the #1.  At least he'd have been up against an established NFL QB.

As for Jenkins, he's a beast.  A much bigger version of Jimbo Covert.  Whether he can play as well at LT as he seems to do at RT remains to be seen but I'm not all that worried about it.  He's gonna destroy people in the run game like Leno never could and with some decent coaching his pass sets can be improved.  I just want to see him "pancake" a few guys.....LOL.

[JAF-N72EX]

15 hours ago, Sugashane said:

Now Nagy is my biggest concern. Hopefully he smashes my doubts and shows the QBs were his weak link. I'd rather eat crow and the team thrive than be right that Nagy is another Reid puppet.

That's where I'm at with Nagy.  He's replaced his entire staff and now has a QB who he hand-picked. No more excuses.

[Heinz D.]

23 hours ago, soulman said:

Replacing whatever business acumen Ted Phillips has brought to the franchise and the teams net worth would not be that difficult to replace.