NEWSLETTER
In a week that has been hectic, dramatic, and frankly, embarrassing for a Chicago Bears organization dealing with all sorts of rumors and issues, the one constant has been silence from the top.
No public addresses from Chairman George McCaskey, President Ted Phillips, and General Manager Ryan Pace was a rough look in the face of reports that Head Coach Matt Nagy’s firing was pending after the team’s Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions.
That changed on Thursday, when Pace did his weekly radio hit with Bears play-by-play voice Jeff Joniak before today’s kickoff. And in somewhat of a surprise, Pace dealt with questions about this week’s whirlwind of stories head-on.
Some excerpts from the conversation, which was transcribed at the Bears’ official web site.
ON THE REPORT OF MATT NAGY’S FIRING
“Honestly, my first thought was, ‘Hey, that’s an inaccurate report.’ But I think we did a good job just focusing on what’s happening inside our building and blocking out that outside commotion. As I look at it, mentally strong and focused teams are able to do that.”
TALKING TO GEORGE MCCASKEY, TED PHILLIPS, AND MATT NAGY
“As we always do, as a leadership group, we’re always talking, when you talk about us four (including Nagy), every week, every season, win or lose, and this week was no different. The support and the communication, that hasn’t changed. We’re always talking, we’re always overcommunicating. That’s just a normal part about how we operate. So, those conversations have been no different, and I think in times like these, that’s when that’s really beneficial to us.”
ON THE TEAM’S RESOLVE AND FOCUS DESPITE DISTRACTIONS
“Obviously, when you lose five in a row, unfortunately it’s part of the territory. Some of these things fester up that can be inaccurate. But I’m proud of our guys. I’m proud of our players and coaches and how they stayed locked in all week.”
None of these answers will blow your sock off. And there is so much left to be desired from how upper management is handling this still developing situation. But at least we have something on the record. And now that it’s out there, I doubt Pace will be knocking down doors to tell more than he has to, because that’s just how he operates. Which is a shame, because fans, players, staffers, and the head coach who was left hung out to dry deserve more answers than the ones given in a brief radio hit on Thanksgiving morning.
