We Are Preparing For Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy’s Last Stand (And Other Bears Bullets)

Noon’s slate of games are already underway. Happy footballing!

•   As a chunk of the NFL gets going, Bears fans have less of a focus on tonight’s game against the Packers because they are bracing for sweeping organizational changes that are long overdue. It seems irrelevant whether or not they involve Trace Armstrong, a former Bears player and current agent who found himself refuting a report he could be at the top of a re-worked franchise work flow. The bigger story here is the apparent floating of changing the dynamics of how the football team operates. Obviously, we want the on-field results to change for the better. But with good process tends to come more desirable results. And if changing how things operate at the top gets the ball rolling, then let’s dance.

•   Earlier in the week, reporting from ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler referred to GM Ryan Pace’s status as being “a mystery.” Pace has been Chicago’s GM since 2015, but is reportedly in the final year of a contract that was extended before Matt Nagy was hired in 2018. As we approach game time, there will be more conversations like the one sparked by the Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley, who wonders if a dud of a loss could accelerate Nagy’s dismissal. No matter how this game goes, the Bears have three years worth of data since 2019 that shows the Bears are somewhere between middling (at their best) and bottoming out (at their current worse).

•   Am I the only one curious if there will be enough Bears fans at Lambeau Field to carry a “Fire Nagy!” chant? Bears fans travel well. And I maintain that Lambeau Field is still a premier destination to watch professional football between two long-standing rivals. But getting badly by the Packers in recent years makes me wonder how many Bears fans are brave enough to take that trek.

•   One thing we haven’t been faced with are “Fire Pace!” chants. Maybe it’s because “Fire Pace!” doesn’t have enough syllables to make it catchy in a sing-songy way. But this sentence in The Athletic’s piece ranking the NFL’s 32 general managers could fuel creativity among those who want change:

The Bears rank 10th in defensive EPA per game since Pace became GM, but they paid more than $100 million during that time for 84 combined starts from quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky, Jay Cutler, Mike Glennon, Nick Foles and Andy Dalton.

•   Let’s add some more perspective to that piece. There are 16 general managers who have been around for at least five seasons. Of that group, Pace is just one of two who hasn’t won a playoff game. And that .430 winning percentage is straight-up unsightly by any measure. I’ll give Pace some leeway, seeing that he had to tear down the mess Phil Emery left behind. But that he is set to leave a mess of his own should this be his last hurrah is quite damning.

•   Some good perspective on the matter at hand:

Four weeks from today is when things should start getting real interesting for the #Bears. We all know some changes are coming. How much has yet to be determined but this is going to be a very active off-season on multiple fronts for them.

— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) December 12, 2021

•   One player who could benefit from change at the top is Allen Robinson II. Between a failure to get an extension done with Pace, and his usage in Nagy’s offense, no one might have a bigger beef with how things are going than Robinson. And yet, he has kept it professional at every turn. Truly remarkable. What’s not-so-remarkable is this chart:

Allen Robinson, by request! Matt Nagy loves hitches.https://t.co/KA2FXoda6w pic.twitter.com/P0NwxtWs7K

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) December 7, 2021

•   Remember, this is what Robinson’s routes used to look like in 2018:

Allen Robinson's Week 2 receiving chart via NFL Next Gen Stats: pic.twitter.com/C827tmcpUk

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 18, 2018

•   The diversity of Robinson’s routes were a pleasant surprise in 2018. That the Bears have gone away from that is one of the most sure signs the team needs a change in offensive philosophy.

•   Should the Bears make the obvious changes, Byron Leftwich is high on my watch list. I’m digging this route concept:

#GoBucs OC Byron Leftwich & HC Bruce Arians can scheme it up regardless of the coverage concept. This sequence by @MattBowen41 shows @TomBrady hitting @RobGronkowski, (1) in the seam vs. Cover 2, and (2) in the Red-Zone vs. man coverage. #NFL @JennaLaineESPN | @GregCosell pic.twitter.com/IdnbNGkLqd

— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) December 10, 2021

•   Joe Brady’s star lost its shine in Carolina. And getting fired a year-and-a-half into a run as an offensive coordinator won’t look good on résumés. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Brady wants to stick around in the NFL. Moreover, Brady has already heard from teams with interest. It is impossible for me to pitch Brady as a head coach option after how things finished with the Panthers. But given the right situation, I think his stock could regain some steam.

•   Adam Hoge (NBC Sports Chicago) writes about the reality check experience Jaylon Johnson had while covering DeAndre Hopkins. Johnson didn’t fare too poorly against the all-world receiver last week. However, getting out-leveraged on a 4th-and-2 play in which Hopkins beat Johnson 1-on-1 for a touchdown was a humbling moment. Things won’t get any easier tonight for Johnson, who could find himself shadowing Packers stud Davante Adams on Sunday Night Football.

•   So much has happened since that Cardinals game, I forgot this happened:

Cardinals LB Dennis Gardeck was fined $10,815 for hitting Bears P Pat O’Donnell last week, per source.

— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) December 11, 2021

•   The Bears are done with the Lions for 2021, but the teams remaining on Detroit’s schedule figure to be facing a team going through some trials and tribulations. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Lions could be facing a player shortage as COVID cases and other illnesses continue popping up within the organization. Obviously, health and safety take precedence over wins and losses. But from a competitive standpoint, I imagine it is challenging to try and create a base from which you build your culture in times like this.

•   Guess we’ll have to step up our tweeting game:

2021's Most Tweeted About NFL Teams 🏈

1️⃣ Green Bay Packers
2️⃣ Pittsburgh Steelers
3️⃣ Cleveland Browns
4️⃣ Dallas Cowboys
5️⃣ Kansas City Chiefs
6️⃣ Buffalo Bills
7️⃣ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8️⃣ Las Vegas Raiders
9️⃣ Philadelphia Eagles
🔟 New England Patriots pic.twitter.com/eqnunbI223

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 9, 2021

•   Ladies and gentlemen, your Heisman Trophy winner is Alabama QB Bryce Young:

It's been a Heisman season to remember for Bryce Young and @AlabamaFTBL. pic.twitter.com/xUWjewFaNO

— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) December 12, 2021

•   The Army-Navy game is one of my guilty pleasures. Low-scoring triple-option affairs are to my football enjoyment what that Justin Bieber-Raekwon-Kanye West “Runaway Love Remix” track was to my music ear. How can you not love this:

Navy breaking out the trickeration on 4th down. pic.twitter.com/191IvD6GgF

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 11, 2021

•   Yeah, I realize he is on the 49ers. But Laken Tomlinson is a Chicago guy, and a Lane Tech grad (just like me!). So I wouldn’t be doing my civic duty if I wasn’t pushing for him to get a Pro Bowl spot:

Faithfuls, please vote to get me into my first Pro Bowl! #ProBowlVote Laken Tomlinson

1 Retweet = 1 vote!#TrenchWarfare #FTTB pic.twitter.com/3Tu2ztwR95

— Laken Tomlinson (@laken77) December 10, 2021

•   My friend Jim cooks food good, so you should check this out:

I’ll make a deal with you:

You sign up for my mailing list which features really awesome content BTW) via the link below and comment here with your favorite pizza topping.

I will then say something incredibly kind about you/your pizza choices. https://t.co/Fxfa4eHYTy

— Jim Cooks Food Good (@jim_cooks) December 10, 2021

•   Both the Bulls and Blackhawks had it rough on Saturday night. And Sunday isn’t going much better:

Just Insane: Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. Make NINE Bulls Players in COVID Protocolshttps://t.co/Xu1Am2sE70 pic.twitter.com/Vi9Fs4vaQM

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 12, 2021

Lonzo Ball
Alex Caruso
Nikola Vucevic
Tony Bradley
Alize Johnson
Devon Dotson
Tyler Cook
Marko Simonovic
Alfonzo McKinnie

That’s the entire Bulls roster. One of those players – McKinnie – is already in town on the hardship exception.

Stop the games. Let them get healthy.

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 12, 2021

•   Can the Bears salvage the weekend?

•   Tons of cool stuff for your Daily Deals at Amazon, from fire pits to toys to coffee makers to sunglasses to clothes. #ad