BEARS NOTES

• Patrick Finley does a nice job in the Sun-Times breaking down how Fox and Pace view their defensive roster’s transition from 4-3 front to 3-4. (I think this transition is the most over-discussed topic in the universe.)
• Ron Parker and Mason Foster would be the types of signings I expected from this free agency period. Mid-range veteran talent that can play their positions at a minimal cost.
• Why exactly would Ryan Pace need to be asked about “mending fences” with Jay Cutler? Has Ryan Pace ever said a negative word about Cutler? Pace evaluated the player, evaluated the possibility of replacing the player, listened to trade offers (if you think he didn’t, you’re nuts) and determined the best course of action for the 2015 Bears was Cutler at quarterback? How could anyone make the argument Cutler deserved more than that?
• If the Saints are really shopping Kenny Stills – which makes no sense to me – how can the Bears not be interested? A wide receiving corps of Alshon Jeffery, Kenny Stills and Eddie Royal would make Brandon Marshall quite easy to forget.

AND SOME QUESTIONS…

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Tuesday free agency officially opens and the Chicago Bears will have the opportunity to purchase some on-field human talent. They have a dangerous combination when it comes to March in the NFL: money to spend & many roster holes. But for new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox, prudence is the name of the game. (It would also be the name of the worst-selling board game in the history of Toys R Us.)

STAY AWAY FROM THE THIRTY MARK

Teams signing free agents over the age of 30 should be one or two players away from making a realistic run for a championship. The Bears are not one or two players away from making a realistic run to the grocery store. Someone mentioned to me on Twitter that he believed the 2015 Bears have a puncher’s chance to win the NFC North. They do, if the punch is landed squarely on the ACL of Aaron Rodgers.

The Bears have struggled to field two competent safeties since the partnership of Mike Brown and Tony Parrish dissolved. 2014 did not feature many standout performances in the secondary but one promising development was Ryan Mundy looking capable. Does this mean Mundy should be a starter in September? Not necessarily. But it might mean the Bears can win with Mundy on the field. And that is something I never thought I’d write.

Devin McCourty (28 when next season starts) is the crown jewel of this class. In a division with Aaron Rodgers having a safety with McCourty’s cover skills is not only an advantage but a necessity. Rahim Moore (25) is still entrenched in my mind for making one of the worst defensive plays in the history of the sport but he’s turned into a versatile safety who may have his best football ahead of him. (And John Fox would know far better than me.) Da’Norris Searcy (26) plays with the aggression of a box safety and is well-equipped to handle physical tight ends and slot receivers.

With the draft light at safety, look for the Bears to be focused on the position. And none of these men mentioned above would hit the 30 mark until (at earliest) the third year of their four-year contract.

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FOX

• John Fox was noncommittal on the future of Jay Cutler. He was asked point-blank if Cutler was his quarterback moving forward and balked. It is February 18th. We are less than a month from free agency. How many teams with a “franchise” quarterback would not endorse him as the starter today? Yes it’s possible Fox does not have enough information on Cutler to this point but what exactly is he going to learn between now and free agency or the draft? Will Cutler have an opportunity to blow Fox away at OTAs? Will the Bears be willing to risk millions of dollars on that development?
• Fox made is quite clear that if Brandon Marshall will be on the Chicago Bears in 2015 he will not be on Inside the NFL. His money quote: “Our focus needs to be on football.” This is a drastic departure from the previous head coach.
• The Bears are switching to a 3-4 base for all you 3-4/4-3 junkies out there.
• Fox knows he is taking over a defense lacking in talent. When pressed about building blocks on that side of the ball he struggled to mention anyone other than Kyle Fuller.
• Fox started to get frustrated during his short presser with the number of ways the press asked him the EXACT SAME question about Cutler. This wasn’t on the Chicago media. This was on the whole of the NFL media attending this moronic event.
• The Bears want Josh McCown back in Chicago. McCown fits to a tee the type of quarterback Fox has utilized in his first year with a team needing rejuvenation: limited ability but  great leadership qualities. If the Bears are targeting a quarterback in this draft (or a young player at the bottom of somebody else’s roster), McCown is a far better choice to help groom that young talent than Cutler.
• Seemed to be little desire on Fox’s part to leave door open for Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman to return.

The takeaway…

On offense, Fox has to determine whether his supremely talented quarterback and receiver fit in with the locker room he’s trying to build. On defense, Fox has to find players. He doesn’t have many now.

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Photo appeared in the Chicago Tribune.

The press conference set to begin at 11 AM CT to introduce John Fox as the 15th head coach in the history of the Chicago Bears. You can watch the press conference live on NFL Network or at ChicagoBears.com and listen live at ESPN 1000 (we don’t promote the other station round these parts).

Remember as you’re enjoying the press conference, these were jobs nobody wanted according to your local media. And they were filled by a young GM in-demand and a head coach with two Super Bowl appearances. You will hear today what I’ve written all along, “head coach of the Chicago Bears” means a great deal to those men who fill the NFL’s coaching ranks.

The Bears will be introducing their new GM, Ryan Pace, at an 11 am CT press conference.

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I will be traveling this weekend on a trip planned before the Chicago Bears went into despair and firings became inevitable. To keep up with my thoughts over the next several days, you will have to view my Twitter feed on the right rail or GO TO TWITTER AND FOLLOW ME.

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(If the Bears hire a coach over the next three days I will, of course, rush from the oceanfront bar or golf course I’m currently enjoying to edit a photo of the man in Microsoft Paint. This is sarcasm.)

There has been much talk in the Chicago sports media about the general repugnance of the Bears GM and head coaching positions. If one had no access to information outside The Tribune and The Score one would think taking over a leadership role inside the Bears organization was viewed similarly to taking over a maximum security prison with only a fly swatter and a Wiffle ball bat as protection.

Yet, here is Ryan Pace. Having rejected multiple opportunities to interview for positions that did not fit his specific criteria, Pace enthusiastically pursued the Bears GM gig. Here is Ryan Pace, not phased in the least by supposedly poisonous existence of Ted Phillips in a position of power. Boy does that spill hot coffee on the morning motives of certain folks.

What do we know about Ryan Pace?

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