The Case for Pace: 2018 NFL Executive of the Year

I’ve written multiple articles regarding Ryan Pace after ownership gave him a four-year extension and essentially handed him the keys of the organization. But none more foreshadowing than the piece I wrote back in February, essentially demanding that Ryan Pace step up and deliver a solid offseason. And boy, did he ever.

To fully understand the work Ryan Pace has put in, you must first see what he was working with when he initially walked into the building.

Not only was Pace stuck with aging players, but he was stuck with players without much talent as well. Yet, here we are.

I won’t go into the specific moves Ryan Pace has made since his arrival, more importantly, this past offseason, but if you’re interested to see a break down you can check out my timeline of Pace’s decisions since he drafted Mitchell Trubisky in 2017.

Today, I want to speak about just how great of a well-oiled machine Ryan Pace has built that has made the Bears a last-to-first team.

For the first time since 2012, the Bears have a winning record 11 weeks into the season. They’re 7-3 and 1.5 games ahead of the Vikings for the division lead after a big win Sunday night. This more than doubles the number of wins they had last year.  Let’s take a deeper dive into just how successful the Bears have been, highlighting the players/staff Ryan Pace has brought in, proving he’s the root of this turnaround.

Offense

It’s only appropriate to start with the hire of Matt Nagy. Ownership made it clear after the Fox-firing that Pace would have the majority decision on the head coach, and he’s seemingly found the right guy. Trubisky has come out and said “we have the right head guy. Nagy’s just leading the charge and we have the right guys in the locker room.” The Andy-Reid-pupil has brought to Chicago an offense that Bears fans have never really witnessed. It’s a pass-first offense that has lots of pre-snap movement, funky formations, and complicated schemes, but you won’t find anyone complaining. The Bears have finally caught up with the league and have a modern offense.

However, a first-year offense rarely comes without at least a little struggle.

“This is our offense’s rookie year,” said Matt Nagy during the team’s weekly Wednesday press conference. And at times, it’s certainly looked that way. In their first three games, the Bears offense scored just 16, 17, and 16 points. Trubisky looked lost and overwhelmed with what he was asked to do, and some fans had preemptive worries that Nagy may not have been the right guy to get the most of Ryan Pace’s 2017 first pick (face-palm).

Well, that’s been put to bed.

The Bears are currently fifth in the league in scoring at 29.9 PPG (second since Week 4 at 34.3). Even if you take away the four defensive TD’s the Bears have scored this season, the offense would still be top 10 in PPG. For comparison and to who how well Pace did this offseason, the Bears were 30th in PPG last year at 16.4.

If scoring points wasn’t enough evidence that Pace has done a fantastic job revamping the offense, maybe the fact that Trubisky is set to shatter franchise records for passing will do the trick.

Sure, the long line of QB history in the Bears franchise isn’t anything to write home about, as Jay Cutler may be the greatest QB in their history in terms of statistics. But, judging by how many “experts” wrote off Mitch Trubisky after a tough rookie outing, his sophomore stint in Chicago has many eating their words.

Trubisky currently ranks tied-for-ninth in TD’s (20) and 13th in passer rating (97.7). He’s on pace to throw for 4,035 yards and 35 TD’s, which would both break Erik Kramer’s franchise record for a single season. Mitch has 320 rushing yards, which ranks second amongst QBs. He’s tied for the most 300-yard games in a single season by a Bears QB (4), a record he’ll likely break by season’s end. Oh, and sprinkle in a six-TD game he’s had this season (not a record, unfortunately).

Mitchell hasn’t been perfect by any means. However, when you put into context the learning curve this kid has to overcome (only 11 starts in college) and that this is his first year in a brand new complex offense, he’s doing just fine.

We, of course, wouldn’t be doing Ryan Pace’s golden-year justice if we didn’t discuss all the shiny weapons he provided Nagy and Trubisky. I’ll give you one stat that shows just how important the new signings are.

The Bears have six players – Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Trey Burton, Tarik Cohen, Taylor Gabriel, and Jordan Howard – who’ve put up 100+ yards from scrimmage and a TD in a game this year. Four of those players (Burton, Miller, Burton, Gabriel) were just added this past offseason.

Defense

Khalil Mack. Normally those are the only two words that need to be said, but because this is a written piece, I should probably elaborate.

The “Monsters of the Midway” mantra is once again an appropriate one to use as they tout a top-five defense. The Bears are thrid in yards allowed (314.4), fourth in points allowed (19.5), fourth in sacks (32), and first in INTs (18) and total turnovers (27). And while the Bears had a top-10 defense last year, Ryan Pace had a lot to do with taking them over the edge.

It all started with the coaching hire, as Pace brought back vaunted defensive coach Vic Fangio. It was unknown if Fangio would return after the firing of John Fox, but Pace was able to lure him back for another three years. Continuity is important in football, and his hire was key.

Then the task of reinforcing an already strong product was on Pace’s plate. And he delivered.

He began with drafting sideline-to-sideline ILB Roquan Smith with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 Draft. Smith had some contract disputes during training camp and preseason, but he’s since made up for it, as his play has done the talking. He missed 1.5 games. It didn’t matter. Roquan is the teams leading tackler with 70 total tackles. Oh, and he’s third on the team with three sacks. He’s one of those guys that are everywhere on almost every play, and the fact that he doesn’t even have a full offseason under his belt makes his success that more impressive. He may not win DROY this year, but DPOY is in his grasps in the future.

Another draft pick that has impressed is fifth-round pick DL Bilal Nichols. Coming from Delaware, no one knew what to expect of the late-round draft choice, but he’s quietly making a name for himself. He has 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a team-high four tackles for loss. Ryan Pace has been money on his late-round picks since he’s been here; Jordan Howard (2016 fifth), Tarik Cohen (2017 fourth), Eddie Jackson (2017 fourth), Adrian Amos (2015 fifth). And Bilal Nichols could join the list in impressive findings by the GM.

Finally, the cherry on top, and probably the most-surprising move since the Bears traded for Jay Cutler in 2009; Khalil Mack.

When word dropped that the Raiders were taking calls for the All-Pro pass rusher, Bears fans had wishful-thinking that Pace would be aggressive enough to snag a guy of Mack’s caliber. Then when the news broke, it was almost like a dream. Pace gave Oakland the Bears’ first-round picks in 2019 and 2020, a third rounder in 2020, and a 2019 sixth. Chicago would receive Khalil Mack and Oakland’s 2019 second-round pick. That’s right. Khalil Mack wasn’t enough in this trade. And to make it even sweeter, it would seem as though the Raiders will be picking 33rd in next years draft, essentially making it a late first-round pick. Take a bow, Ryan Pace. Take a bow.

Khalil Mack’s impact on the defense has been nothing short of spectacular. He has seven sacks, one INT, and four forced fumbles even after missing two games with an ankle injury. He forces opposing offenses to keep their TE or RB in to block on passing downs, and he blows past them anyway (see below for an example).

.@52Mack_ IS A MONSTER pic.twitter.com/UFHbHwolZe

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 11, 2018

All in all, 11 of 22 starters on offense and defense are Ryan Pace draft picks. The rest are free agent pick-ups by Pace. That’s how you build a team to contend for years, not just a season or two.

The Bears have recently had two games flexed to SNF, 11/18 against the Vikings and 12/9 against the Rams. It’s clear that the Bears are back to relevancy, and you better believe Ryan Pace is at the root of it all. He deserves to be the 2018 NFL Executive of the Year.

You can follow me and the rest of my sports thoughts on Twitter @Eli_PerSources.