INDIANAPOLIS _ Ryan Pace ducked into Matt Nagy's office at Halas Hall recently and found himself instantly energized. Inside, the new Bears coach was glued to the film of a prospective free agent, plowing through a series of five games.
To Nagy's left was a notebook in which he was scribbling evaluation notes vigorously on the player. To the right was another notebook, this one for details on any plays or concepts the coach might be interested in lifting.
Pace could feel Nagy's wheels turning and sensed the magnetism of the coach's curiosity and creative energy.
"It was awesome to see," Pace said.
This, the 41-year-old general manager is certain, means something.
With every conversation, throughout every meeting, Pace can feel Nagy's natural intelligence and passion for learning. The depth of Nagy's knowledge combined with his quest to further it has resonated.
From their speed-date interview Jan. 7 in Kansas City, Mo., to their current trek to the NFL scouting combine, Pace and Nagy have been enlivened by their natural connection and in sync with their vision.
Both are convinced the Bears have things pointed in the right direction to become relevant again.
"That feeling," Pace said, "is strong."
If Pace's bold decision to draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky in 2017 will be remembered forever as the defining move of his tenure as Bears GM, the hiring of Nagy will be the obvious runner-up.
A football-crazed and success-starved fan base clings to the hope that this latest leadership change will be the one that finally sparks a run of success for the Bears. But many still will attach that optimism to a fretful sentiment.
This better work, or else ...
Pace, permanently cheerful and optimistic, sees through a different lens. Why wouldn't this work?
From the combine Pace stressed that the organization believes it's finally on solid ground across the board. Trubisky, he believes, is a star in the making at the most important position in sports. Nagy, he's convinced, is exactly the kind of innovative and charismatic leader to lift this team to new heights.
"If we have the right quarterback and if we have the right head coach in place, then that's sustainable," Pace said. "And sure, you're going to trip on a handful of acquisitions here and there. But if you have that solidified, you can absorb those mistakes and persevere. When you don't have that, it's just disjointed. And every mistake you make becomes magnified."
Link the first 14 words of that paragraph to every evaluation of Pace going forward.
If we have the right quarterback and if we have the right head coach ...
These are Pace's guys.
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