Bears Chair George McCaskey yesterday said he is "pleased with the job" GM Ryan Pace has done during his two years with the team, despite finishing the '16 season 3-13, and claims to "like the steady hand" Pace and coach John Fox have had on the club, according to Dan Wiederer of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. McCaskey said of Pace, "He talked from the beginning about how this was going to take time, about how we needed to be patient. I told him I'm not a patient person but I promised him that I would be patient." McCaskey said the team's recent struggles are "hard" for his mother, Bears Principal Owner Virginia McCaskey, as "every loss is painful." George McCaskey: "But she supports what we're doing. She's on board." McCaskey again denied an NFL Network report from midseason about a potential front office shakeup, saying, "There is absolutely no truth to it whatsoever." He added, "We think we have the right structure. We think we have the right people." McCaskey said Pace "absolutely" will be given free rein financially in free agency. McCaskey: "I’ve told Ryan, you should be criticized every spring for not being more aggressive in free agency. Because that means we are sticking to the plan of developing our own players, focusing primarily on the draft. ... He’s taken a very measured approach to free agency thus far and I expect that to continue this offseason" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/5). Meanwhile, Pace called his relationship with Bears President & CEO Ted Phillips "strong, saying a difficult season can bring people closer together." Pace: "There's daily conversations that are taking place. And I'm a firm believer in tough times, communication needs to be at an even greater, greater height" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/5). Twitter commentators tended to be impressed with Pace. Wiederer tweeted, "Pace did a terrific job today of articulating his priorities, his vision, his reality. He has a pivotal offseason ahead." Chicago Tribune's David Haugh: "Luckily for #Bears chairman George McCaskey, his GM has a firmer grasp of franchise's reality." WBBM-CBS' Megan Mawicke: "Pace more polished at presser than 2 years ago ... but didn't shed a ton of light on their rebuilding plan." The Athletic's Dan Durkin: "Pressure is on Ryan Pace to turn words into actions and results."
BEAR DOWN: In Chicago, Mike Imrem wonders why it "took so long" for McCaskey to speak with the media. Fox was "pretty much a lone spokesman for the Bears" throughout the season, while Pace "hadn't been available since last summer." Imrem: "Pace and Fox are mere symptoms of the Bears' failings while ownership has been the chronic illness." The McCaskeys must "own up to not making the playoffs the past six seasons, not making them nine of the past 10 seasons and not making them 19 of the past 23 seasons" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 1/5).
