Chicago lands Saint's Ryan Pace as New GM

As a die hard Chicago Bears fan, I've seen this team at their best and now, I've seen them at their lowest. The times needed to change after the team posted one of the franchise's worst records in history at 5-11. Once the regular season was over, it was just a matter of time before the word would come out as to whether or not head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery would be fired. 

Once Black Monday had come, I kept waiting and waiting for some kind of news to come about that the Bears had fired them, but they would not be the first. The very first came Sunday before Black Monday when former San Francisco 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh left the team. I thought it was funny that words such as "step down" and "mutually depart" were being used in order to keep people from crying I guess. The next names were Jet's head coach Rex Ryan along with GM John Idzik and Falcons' head coach Mike Smith. I then stepped away and said, "Well maybe they'll wait for tomorrow" or something along those words.

It was probably around 11:00 AM when I saw on ESPN.com that both Bears' GM Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman had been fired. I actually admit that I applauded and jumped up for joy after seeing that they had dispatched of them both. After about two hours of celebrating, I started think about the next possible candidates for the Bears' head coach. But like many NFL fans, I had no clue who was out there that we could hire as a GM. And then this past Thursday hit and boy was I smiling.

New Chicago Bear's general manager Ryan Pace already getting to work in the office

In case you didn't hear, The Chicago Bears went and signed [now] former New Orleans Saints' Director of Player Personnel Ryan Pace to be the team's new general manager. The moment it was announced that Pace had been hired, the city was once again in a divided stance against the team. The reason? Well at that point, the Bears were thought to wait some time before coming up with a decision on who would be the new GM. Many were speaking about the Kansas City Chiefs' Director of Player Personnel Chris Ballard and how he would fit the bill here in Chicago because he was once a scout for the Bears which meant that he knew the organization and with what he had done with the Chiefs also gave him a thumbs up as well.

Although I no very little on both Ballard and Pace, I can say that I agree with the Bears' decision to go ahead with Pace as the new general manager. Some of you may wonder why that is? It's because he is not in any way, shape, or form tied to the this organization's past. This means that he will have his own perspective and ideas on how to go about the franchise and finding a head coach. I mean don't get me wrong, I like Ballard and everything that could provide also but fresh ideas are what is needed at this point.

The biggest turnoff for many about Ryan Pace is one thing it seems: age. Yes, Pace is only 37 years old which makes him the youngest general manager in the NFL. Quick! Somebody call this kid's parents and tell them that he's too young to be running a NFL franchise! Honestly, does age even matter anymore in situations like these? I mean does it always have to be some old guy with snow white or grey hair at this position? As for his experience, he's been with the New Orleans Saints for over 10 years and has landed the team some pretty promising draft picks as well as being apart of making that franchise into Superbowl champions in 2009. Sounds like this "boy" has a magic touch if you ask me. I also understand the other part which is that the Saints have been on a slump ever since winning the Lombardi. But it was already looking that way as Saints' quarterback Drew Brees has taken so much punishment over his time in New Orleans that it's no wonder his production is going down. Not to mention he only has two targets to go to in receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jimmy Graham, pretty much no efficient running game to work with, and a defense that has been either hurt or inconsistent. All I am trying to say is that these Saints have been marching out since the beginning of the 2012 season.

Ryan Pace during his time
with the New Orleans Saints

So with all that aside, just who is our new GM Ryan Pace? Well he attended Eastern Illinois University and played on the football team from 1995-99 (Fun Fact: Pace was a teammate with Tony Romo) and graduated with a degree in marketing. He them became an intern in the marketing department for the Saints. After being with the Saints for some time, the Saints sent him to the Stanford Business School's Executive Education NFL-Standard Program for Managers (in other words: preparation for future team management). He landed the position of Director of Player Personnel in 2013 and has had two decent years of drafting. In 2013, the Saints drafted safety Kenny Vaccaro, lineman Terron Armstead, defensive lineman John Jenkins, wide receiver Kenny Stills who are all currently starters on the team. This past draft, New Orleans took wide receiver Brandin Cooks, cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste, safety Vinnie Sunseri, and linebacker Ronald Powell who currently are on the team and while may not have been able to have the season they all wanted, are able to bring an impact to the team.

Ryan Pace at the Chicago Bears Press Conference announcing
his hiring as the team's new general manager

So there we have it; Ryan Pace is the Chicago Bears' new general manager. He has already made it known that finding a head coach is the team's top priority. The question now stands: just who will it be that has the honor to put on the hat and hold up the jersey proud as they become the Chicago Bears' new head coach? If you ask me, I think it should be former Buffalo Bills' head coach Doug Marrone. I say that because he is a coach that spends an equal amount of time on both sides of the ball and has that hard nose attitude that we love, adore, and embrace here in the cold and harsh windy city.