2014-15 NFC North/NFL Thread

[MU82]

I would trust Boers connections with the Bears way more than John Clayton's. 

Boers has connections?

Before I left Chicago in 2010, he had been little more than a radio clown for more than a decade. It's hard to imagine he has serious sources.

Clayton is a reporter, and a pretty good one. He might not be super well-connected to the Bears, but he has tons of NFL sources, and those sources talk to each other.

Maybe I'm wrong about Boers, though, and he does have some insider feeding him truly useful info. I'd just be pretty surprised if that were the case.

[GGGG]

Boers has connections?

Before I left Chicago in 2010, he had been little more than a radio clown for more than a decade. It's hard to imagine he has serious sources.

Clayton is a reporter, and a pretty good one. He might not be super well-connected to the Bears, but he has tons of NFL sources, and those sources talk to each other.

Maybe I'm wrong about Boers, though, and he does have some insider feeding him truly useful info. I'd just be pretty surprised if that were the case.

Boers for years was a beat writer for the Bears.  (As well as the Bulls.)  Usually when he comes out and says something definitive, he is usually shown to be correct.  We will see if that is the case here.

[GGGG]

Ryan Pace new GM for the Bears.  Pro personnel director for the Saints.  Been in their organization for over a decade.

[mr.MUskie]

Ryan Pace new GM for the Bears.  Pro personnel director for the Saints.  Been in their organization for over a decade.

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2015/01/ryan_pace_saints_player_person_1.html

Comments at bottom of that article not too encouraging.  Here's one...
Bear fan here.  Man, you don't get the REAL scoop until you read the comments section of the local paper. I had no idea Ryan Pace was so despised.  I hope his mother doesn't read NOLA.  Well, now I hope that the Bears pass on Pace.  Even the GM was less than raving in his praise: "Uh, Pace, yeah, he's, uh, real good at what he does and stuff."

[jesmu84]

I don't know if it's directly tied to Pace, but I don't really like that the Saints built success through free agency. I want the team built through the draft like the Pack.

[RJax55]

I don't know if it's directly tied to Pace, but I don't really like that the Saints built success through free agency. I want the team built through the draft like the Pack.

It is difficult to judge hires like this because we don't know the details on how much influence a guy like Pace had in the Saints overall decision making process. Mickey Loomis is the GM and Sean Payton wields a great deal of influence in the franchise's vision and in player transactions.

One area that does speak well to Pace are the finds the Saints have had in the undrafted free agent market. That's an area that Pace would have had a great deal of influence on and shows some scouting acumen.

[ChicosBailBonds]

nm

[jesmu84]

Apparently Pace was given "full control" over all football operations for the Bears.

[Spotcheck Billy]

this just doesn't sound right (from the article I read on Yahoo! sports

Chicago has been to the playoffs just four times since the start of the 1995 season. Only Oakland (three), Houston (two) and Cleveland (one) have fewer appearances in that span.

Detroit has done better?

[MU82]

Boers for years was a beat writer for the Bears.  (As well as the Bulls.)  Usually when he comes out and says something definitive, he is usually shown to be correct.  We will see if that is the case here.

Yes, I know he worked at the Sun-Times, but it's been a LOOOONG time since he was in the business as a real reporter. Just about nobody is around now who was around then; I have a hard time believing Phillips and George McCaskey are feeding him news, and anybody with any real knowledge is long gone from Boers' reporter days. He's been a talkin' head for years and years. I'd believe Bernstein would have sources before Boers.

However, if you say he usually has been right, I will defer to your knowledge.

[DegenerateDish]

My old Bears guy was not close on anything, had either bad info or no info. Didn't see this Pace hire coming. No idea if he'll be great or terrible. Give him 3 years and see.

[🏀]

Yes, I know he worked at the Sun-Times, but it's been a LOOOONG time since he was in the business as a real reporter. Just about nobody is around now who was around then; I have a hard time believing Phillips and George McCaskey are feeding him news, and anybody with any real knowledge is long gone from Boers' reporter days. He's been a talkin' head for years and years. I'd believe Bernstein would have sources before Boers.

However, if you say he usually has been right, I will defer to your knowledge.

He's not that well connected anymore, however, when he does put his neck out there, it's because the information is good.

He's better with Bulls info than Bears.

Bernstein has a daily source inside Halas.

[JWags85]

My old Bears guy was not close on anything, had either bad info or no info. Didn't see this Pace hire coming. No idea if he'll be great or terrible. Give him 3 years and see.

More like 5 years before you can make any assessments, aina?

Not sure how to feel about it, do like they he comes from an organization with a recent history of success and winning and that he's not from the poisoned Bears tree.  His first big hiring should tell us alot.

[MU B2002]

So who do all the Bears fans want as coach?


I see that Pace has some minor ties to Merrone, but I don't know if that's a direction he would want to go.  My dad asked me what I thought the"best case scenario" was for head coach, and I just simply don't know....


Rex Ryan?

[GGGG]

More like 5 years before you can make any assessments, aina?

Not sure how to feel about it, do like they he comes from an organization with a recent history of success and winning and that he's not from the poisoned Bears tree.  His first big hiring should tell us alot.

If I were a Bears fan, I would have two concerns.  (Not "red flag" concerns...but mild ones.)

**He's young (37 I think) and has only worked in one organization.  

**The Saints have not been the best drafting team in recent years.

Time will tell if this is a good hire or not.  Sometimes you just don't know with GM candidates.  I mean Green Bay has generated a number of good ones, but the one I thought would be real good (Reggie McKenzie) looks out of his depth in Oakland.  

[GGGG]

So who do all the Bears fans want as coach?


I see that Pace has some minor ties to Merrone, but I don't know if that's a direction he would want to go.  My dad asked me what I thought the"best case scenario" was for head coach, and I just simply don't know....


Rex Ryan?

If they are doing a multi-year rebuild, I think Bears fans are going to want a guy who can coach and teach young players.  Marrone might be that guy.  Bowles is another one.  I don't think a "larger than life" type like Rex Ryan would be a good fit.

[MU B2002]

If I were a Bears fan, I would have two concerns.  (Not "red flag" concerns...but mild ones.)

**He's young (37 I think) and has only worked in one organization.  

**The Saints have not been the best drafting team in recent years.

Time will tell if this is a good hire or not.  Sometimes you just don't know with GM candidates.  I mean Green Bay has generated a number of good ones, but the one I thought would be real good (Reggie McKenzie) looks out of his depth in Oakland.  

Is that Reggie, or is that Oakland ownership?

[GGGG]

Is that Reggie, or is that Oakland ownership?

Ownership doesn't help, but they supposedly gave him free reign in the draft room and to hire a coach.  Neither of which have seemed to work out all that well.

[muarmy81]

So who do all the Bears fans want as coach?


I see that Pace has some minor ties to Merrone, but I don't know if that's a direction he would want to go.  My dad asked me what I thought the"best case scenario" was for head coach, and I just simply don't know....


Rex Ryan?

I think my order of preference would be:

Todd Bowles
Dan Quinn
Dave Toub

Mike Shanahan

[brandx]

Abe Gibron

[JWags85]

So who do all the Bears fans want as coach?


I see that Pace has some minor ties to Merrone, but I don't know if that's a direction he would want to go.  My dad asked me what I thought the"best case scenario" was for head coach, and I just simply don't know....


Rex Ryan?

Rex Ryan would have been a decent choice last time around, IMO.  But with a rebuild on the way, I agree he's not a great choice.

[hairy worthen]

Abe Gibron

Paddy Driscoll.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

So who do all the Bears fans want as coach?


I see that Pace has some minor ties to Merrone, but I don't know if that's a direction he would want to go.  My dad asked me what I thought the"best case scenario" was for head coach, and I just simply don't know....


Rex Ryan?

Best case scenario would be Bill Walsh or papa bear Halas coming back from the grave.

[brandx]

From Bill Simmons:

Are we really supposed to believe that key Ravens executives knew exactly what happened in the elevator but Roger Goodell and his key reports had no idea whatsoever? It seemed improbable in mid-September and even more improbable now.

If the NFL’s security team handled everything as incompetently as the Mueller Report lays out, then why hasn’t that team been overhauled? Who was to blame? Shouldn’t multiple jobs be lost here?

Are we really supposed to believe that the Associated Press fabricated its report, which would mean it made up not just its source but an imaginary taped phone call too? And if the AP made it up, then why? What would be the AP’s motivation for irrevocably tainting its own credibility?

Goodell sent a September 10 memo to the owners specifically stating that the league asked all the appropriate law enforcement parties for the tape, only the Mueller Report specifically states that the league never asked ANYONE for the tape (not the Atlantic City Police Department, not the Ravens, not the Revel Casino) … so doesn’t that mean Goodell lied to the owners on September 10?2

Why wasn’t the friendship between Goodell and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti examined more thoroughly if the Mueller Report made it clear that the Ravens knew everything you’d ever want to know about the second elevator tape and even had copies of it, only Goodell and his team went out of their way not to find it or ask for it?

Why did Goodell make it seem like Rice lied to him in their June 16 meeting when Rice told the truth — as we found out during Rice’s appeal hearing — and like there was a “starkly different” sequence of events?

Why was Goodell’s “pursuit” of evidence so uncharacteristically lackadaisical compared to other incidents (like Bountygate) that he pursued so doggedly in the past?

The Ravens came off worse than anyone — instead of volunteering their evidence, basically, they held on to it and hoped Goodell would never ask. (And he didn’t.) It’s impossible to finish the Mueller Report without thinking that either (a) Goodell and his direct reports are spectacularly incompetent, or (b) Goodell did a favor for his buddy Bisciotti by intentionally burying his head in the sand so Rice’s punishment wouldn’t be that onerous. And it’s clear now that the Ravens need to start firing some of the people who bungled this mess from their end. Maybe the players haven’t entered the Colossal Karma Payback zone, but the organization certainly has.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Paddy Driscoll.

Bears pushing for Kubiak...if hired, he would be the first Bears coach since Paddy with previous HC experience (x Papa Bear).