Ryan Pace grading.

[patryk7754]

I know that we are only in week four but this guy has made some extremely noticeable move in only his first year and I think its a reasonable time to acknowledge him.

Pace has hired arguable the best coaching staff in the league. Fox is a great leader and has this low on talent team playing extremely high. Fangio has developed the hell out of our young guys. Gase has finally come up with a offensive system that doesn't condone Cutler's stupidity and he uses forte the right way without wearing him out.

A lot of his draft picks have already made significant impacts on the team. Amos is a starter and he's playing well. Goldman has contributed in the NT rotation very well and getting better as each week goes by. Langford has impressed and it seems like he''s our goal line back. And our 1st pick hasn't even played a snap yet.

The free agents he's brought in may be having the best seasons out of any of our player so far (expect Forte). Rolle has step in and played very well, unfortunately he got injured. Porter hasn't been a huge liability at corner. McPhee has been amazing. He might be the signing of the year so far. He was pretty under the radar and offered a pretty big contract and McPhee is justifying it.

He's also gotten a pick for Jared allen, who thought that would happen? plus the additional pick for Bositc and probably a higher pick for Willie Young.

I give him a huge A+.

[RedBulls23]

Still too early to really give him a grade. People were saying positive stuff about Emery early on as well, but we know how that turned out.

I think Pace has certainly done a solid job so far, but the thing that will make or break him like it did the past two GMs is his ability to draft. Hopefully he has put in the resources in scouting to find success there. So far it looks like he could potentially have found 5 picks from this years draft that could potentially stick. We will have to see how they develop.

Next off season could be a pivotal one for him. He will have like 60 million in FA and another draft under his belt.

[heir_jordan22]

He has definitely done some good things. Getting a draft pick for Allen is a huge plus. So far his picks look good but we'll have to let them play at least a full year. With almost $60 million in cap space and 9 draft picks this off season he's setup to make some big moves. I think at the end or next season we'll be able to make a real assessment, but so far all signs are pointing in the right direction.

[BullHeaded]

The culture has been changing too. You hear comments from players and former players all of the time about that. This is ground zero for a new GM. I'm cautiously optimistic about the drafting, I'd like to see what Kevin White looks like since we traded Brandon Marshall for such a low price and see if Grasu could solve the pivot, but I think the FAs he brought in aside from McDonald have all been great signings in terms of quality and value and the coaching staff has been top notch.

Too early for an overall grade, but at the midterm of his first semester I'd say he's getting an A-/B+.

[ADDinChicago]

When the last coaching staff and GM were so bad, you can only go up from there. But the jury is out and will be for a while.

Pace has done well so far, but nothing earth shattering. I think a lot will depend on what happens next offseason. And what he does with what should be a decently high draft pick at worse (i.e. not blowing it on a bad crop of QBs just because the majority of the fanbase clamors for it). And then with subsequent high picks in the other rounds, and the extra picks, etc. Does he get Alshon Jeffrey to stay? Does he overpay an aging Matt Forte? Does he make a keeping of Jay Cutler (it's happening, folks) stomachable? What does he do with a lot of cap room? And so on.

I love the idea of him cutting dead weight this season and not waiting until the deadline. I'm happy he isn't just sitting on his assets and thinking instead of doing. That was a pleasant surprise.

[ptpablo]

He needs this off season. Is that 60M in cap space without trading Cutler?

[heir_jordan22]

I also think what he's doing with special teams is underapreciated. Emery constantly cut and replaced the last 10 players on the roster with young inexperienced guys and really only kept McManis specifically for special teams. Pace just went out and grabbed two special teams veterans when it became obvious that our coverage units weren't up to par.

[ADDinChicago]

He needs this off season. Is that 60M in cap space without trading Cutler?

Yes, that's just with stuff coming off the books. Cutler's not going anywhere unless the Bears find a realistic better option, especially not via trade. I don't get why so many automatically assume he's going to be gone.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/cap/2016/

[heir_jordan22]

I think the biggest names that we might bring back are Forte, Jeffrey, Jenkins, Ratliff, Porter. I think the rest will either move on or we will re-sign for under $1M. If we keep all the big names and re-sign aniut 10 young guys I think we will spend about $30M retaining our own players, and that's at the absolute max.

I think Clausen, Montgomery, Ball and Mundy are guaranteed to not be re-signed. And unless Mcclellin completely turns it around and turns into one of those "big name" guys, I think he is gone. Everyone else will depend on special teams performance.

Guys that I think are on the block (cut or trade possibilities) are Houston, Young, Sutton, Cutler - in that order of likelihood and urgency to move. Houston really needs to step it up to justify his contract.

We will have plenty of space to make some good moves in free agency.

[heir_jordan22]

I think getting rid of Jermon Bushrod in the off season could be the big surprise coming our way. He's the third highest player on the roster behind Cutler and Forte, at over $8M. He has had injury problems the past couple seasons. And most importantly his performance has not lived up to that contract, especially considering he's the third best player on the line behind Long and Slauson when they're all healthy.

Long could move to LT or we could draft one of many talented LTs if that is the best player on the board when we select. Pace has been cleaning house and going young, and we've all overlooked the fact that Bushrod is one of the oldest and highest paid player on the roster, and plays one of the most important positions. Selecting the right LT is almost as important as selecting the right QB and pass rusher. Let's see what Pace does here.

[ptpablo]

He needs this off season. Is that 60M in cap space without trading Cutler?

Yes, that's just with stuff coming off the books. Cutler's not going anywhere unless the Bears find a realistic better option, especially not via trade. I don't get why so many automatically assume he's going to be gone.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/cap/2016/

If they get to draft Goff or the MSU QB do you trade Cutler during the draft for a late round pick? I probably would.

[ptpablo]

He needs this off season. Is that 60M in cap space without trading Cutler?

Yes, that's just with stuff coming off the books. Cutler's not going anywhere unless the Bears find a realistic better option, especially not via trade. I don't get why so many automatically assume he's going to be gone.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/cap/2016/

If they get to draft Goff or the MSU QB do you trade Cutler during the draft for a late round pick? I probably would.

That would be a lot of cap space.

[heir_jordan22]

I don't understand all the hype for connor cook. He's kirk cousins 2.0

[ADDinChicago]

He needs this off season. Is that 60M in cap space without trading Cutler?

Yes, that's just with stuff coming off the books. Cutler's not going anywhere unless the Bears find a realistic better option, especially not via trade. I don't get why so many automatically assume he's going to be gone.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/cap/2016/

If they get to draft Goff or the MSU QB do you trade Cutler during the draft for a late round pick? I probably would.

Personally, I don't draft either as neither says "franchise QB" to me. I don't know which teams would be trading for Cutler as it is. Probably they'd hope for the Bears to cut him and eat money.

[TNBT]

So far for Pace, I'm giving him an A. This team isn't perfect, but it's a lot better than last year. I honestly don't think there's anything realistic that Pace could have done to improve this team that he didn't do, with the exception of signing McDonald, but he's already gone.

I like his draft choices, and he's made some really good value free-agent signings. Also, he's put an awesome coaching staff in place.

It's too early at this point to give him a definitive grade, but for what he's done so far, I'm very happy.


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[BullHeaded]

Yes, that's just with stuff coming off the books. Cutler's not going anywhere unless the Bears find a realistic better option, especially not via trade. I don't get why so many automatically assume he's going to be gone.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/cap/2016/

If they get to draft Goff or the MSU QB do you trade Cutler during the draft for a late round pick? I probably would.

That would be a lot of cap space.

If I'm not mistaken, it would only free up $4M... and we are already going to have $60M in cap space scheduled for next year. I'd hold on to him and let Goff (if it's Goff) redshirt and give us a quality back up for Jay Cutler for the time being. Here's why:

1. There have been a few years where Cutler has been hot, gotten injured, and then our back up stunk to high heaven. Forget Clausen this year... how about the year we started 7-1 and didn't make the playoffs (I believe we had two years in a row like that after a Cutler injury). For once, we would have someone somewhat capable to come in and give us a puncher's chance like McCown did (although I think there was some fool's gold with McCown).

2. Goff (the one guy I think would be worth drafting... not feeling Connor Cook although if we did land him and he turned out to be good, it would be fun to call him Captain Cook)... ahem... Goff is a spread offense QB. He could POSSIBLY make the transition quickly the way Mariota did, but it would not be the worst thing in the world to give him an adjustment year to taking snaps from under center and learning how to go through progressions in a pro-style offense.

3. I happen to think that contrary to Cutler's out of town reputation, he'd be a solid mentor. He's smart and seems like he'd be generous with his time and thoughts.

At this point I don't think we'll be able to draft Goff because he'll be top three and we'll probably have a record that has us drafting in the middle of the round. So this may be a moot point. But I don't think the money on Cutler is that bad the way the contract played out and the way new contracts are trending at QB. There was just so much sticker shock when he first signed the contract that the contract itself has a hyped up reputation.

[heir_jordan22]

If they get to draft Goff or the MSU QB do you trade Cutler during the draft for a late round pick? I probably would.

That would be a lot of cap space.

If I'm not mistaken, it would only free up $4M... and we are already going to have $60M in cap space scheduled for next year. I'd hold on to him and let Goff (if it's Goff) redshirt and give us a quality back up for Jay Cutler for the time being. Here's why:

1. There have been a few years where Cutler has been hot, gotten injured, and then our back up stunk to high heaven. Forget Clausen this year... how about the year we started 7-1 and didn't make the playoffs (I believe we had two years in a row like that after a Cutler injury). For once, we would have someone somewhat capable to come in and give us a puncher's chance like McCown did (although I think there was some fool's gold with McCown).

2. Goff (the one guy I think would be worth drafting... not feeling Connor Cook although if we did land him and he turned out to be good, it would be fun to call him Captain Cook)... ahem... Goff is a spread offense QB. He could POSSIBLY make the transition quickly the way Mariota did, but it would not be the worst thing in the world to give him an adjustment year to taking snaps from under center and learning how to go through progressions in a pro-style offense.

3. I happen to think that contrary to Cutler's out of town reputation, he'd be a solid mentor. He's smart and seems like he'd be generous with his time and thoughts.

At this point I don't think we'll be able to draft Goff because he'll be top three and we'll probably have a record that has us drafting in the middle of the round. So this may be a moot point. But I don't think the money on Cutler is that bad the way the contract played out and the way new contracts are trending at QB. There was just so much sticker shock when he first signed the contract that the contract itself has a hyped up reputation.

I completely agree. I don't think we'll be able to get Goff. Cook is a 2nd round talent at best imo. Every backup quarterback has talked about how much time Cutler gives them with helping learn the playboy and small intracacies of the offense.

The biggest thing is Cutler's contract. I said over and over that after two or three seasons he will have one of the bargain deals in the NFL for a starting quarterback. Cap keeps rising and QBs get all the money. We're in good position as far as cap and there's no need to dump Cutler for more space. The only way I would do it is if for some reason someone offered something of good value in return, and I don't see that happening.

So far this team looks like it will surpass our expectations of winning 4-6 games. We'll see what Pace does with the pick and if continues to build a younger team by getting rid of underachieving veterans.

[City of Trees]

I'll give a grade after a full season. Too many ups & downs during 16 games

Sent from my Z970 using Tapatalk

[BullHeaded]

That would be a lot of cap space.

If I'm not mistaken, it would only free up $4M... and we are already going to have $60M in cap space scheduled for next year. I'd hold on to him and let Goff (if it's Goff) redshirt and give us a quality back up for Jay Cutler for the time being. Here's why:

1. There have been a few years where Cutler has been hot, gotten injured, and then our back up stunk to high heaven. Forget Clausen this year... how about the year we started 7-1 and didn't make the playoffs (I believe we had two years in a row like that after a Cutler injury). For once, we would have someone somewhat capable to come in and give us a puncher's chance like McCown did (although I think there was some fool's gold with McCown).

2. Goff (the one guy I think would be worth drafting... not feeling Connor Cook although if we did land him and he turned out to be good, it would be fun to call him Captain Cook)... ahem... Goff is a spread offense QB. He could POSSIBLY make the transition quickly the way Mariota did, but it would not be the worst thing in the world to give him an adjustment year to taking snaps from under center and learning how to go through progressions in a pro-style offense.

3. I happen to think that contrary to Cutler's out of town reputation, he'd be a solid mentor. He's smart and seems like he'd be generous with his time and thoughts.

At this point I don't think we'll be able to draft Goff because he'll be top three and we'll probably have a record that has us drafting in the middle of the round. So this may be a moot point. But I don't think the money on Cutler is that bad the way the contract played out and the way new contracts are trending at QB. There was just so much sticker shock when he first signed the contract that the contract itself has a hyped up reputation.

I completely agree. I don't think we'll be able to get Goff. Cook is a 2nd round talent at best imo. Every backup quarterback has talked about how much time Cutler gives them with helping learn the playboy and small intracacies of the offense.

The biggest thing is Cutler's contract. I said over and over that after two or three seasons he will have one of the bargain deals in the NFL for a starting quarterback. Cap keeps rising and QBs get all the money. We're in good position as far as cap and there's no need to dump Cutler for more space. The only way I would do it is if for some reason someone offered something of good value in return, and I don't see that happening.

So far this team looks like it will surpass our expectations of winning 4-6 games. We'll see what Pace does with the pick and if continues to build a younger team by getting rid of underachieving veterans.

I agree with the spirit of what you're saying here, but wondering if the bold part is a Freudian slip.

[heir_jordan22]

If I'm not mistaken, it would only free up $4M... and we are already going to have $60M in cap space scheduled for next year. I'd hold on to him and let Goff (if it's Goff) redshirt and give us a quality back up for Jay Cutler for the time being. Here's why:

1. There have been a few years where Cutler has been hot, gotten injured, and then our back up stunk to high heaven. Forget Clausen this year... how about the year we started 7-1 and didn't make the playoffs (I believe we had two years in a row like that after a Cutler injury). For once, we would have someone somewhat capable to come in and give us a puncher's chance like McCown did (although I think there was some fool's gold with McCown).

2. Goff (the one guy I think would be worth drafting... not feeling Connor Cook although if we did land him and he turned out to be good, it would be fun to call him Captain Cook)... ahem... Goff is a spread offense QB. He could POSSIBLY make the transition quickly the way Mariota did, but it would not be the worst thing in the world to give him an adjustment year to taking snaps from under center and learning how to go through progressions in a pro-style offense.

3. I happen to think that contrary to Cutler's out of town reputation, he'd be a solid mentor. He's smart and seems like he'd be generous with his time and thoughts.

At this point I don't think we'll be able to draft Goff because he'll be top three and we'll probably have a record that has us drafting in the middle of the round. So this may be a moot point. But I don't think the money on Cutler is that bad the way the contract played out and the way new contracts are trending at QB. There was just so much sticker shock when he first signed the contract that the contract itself has a hyped up reputation.

I completely agree. I don't think we'll be able to get Goff. Cook is a 2nd round talent at best imo. Every backup quarterback has talked about how much time Cutler gives them with helping learn the playboy and small intracacies of the offense.

The biggest thing is Cutler's contract. I said over and over that after two or three seasons he will have one of the bargain deals in the NFL for a starting quarterback. Cap keeps rising and QBs get all the money. We're in good position as far as cap and there's no need to dump Cutler for more space. The only way I would do it is if for some reason someone offered something of good value in return, and I don't see that happening.

So far this team looks like it will surpass our expectations of winning 4-6 games. We'll see what Pace does with the pick and if continues to build a younger team by getting rid of underachieving veterans.

I agree with the spirit of what you're saying here, but wondering if the bold part is a Freudian slip.

Lol I guess Samsung autocorrect prefers playboy over playbook. Yup. It just tried to change it again