Bears general manager Ryan Pace got Mitch Trubisky wrong, but he still might get the quarterback right. What then?
Pace has been unmercifully but understandably flogged for trading up to take Trubisky when he could have stayed put and taken Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL draft. With the previous signing Mike Glennon in free agency in 2017, it disqualifies Pace from choosing the Bears’ next franchise quarterback in the eyes of many Bears fans, fanboys and critics.
We’ll see about that. Nick Foles’ heroic performance in Sunday’s 30-26 victory over the Falcons is — for now — an early indication that not every quarterback decision Pace makes turns to dust.
So with Trubisky officially in the “bust” category, would Foles’ success take the heat off Pace for his quarterback missteps? Even with a more difficult second-half schedule, the Bears still could finish 9-7 and in the playoffs, especially with seven teams in each conference making the postseason instead of six.
Pace would be off the hot seat in that scenario — at least at Halas Hall if not the court of public opinion. And then it gets interesting. Is Foles the quarterback of the immediate future? Will the Bears be looking for a franchise quarterback in the 2021 draft? Or with Foles in place, will they settle for trying to find their Russell Wilson (or Gardner Minshew) in the middle rounds?
Either way, barring a 2020 collapse — stranger things have happened — it’s likely Pace will be the guy making that decision. The prospect of that scenario is not as discouraging as it might look. Pace is astute in other personnel areas and seems like someone who learns from his mistakes. And he’ll have more help on the next one than he had with Trubisky and Glennon.
When Pace drafted Trubisky, his head coach was John Fox. His offensive coordinator was Dowell Loggains. His quarterbacks coach was Dave Ragone. This time he’ll have — presumably — a little more quarterback acumen on his side with Matt Nagy, John DeFilippo and Bill Lazor weighing in.
They surely had a hand in helping Pace decide on Foles. Pace had nowhere to go but up when it comes to quarterback evaluation. But at this moment, it looks like he’s at least getting better at it.
2. The criticism of Pace for the Trubisky miss is fair and warranted. But it’s also fair to point out that as resolute as Pace was about Trubisky, he was far from the only one who thought Trubisky was the best quarterback prospect in the draft.
In fact, a review of quarterback rankings and mock drafts shows that Trubisky was the consensus choice as the first quarterback taken in the 2017 draft. Mock drafts — some based on inside information/mis-information — had the Browns, Jets, Bills, 49ers, Cardinals and Chargers taking Trubisky ahead of Watson and Mahomes.
So it’s not like Pace was some rogue GM trying to outsmart everybody else by taking a player nobody else wanted. He bit and he bit hard and made a mistake that could still end up being a fireable offense. But you can bet there are some GMs around the league thanking their lucky stars that Ryan Pace made their mistake for them.
3. Maybe Nick Foles should have been the starter all along, but he’s in his comfort zone as a replacement player. Since his rookie season (when he was 1-5 as a replacement for Michael Vick), Foles is 18-4 with a 105.1 passer rating (45 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) in 22 starts as an in-season replacement for the Week 1 starter.
As the established No. 1 quarterback to start the season, Foles is 10-13 with a 76.4 passer rating with the Eagles in 2014, the Rams in 2015 and the Jaguars in 2019.
4. Until Foles worked his magic Sunday against the Falcons, the Bears were 0-34 in games in which they allowed 25 or more points (0-5 under Nagy) — since a 38-31 victory over the Browns in Week 15.
That streak of futility started the following week, when Foles and the Eagles beat the Bears 54-11 at Lincoln Financial Field. Since then, every NFL team had won at least one game while allowing 25 or more points — 231 times in all — except the Bears.
5. Foles’ heroics Sunday rates as the third-best relief performance by a Bears quarterback since at least 1980 — behind Jim McMahon’s three touchdowns in eight offensive plays (70, 25 and 43 yards) in a 33-24 victory over the Vikings at the Metrodome in 1985 and Shane Matthews’ two touchdowns in the final 4:08 of regulation in a 37-31 overtime victory against the 49ers in 2001 at Soldier Field.
6a. While Trubisky critics are probably saying, ‘What took so long?,’ Bears coach Matt Nagy deserves credit for a relatively quick hook Sunday.
Trubisky’s performance this season until the second half against the Falcons (an 87.4 passer rating) was well above the standard for poor quarterback play that warrants a change — Mike Glennon (79.8, 1-3), Rex Grossman (45.2, 1-2), Kyle Orton (59.9, 9-4), Jonathan Quinn (65.5, 0-2), Kordell Stewart (56.0, 1-4) and others in recent Bears history.
Nagy had a 2-0 team with a quarterback who already had overcome mistakes to rally the Bears to victory in the fourth quarter this season, yet still pulled the plug. It’s a good sign that to Nagy, Trubisky’s poor judgment on the interception wasn’t just one mistake, but the latest mistake. It’s not as easy to see it from that standpoint from inside Halas Hall as it is from outside Halas Hall.
6b. Trubisky’s 45-yard run that set up the Bears’ first touchdown — remember that? — was the second longest run of his career (a 46-yarder against the Saints in 2017) and the fourth longest rush by a Bears quarterback since at least 1940. Bobby Douglass had a 57-yard touchdown run against the Browns in 1972. Ed Brown had a 48-yard run against the 49ers in 1959.
7. While you’re celebrating the Bears’ victory, consider this: A week after the Bears survived a pass in the end zone against the Giants at home, the 49ers beat the Giants 36-9 at the Meadowlands — without Jimmy Garappolo, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, Solomon Thomas and Raheem Mostert.
8. The List: USA Today’s quarterback rankings for the 2017 NFL Draft: 1. Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina; 2. Deshaun Watson, Clemson; 3. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech; 4. DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame; 5. Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh; 6. Davis Webb, California.
9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Browns place-kicker Cody Parkey was 2-for-2 on field goals (42 and 30 yards) and 4-for-4 on PATs in a 34-20 victory over Washington.
Special mention: Washington wide receiver Dontrelle Inman caught touchdown passes of 17 and 11 yards that gave the Washington team the lead in that game, to no avail.
10. Bear-ometer: 10-6 — vs. Colts (W); vs. Buccaneers (W); at Panthers (W); at Rams (L); vs. Saints (L); at Titans (L); vs. Vikings (W); at Packers (L); vs. Lions (W); vs. Texans (L); at Vikings (L); at Jaguars (W); vs. Packers (W).
