I agree. He just never seemed to “get it.”
I’m pretty sure that’s what we all said about Foles a year ago.
I kind of do. Hitting rock bottom under Fox in 2016, at least we knew we’d get a shot at a QB we could build around for a decade or more. Pace whiffed. And he keeps whiffing.
We won’t have a chance at sustained excellence until we find that QB, and we’re probably another two seasons from hitting rock bottom again.
Not sure what you mean by keeps whiffing. He hasn’t swung since Mitch.
Foles (strike two) and Dalton (likely strike three). And don’t even get me started on Robert Quinn.
Meh, those aren’t the same. You don’t get to shit on a GM who’s trying to make the best of a bad situation. There wasn’t another veteran option out there notably better than Foles or Dalton that was actually available.
Last year before the Foles trade the meatheads on the internet and radio were calling for Pace to sign such luminaries as Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater and Andy Dalton. I’d say that Foles was better than all of them this year as sad a statement as that is. Certainly none were “the answer” for the Bears. This year no trade has been available, even if Watson gets moved eventually, the Texans are not taking offers seriously right now. What FA is better than Dalton? Fitzpatrick? Tyrod Taylor? Brissett? Alex Smith’s remaining body parts? What could Pace have done that wouldn’t be a “whiff”?
Pace hasn’t found the answer, but no answer exists right now. Deck chairs on the Titanic.
OK, fair enough – but the bad situation was entirely of his own making.
(FTR, I wanted Bridgewater last year and I still think he would have outperformed Foles.)
Foles had $17M guaranteed. Bridgewater got $33M guaranteed. There’s no world where the Bears are in a better situation with Bridgewater and his obvious limitations than with Foles after the Jags ate a bunch of his contract.
Kirk Cousins. Ryan Tannehill. Deshaun Watson. Patrick Mahomes. This wasn’t just a one year mistake.
The Bears went all in on a guy with one year college starting experience (who just happened to be white), didn’t give him a much of a chance to develop or learn, and got these results. Add in passing on Watson and Mahomes, and I can’t see any legitimate reason to not hold Pace responsible.
It still cracks me up that Trubisky made the Pro Bowl and Nagy was Coach of the Year.
According to Dan Patrick, before the Dalton signing, Chicago offered 3 1st round picks, a 3rd round pick, and 2 starters for Wilson and were rebuffed.
So, no surprise but it would be interesting to see how that would have worked considering QB isn’t their only need.
Also, Deshaun Watson has been accused of ‘inappropriate conduct’ by a masseuse. Normally, I’d take that kind of accusation very seriously, but the lawyer involved, Tony Buzbee, is about as close to a stereotypical scuzzball lawyer as it is possible to be. So, who knows? 
Omni is specifically talking about get Foles and Dalton after Trubisky didn’t pan out. I don’t remember any of these guys being available last year.
Which is why I pointed out it wasn’t just a one year mistake.
If true, ya gotta admire Pace’s chutzpah. I would also be skeptical of the Bears’ chances the next 2-3 years – after which Wilson would be 35 – but at least with a true franchise QB you have the realistic hope of long-term, extended success.
As opposed to the team’s current stumbling from one year to the next. Even going 12-4 in 2018, there were signs that Trubisky wasn’t going to be the next Rodgers or Brees.
Heck, Pace had enough chutzpah to trade a couple 3rd rounders and a 4th rounder to stop absolutely no other team from overdrafting Trubisky.
What’s so sad is there are some really nice mid round picks by Pace. Adrian Amos. Eddie Jackson. Nick Kwiakowski. But he’ had a more than enough early round whiffs to cost him a job.
Even if he hadn’t traded up and taken Trubisky at #3, it would still be the defining error of his career. Would those three traded picks have made the Bears a Super Bowl team in 2018? Doubtful.
And Darnell Mooney. But Pace has made exactly one good first round pick since he got here, and Khalil Mack sure hasn’t delivered what you’d expect from two of them.
As good as Wilson is, I’d have been ready to jump off a cliff had he made this deal. While the Bears certainly would have been a better team after the trade assuming Wilson is healthy, that’s indisputable, they wouldn’t be a contender. They have too many holes that would only deepen after giving up that much capital for a guy whose declining years are in view.
I remember a time when Pace was saying that “I can see myself drafting a QB in every draft” in front of the media. Funny that.
The memes have started.
The Trubisky Era in Chicago officially ends, as the Bills sign him to a one-year deal to back up Josh Allen.
One year, $2.5 million to back up an emerging star. Frankly, I thought he’d land better than that.
As this thread shows, there are a lot of QBs moving around (or potentially moving around) this off-season, many of whom have better track records (and, thus, more interest) than Trubisky. I read somewhere yesterday that the conventional wisdom among league executives on him now is that he’s not particularly bright, and that Nagy had to limit his offense in order to meet Trubisky’s capabilities.
The NFL announced its new TV deal, which extends through 2033, with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN/ABC, and Amazon.
Regarding Thursdays, what the above means is that, unless you’re in the home market for one of the teams, watching via Amazon appears to be your only option, unless it’s one of the games that’s also on NFL Network.
Also, some new features of ESPN’s deal:
Maybe Monday Night Football will suck a little less. At least it’s a step forward. They’ve had some really awful matchups recently.