Pace hot seat

[Moriarty]

This is my take on his experience as well. To be honest, I'd rather have a guy that has made his mistakes and is clearly on a trajectory of improvement. Bring a new GM in here, and we get to watch him make all of the same mistakes again.

There's no reason to expect that.

Admittedly, I don't follow other teams carefully, but I don't recall another GM, out of 32 teams, in 40+ years of watching the NFL who was so fixated on trade ups and trading away draft picks.

History says it would be nearly (if not totally) impossible to bring a new GM in and watch him be anywhere near as bad in that regard.

[Artbest]

FWIW, Mike Lombardi doesn't believe a top HC candidate will come to Chicago if Pace is retained. Half the fan base carries the narrative that the overwhelming majority of the Bears' problems rest with the HC/coaching staff. I'm guessing the view across the league is that personnel management blunders are as much of a problem...being saddled with the GM with 1 winning season in 7 years, two round 1 trade ups for QBs within 7 years, no bona-fide All Pros/perennial Pro Bowlers drafted in 7 years...may not appeal to a HC candidate with options

[o-pus #40 in B major]

FWIW, Mike Lombardi doesn't believe a top HC candidate will come to Chicago if Pace is retained. Half the fan base carries the narrative that the overwhelming majority of the Bears' problems rest with the HC/coaching staff. I'm guessing the view across the league is that personnel management blunders are as much of a problem...being saddled with the GM with 1 winning season in 7 years, two round 1 trade ups for QBs within 7 years, no bona-fide All Pros/perennial Pro Bowlers drafted in 7 years...may not appeal to a HC candidate with options

Yeah - a candidate with options could jump right in to a really stable, ascending franchise - maybe like what they have in Vegas or even Jacksonville.

[Grizzled]

If the Bears retain Phillips in a football operational position and Pace as GM, it might make a guy think strongly about joining a clueless organization. But not too much, there are only 32 such jobs in the world.

[Artbest]

Vegas is fighting for a playoff spot and has a first rate stadium. Probably not a good comparison. Seattle has a winning GM in place. Minnesota has a better overall track record. The Jags have less stability but better draft capital and, if I'm not mistaken, more cap space.

FWIW, Mike Lombardi doesn't believe a top HC candidate will come to Chicago if Pace is retained. Half the fan base carries the narrative that the overwhelming majority of the Bears' problems rest with the HC/coaching staff. I'm guessing the view across the league is that personnel management blunders are as much of a problem...being saddled with the GM with 1 winning season in 7 years, two round 1 trade ups for QBs within 7 years, no bona-fide All Pros/perennial Pro Bowlers drafted in 7 years...may not appeal to a HC candidate with options

Yeah - a candidate with options could jump right in to a really stable, ascending franchise - maybe like what they have in Vegas or even Jacksonville.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Vegas is fighting for a playoff spot and has a first rate stadium. Not a good comparison

Yeah - a candidate with options could jump right in to a really stable, ascending franchise - maybe like what they have in Vegas or even Jacksonville.

Las Vegas has been through some major changes recently, not all of them have been positive...on the other hand:

Bears are still the Bears........known quantity........stable franchise.........no recent scandals.

[Artbest]

Vegas is winning, has an established QB - Bears "stability" hasn't translated to results

Vegas is fighting for a playoff spot and has a first rate stadium. Not a good comparison

Las Vegas has been through some major changes recently, not all of them have been positive...on the other hand:

Bears are still the Bears........known quantity........stable franchise.........no recent scandals.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

I'm not blaming the new guy on the team for structural problems within the organization.

He's a rookie QB. You can't screw him over with the Be You offense that fails at every turn along with a bunch of dolts and losers on the OL.

So all he needs is a Great Coach and Great OL and then we can expect him to shoulder any blame?

No, Fields doesn’t shoulder any blame. Period.

[Otis Day]

Known quantity? Rarely make it to the playoffs. Inept management who really doesn't know how to run a franchise or keep things in house.

Stable franchise. How many coaches the past 12 yrs? Stable in that they have remained in Chicago forever. Stable in that the same family has ran it unsuccessfully for years.

[dave99]

Known quantity? Rarely make it to the playoffs. Inept management who really doesn't know how to run a franchise or keep things in house.

Stable franchise. How many coaches the past 12 yrs? Stable in that they have remained in Chicago forever. Stable in that the same family has ran it unsuccessfully for years.

Agree
To be stable suggests a degree of past success that is expected to continue.
In this sense the Bears are anything but stable.

Intransigent might be a better word:
impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason

Keeping and/or promoting Pace signals that the organization likes where they are. A quality HC candidate might seriously consider if it makes sense to hitch his wagon to this star.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Known quantity? Rarely make it to the playoffs. Inept management who really doesn't know how to run a franchise or keep things in house.

Stable franchise. How many coaches the past 12 yrs? Stable in that they have remained in Chicago forever. Stable in that the same family has ran it unsuccessfully for years.

Agree
To be stable suggests a degree of past success that is expected to continue.
In this sense the Bears are anything but stable.

Intransigent might be a better word:
impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason

Keeping and/or promoting Pace signals that the organization likes where they are. A quality HC candidate might seriously consider if it makes sense to hitch his wagon to this star.

Some organizations do better with more incremental changes - I think the Bears are in that category. Too much change at once is not gonna work, for the very reasons you have pointed out - to borrow a phrase, like it or not, "McKaskey's gonna McKaskey".

My biggest question for those who want pace gone is this: What happened the last couple of times the Bears replaced both the GM and HC at the same time?

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

My biggest question for those who want pace gone is this: What happened the last couple of times the Bears replaced both the GM and HC at the same time?

This...this...this ^^^^^ THIS!

Where has it gotten the franchise to burn it all down every 4-6 years?? No-fucking-where. Pace is improving as a GM, and I believe what Mike Lombardi says about as far as I can throw his mom. In two years this franchise will have almost $90M in cap space, barring any huge FA signings. In no way has he hamstringed the roster for years to come, as some would suggest. He pushed his chips in on the 2018 defense and Nagy's 10-6 record, and it didn't work out. Any GM would have done that. ANY GM.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Nice post, Whiskey.

[malk]

I get this but if we're being clear eyed about this do we think the roster was good enough with a good coach to go all the way during this period? The offensive line hasn't been great throughout, we've never had a good tight end, there's been little at receiver outside of Robinson before Mooney was drafted and this is his first genuinely good year. Plus the defence was already creaking by 2019. So 2018 could have been something but we'd have been the first team in the modern era (or ever, I think anyway) where a team has won the Super Bowl with a QB in his first season in the playoffs. Admittedly maybe Trubisky was good enough to compensate more with a good head coach. He could have been Flacco I guess.

It's not about whether the roster has been good the past few years but using next year, the first under a new coaching regime, to ascertain where it's at now, particularly on offense. Nagy has been so utterly inept that we really don't know. Nagy's also often been unwilling to play some of the younger players regardless of any potential they've flashed and has a woeful record at developing them.

Good GMs find a way to keep their good draft picks. We've lost Fuller, Floyd, Amos, even guys like Howard... But we do need to run super lean for at least next season and probably the year after, which means letting players like Daniels and Nichols walk...

There appears to be a distinct contradiction here.

If we're analysing Pace then the past years should be a considered but there I was really exploring the counterfactual that Nagy is the issue by thinking about where we'd be with someone competent or good? Given how Pace has been trying to win each year (going by his roster moves) I don't think the team would be particularly different (a different offensive scheme would have changed things but that's too counterfactual to assess imo!). But even with some different players, we'd still be in a fairly poor cap situation going into year 5 of a decent head coach and requiring a reload in talent either now or soon depending on your views on the roster rather than kicking on for a proper super bowl push for the next three years.

As to the contradiction, I don't think there is. A *good* GM keeps their good draft picks but I contend that Pace *isn't* a good GM and that's forced us into a position where it's difficult to keep players like Daniels and Nichols unless they somehow take very team friendly deals.

[The Marshall Plan]

Agree
To be stable suggests a degree of past success that is expected to continue.
In this sense the Bears are anything but stable.

Intransigent might be a better word:
impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason

Keeping and/or promoting Pace signals that the organization likes where they are. A quality HC candidate might seriously consider if it makes sense to hitch his wagon to this star.

Some organizations do better with more incremental changes - I think the Bears are in that category. Too much change at once is not gonna work, for the very reasons you have pointed out - to borrow a phrase, like it or not, "McKaskey's gonna McKaskey".

My biggest question for those who want pace gone is this: What happened the last couple of times the Bears replaced both the GM and HC at the same time?

So what then? Pace gets lifetime employment?

That's flawed logic.

If you wanted to argue that Pace should be saved because he's only hired 1 HC and lost 2 years rebuilding the team I'll listen to that.

But to say that somebody should keep their job because change is hard is ludicrous.

[The Marshall Plan]

Howard can be argued as "correct", only with the given of Nagy's dislike of him. He was very productive here. In Philly he's gotten less opportunity, because they're committed to their R2 back, and Howard has had injuries. But he's also had a 4.3 ypc with the opportunities he's been given (4.5 here, back when he was the starter) (vs 3.9 for Montgomery over his 3 starter years).

Agree to disagree I guess. I've just never understood the handwringing when it comes to Howard. He was going into the last year of his deal and wasn't coming back anyway.

1,000 yard rushers in the prime of their career shouldn't get sent out of town for a bag of balls which is basically what we got for Howard.

IIRC, the excuse was that Howard didn't fit the offense.

Pace then turns around and signs Mike Davis.

Somebody please explain to me how Mike Davis is better than Jordan Howard.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Agree to disagree I guess. I've just never understood the handwringing when it comes to Howard. He was going into the last year of his deal and wasn't coming back anyway.

1,000 yard rushers in the prime of their career shouldn't get sent out of town for a bag of balls which is basically what we got for Howard.

IIRC, the excuse was that Howard didn't fit the offense.

Pace then turns around and signs Mike Davis.

Somebody please explain to me how Mike Davis is better than Jordan Howard.

But this all goes back to Nagy finding excuses for why his offense sucked. That player doesn't work. I need that player. Draft that guy for me. After four years, there's nowhere left to hide. Fuck that guy. Which is another great point on Pace. Everyone wants to blame him for his draft picks, especially on offense. If you don't think he collaborated with Nagy before drafting on that side of the ball, you're in denial. Nagy had a hand in it as well.

[malk]

Good GMs find a way to keep their good draft picks. We've lost Fuller, Floyd, Amos, even guys like Howard. People can get as happy as they want to that Quinn has set a new franchise sack record in a nothing burger season but I'll remain salty that we lost good young players that we drafted in order to get him. I really hope I'm soon eating crow when he contributes at a high level in meaningful years but, sadly, I don't see it.

Bu I agree there's no need to tear it all down. But we do need to run super lean for at least next season and probably the year after, which means letting players like Daniels and Nichols walk and resisting making any splashy moves in this off season. Which Pace absolutely couldn't do.

Respectfully, Pace made the right call on Fuller and Howard. Fuller isn't even starting and Howard is barely in the NFL.

You may be right on that though I agree with @Moriarty regarding Howard, assessing him on his success after us doesn't necessarily vindicate Pace, differences in scheme, feeling of the new coach etc. My main issue with the Howard trade itself was moving on a productive player on a rookie contract for very little and then paying $2.5m to Mike Davis and whatever proportion of Patterson's$5m in 2019 one thinks is appropriate (as CP wasn't a like for like replacement but factored in to taking some of the carries). But Pace brought in Montgomery immediately afterwards so that's fair enough. It did use up a third but reloading running backs with mid round draft picks is a good tactic! If we see Herbert take over from Montgomery in the same way then further props for that, credit where it is due!

Then with Fuller he's gone over to Fangio and Donatell so it can't be scheme. I guess my particular annoyance here is the way his particular situation was handled. Obviously I don't know what the negotiations were actually like but it did seem like, despite three years of play that probably warranted an extension, Pace wanted to see more which then led to the 2017 high interception year pushing up the price tag, then the transition tag leading to the poison pill contract via Green Bay leading to having to eat $9m in dead cap. So here it both wasn't that Pace made "the right call" on Fuller's ability or conduct or whatever, but rather that he made a number of small errors that led to a bad contract and, along with the general cap management situation meaning he needed to be cut. Now it's entirely possible that Fuller and his agent were unreasonable in their demands in 2017 but given Pace's penchant for only paying for proven performance after he felt he was burned by McPhee, it seems at least possible that he didn't seriously negotiate at the time. Either way an extension in 2017 if possible would have been a better buy low(er) opportunity and would have avoided all the issues that came later on. Personally, and this is complete conjecture, I think part of Fuller's issue is a chip on his shoulder from being a pretty good player who has been messed around quite a bit. That's not an excuse, you want, you expect your players to be bigger than that but as a pro personal professional it should be something to be aware of.

But the point is more general to be honest. He's retained Goldman, Whitehair, Cohen and Johnson. Arguably all but Goldman are overpaid but that's a quibble. And Smith is going to be retained plus we'll see about Daniels and Nichols. So perhaps I'm over egging this, it's only Fuller, Amos, Floyd, Kwiatkoski and Howard. I'm definitely salty about Amos and the Fuller situation was indicatively poor as per above. Quinn over Floyd doesn't look amazing to me but I can understand why Floyd was let go (less the Quinn signing). Kwiatkoski being let go for Trevathan's OAP extension was a bad call but it isn't like Kwiatkoski has been amazing. Then Howard fine other than why not let him play out his last year rather than wasting money on Mike Davis.

Meh, I'm waffling now!

[malk]

1,000 yard rushers in the prime of their career shouldn't get sent out of town for a bag of balls which is basically what we got for Howard.

IIRC, the excuse was that Howard didn't fit the offense.

Pace then turns around and signs Mike Davis.

Somebody please explain to me how Mike Davis is better than Jordan Howard.

But this all goes back to Nagy finding excuses for why his offense sucked. That player doesn't work. I need that player. Draft that guy for me. After four years, there's nowhere left to hide. Fuck that guy. Which is another great point on Pace. Everyone wants to blame him for his draft picks, especially on offense. If you don't think he collaborated with Nagy before drafting on that side of the ball, you're in denial. Nagy had a hand in it as well.

You can't put everything on Nagy. If he comes to Pace and says, Howard isn't for me then Pace turns around and brings in Mike Davis for *more* money then that's 100% on Pace.

Nagy wanting a change and Pace drafting Montgomery, fine, good even. Nagy wanting Patterson as a gadget guy, sure, I don't like the contract amount Pace negotiated against himself for but whatever. Getting rid of a productive back on a rookie deal to bring in Mike Davis? Oof.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Some organizations do better with more incremental changes - I think the Bears are in that category. Too much change at once is not gonna work, for the very reasons you have pointed out - to borrow a phrase, like it or not, "McKaskey's gonna McKaskey".

My biggest question for those who want pace gone is this: What happened the last couple of times the Bears replaced both the GM and HC at the same time?

So what then? Pace gets lifetime employment?

That's flawed logic.

If you wanted to argue that Pace should be saved because he's only hired 1 HC and lost 2 years rebuilding the team I'll listen to that.

But to say that somebody should keep their job because change is hard is ludicrous.

Could we say that Pace has shown capacity for change and growth in his job and that is a positive trend that allows us to make only a single (HC) change this go-round?

I feel like retaining Pace and counting on him continuing to grow and get better, is a better bet than trying to hire a new coach and new gm together. That strategy has not worked for the Bears.

Pace is a young guy and chances are he will improve. He's a fish in the net and he's still growing.

[dplank]

Re: Fuller. He went to the team in the NFL with the best CB corps in the league. He'd have been our #1 here, and we missed him tremendously this year. Him falling behind to high end players in Denver doesn't change that at all IMO, nor does it make it the right move when we look at Jimmy Graham's contribution to the squad this year.

[The Marshall Plan]

1,000 yard rushers in the prime of their career shouldn't get sent out of town for a bag of balls which is basically what we got for Howard.

IIRC, the excuse was that Howard didn't fit the offense.

Pace then turns around and signs Mike Davis.

Somebody please explain to me how Mike Davis is better than Jordan Howard.

But this all goes back to Nagy finding excuses for why his offense sucked. That player doesn't work. I need that player. Draft that guy for me. After four years, there's nowhere left to hide. Fuck that guy. Which is another great point on Pace. Everyone wants to blame him for his draft picks, especially on offense. If you don't think he collaborated with Nagy before drafting on that side of the ball, you're in denial. Nagy had a hand in it as well.

Nagy's greatest weakness is his pride. Remember that he's not here to run the I-formation and that it takes years to learn his offense? Both of those statements should've set off massive alarms for everyone.

He's here to win football games by doing anything within the rules that'll accomplish that. If that means Fields throws it deep every play, and it works, ok fine. If that means we grind it out with Monty 25 times per game, and it works, ok fine. The whole idea is to win.

That pride ruins his ability to adapt because in his mind his offense is sacrosanct and incapable of failure.

Because he refuses to adapt, other teams pickup on this and destroy him.

It's why we are seemingly the only team in the league whose WRs are hardly ever open.

[dplank]

JMO, but I prefer a President of Football guy to have the long tenure / staying power that we appear to be granting Pace. You need stability, but I'd place it one spot higher up in the org and with a position that is more strategic than tactical. And then I'd swap out my tactical talent evaluators and on field coaches as needed based on their performance. I don't want a GM that has to "grow into the job", the GM needs to be good at his job now. Same with the coach.

[The Marshall Plan]

So what then? Pace gets lifetime employment?

That's flawed logic.

If you wanted to argue that Pace should be saved because he's only hired 1 HC and lost 2 years rebuilding the team I'll listen to that.

But to say that somebody should keep their job because change is hard is ludicrous.

Could we say that Pace has shown capacity for change and growth in his job and that is a positive trend that allows us to make only a single (HC) change this go-round?

I feel like retaining Pace and counting on him continuing to grow and get better, is a better bet than trying to hire a new coach and new gm together. That strategy has not worked for the Bears.

Pace is a young guy and chances are he will improve. He's a fish in the net and he's still growing.

Yes, Pace has improved.

I agree that it is ideal to have the same guy in that GM or President / Director of Football Operations type role.

But at the same time they need to be GOOD.

A good talent evaluator doesn't pass up on Watson, draft Mitch, then sit there and glow about he drives a Camry. A fucking Camry is how he evaluated a #2 overall draft choice we trade ONE SLOT up to get with THREE QBs on the board? There were three QBs on the board! 3! And he trades up one slot! Nobody though Mitch was Peyton Manning. He was nowhere near that level.

Pace never should've survived Mitch. Never. When the league judged Mitch to be inferior, as evident by Mitch signing a backup deal with Buffalo for only a couple million when a bust like Sam Darnold gets dealt for multiple tells us all we need to know.

Why do we need to hire people that need to grow into the job? Why can't we just hire good people in the first place?

[Grizzled]

It's increasingly looking like the Bears will retain Pace as GM and he's been given the green light to start a HC search. There is still indecision about putting someone above him in the hierarchy. If it happens, it would be with the caveat that he doesn't get to pick his own GM, which might cause hesitancy in some interested in the job. It's also been reported (by Mike Lombardi, take it as you will) that retaining Pace will eliminate Harbaugh as a coaching candidate, he will not work under him for a multitude of reasons.

[wab]

It's increasingly looking like the Bears will retain Pace as GM and he's been given the green light to start a HC search. There is still indecision about putting someone above him in the hierarchy. If it happens, it would be with the caveat that he doesn't get to pick his own GM, which might cause hesitancy in some interested in the job. It's also been reported (by Mike Lombardi, take it as you will) that retaining Pace will eliminate Harbaugh as a coaching candidate, he will not work under him for a multitude of reasons.

Mike Lombardi is a clown. He's a more likeable Jason La Confora.

[Grizzled]

It's increasingly looking like the Bears will retain Pace as GM and he's been given the green light to start a HC search. There is still indecision about putting someone above him in the hierarchy. If it happens, it would be with the caveat that he doesn't get to pick his own GM, which might cause hesitancy in some interested in the job. It's also been reported (by Mike Lombardi, take it as you will) that retaining Pace will eliminate Harbaugh as a coaching candidate, he will not work under him for a multitude of reasons.

Mike Lombardi is a clown. He's a more likeable Jason La Confora.

Monday will be here pretty quickly, all will be revealed.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

JMO, but I prefer a President of Football guy to have the long tenure / staying power that we appear to be granting Pace. You need stability, but I'd place it one spot higher up in the org and with a position that is more strategic than tactical. And then I'd swap out my tactical talent evaluators and on field coaches as needed based on their performance. I don't want a GM that has to "grow into the job", the GM needs to be good at his job now. Same with the coach.

Now I'm (finally) beginning to understand why this point continues to be made. I agree 100% about having a President of Football over the GM&HC.

[TheWorldBreaker]

The record as a General Manager should absolutely be a reason to fire a GM. Licht having success after getting a third coach should have no bearing on Pace.

IMO this discussions are very often a vicious circle with endless discussions!
Its similar to other sports - especially european Football (Soccer):
- Fans want a new HC.
- After a few negative seasons they (Fans, press/ media, management) demand a new one.
- And they demand even a new GM, because they dont trust in the existing abilities because he failed in hiring a good HC.
- So a new GM should hire a new HC - with the same results -> namely bad results!
- This leads very often to a hire and fire lifecycle in which all responsible persons fail and the franchise becomes more and more worse - with dissatisfaction for all - which increases pressure in the franchise.
- A big vicious Circle ist born - better: hell on Earth!

The probleme is: that we (fans/ press) are to far away from inside informations. We dont know exactly the reasons for decisions in the Bears organisation.
So we demand new GMs/ QBs or other authorities. Because it seems to be the solution!
My experience is, you mentionmed it - that an ineffective GM (QB - whoever) for years can suddenly win one and more SBs.
Why?
For example: In years before the GM couldnt hire his favorite HC to transfer his playing ideas onto the ground.
After Nagy the bears need a new HC - but you can only get Coaches available from the markets. Belichick is not available!
Sometimes its a lottery...or a search for lost puzzle pieces. Only one new piece can change everything!

Im even sure you can win a few SBs with Trubisky - he was 12-4 in 2018. And im asking if (a more talented) Fields ever reaches a better result if the bears are playing the same kind of Football in Future.
For me the question is why the Bears left their way of success? Because in 2019 it was obviously a different kind of football (predictable/ simple).
The 12-4 a coincidence?
Im very sure that the bears roster can win many SBs with the right strategy...

Matt Nagy was 12-4 itoo… And it was clearly just a fluke. The Bears are already in the cycle of suck and have been for pretty much my whole life.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

You can't put everything on Nagy. If he comes to Pace and says, Howard isn't for me then Pace turns around and brings in Mike Davis for *more* money then that's 100% on Pace.

Nagy wanting a change and Pace drafting Montgomery, fine, good even. Nagy wanting Patterson as a gadget guy, sure, I don't like the contract amount Pace negotiated against himself for but whatever. Getting rid of a productive back on a rookie deal to bring in Mike Davis? Oof.

RB can be seen as a microcosm of the whole Pace/Nagy dynamic.

Nagy's not happy with Howard, so Pace moves him on to the Eagles. The Eagles HC is none other than Pederson, Nagy's predecessor as OC in Kansas City, and he runs a supposedly similar 'Andy Reid' based offensive scheme. Howard's ypc, which had been a healthy 5.2 and 4.1 under John Fox but dropped to a disappointing 3.7 under Nagy jumps back up to 4.4 in Philly. He's averaging 0.7ypc more in an apparently similar scheme. After a strange year in Miami, he's back in Philly and is averaging 4.7ypc.

Pace brings in veteran Mike Davis who gained a career high 514 yards at 4.6ypc the previous year in Seattle and caught 34 passes whilst playing just 39% of offensive snaps. Under Nagy he gets just 11 carries at an average of 2.3ypc and makes 7 catches, with most of his meagre production coming in Week 1 (5 carries for 19 yards (3.8ypc) and 6 catches for 17 yards for a paltry 2.8 yard average). Pace ships him off to Carolina halfway through the season and the next year he produces 642 yards rushing at 3.9ypc, makes 59 catches for 373 more yards and scores 8 TDs. This year he's in Atlanta and has put up 473 yards on the ground (albeit at just 3.6ypc) and has 41 catches for 261 yards with 4 TDs.

Pace also brings in Cordarrelle Patterson as mutli-purpose RB/WR/KR. The previous year in New England he had 42 carries for 228 yards at 5.4ypc and 21 catches for 247 at an 11.8 yard average with 4 TDs. In his first year under Nagy he gets just 17 carries and manages 103 yards, with 46 yards coming on one run. His overall average is 6.1ypc but outside of that one big play it's barely above 3.5ypc. He also contributes 11 catches for 83 yards, an average of just 7.5 yards per catch and he doesn't score any TDs. In his second year he gets more opportunities. He has 64 carries for 232 yards, with a poor 3.6ypc and 21 catches for 132 yards at an equally poor 6.3 yard average. He scores 1 TD. Patterson moves on to Atlanta where he has had 149 carries, gained 607 yards at 4.1ypc and 51 catches for 547 yards at an average of 10.7 yards. He's scored 11 TDs.

In the draft, Pace trades up with New England to get Montgomery (87th and 162nd for the 73rd and 205th picks) to replace Howard. In his first season he remarkably puts up almost identical numbers to Howard the year before (242 carries for 889 rushing yards (3.7ypc), 25 catches for 185 yards (7.4 yard average), 1074 yards total, 7 TDs versus Howard's 250 carries for 935 yards (3.7ypc), 20 catches for 145 yards (7.3 yard average), 1080 yards total, 9 TDs). Despite clearly being very talented and the best player on the Bears offense, in 3 years his career average is just 3.9ypc and most of his better games have come when Nagy wasn't calling the plays.

In the last 4 years the Bears have had a succession of players at a position that have proven massively more productive when not playing for Matt Nagy. What we have is Pace identifying talent for his head coach and Nagy squandering it. It's that simple.