- Joined:
- Jan 1, 2013
- Posts:
- 5,103
- Liked Posts:
- 4,124
Yeah... lucky for Angelo that he inherited Urlacher and Mike Brown...
- Joined:
- Aug 20, 2012
- Posts:
- 37,895
- Liked Posts:
- 43,086
He also drafted Briggs, Peanut, Vasher, Tommie Harris, Alex Brown etc. In FA he signed Ogunleye and put together a very good OL that made a less talented offense good enough. Mike Brown was injured all the time. Urlacher was the only really important piece of that Superbowl team he inherited.
But what really matters is wins and losses, and it took until 2005 for Angelo's team to get to the playoffs and the following year to the Superbowl, so if the Bears can get to the playoffs next year and a Superbowl by 2020 then Pace will have matched Angelo. It was after the Superbowl that Angelo sucked.
Porkchop
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Jun 5, 2016
- Posts:
- 661
- Liked Posts:
- 607
Because:
A) Meredith is hardly "proven". He had 1 decent season and is coming off a major knee injury that he's yet to be cleared to practice.
B) Jeffery wasn't "let go". Pace offered him a lucrative contract and he took less money to go to the Eagles.
- Joined:
- Aug 20, 2012
- Posts:
- 37,895
- Liked Posts:
- 43,086
And half of his production in that year came in about 4 games of garbage time pitch and catch. He was never a proven starting caliber receiver and played primarily because the other WRs were injured and/or bad. The whole Meredith thing continues to be absurd.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 11,244
- Liked Posts:
- 17,121
- Location:
- Chicago
I don't believe that to be the case...entirely.
I believe Fox was hired on the belief he could bring in a strong coaching staff with him because that was Trestman's largest failure as HC.
And Fox did not disappoint with the Gase/Fangio combo. Maybe there was some thought that a guy like Gase was promotable if successful with the ever elusive Bear Offense, but I don't think Fox was ever thought of as a place holder.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 29,194
- Liked Posts:
- 25,142
- Location:
- USA
I honestly was a little shocked they let him walk. But I certainly didn't go ape-shit on the decision or lose sleep about it.
At the end of the day the WR corps will probably be better, over the next couple years, without his salary. They could have signed him for about 3 million under the 2nd round tender, but they probably felt he wasn't worth it and they would have had to make a decision next year.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 14,955
- Liked Posts:
- 16,590
I dont think he was either. To hear it floated, and to hear someone ok with that just needed a response.
I actually had High hopes for Fox building a strong foundation, but man- he was just phoning it in.
*edit- The semi-quick removal of fox was good to see. I would like the bears to be one of those teams that actually fix things when they are broken instead of playing wait and see.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 20,791
- Liked Posts:
- 29,515
- Location:
- Mountains to Sea
My favorite teams
I'm a Pace fan and yes Jeffery does count. He could have franchised him. I think he did the right thing offering a more than fair, best offer and letting Jeffery decide whether he wanted to be a Bear or not, but whether you agree or disagree with the move matters not. He is a proven talent and Pace did let him go when he could have not done so.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 11,244
- Liked Posts:
- 17,121
- Location:
- Chicago
I thought Fox would get the team back to a team that can over .500 and maybe if the solution at QB came sooner rather than later...a serious playoff run. Instead his lazy hire to replace Gase and a 2017 campaign that he looked half-asleep for doomed him early.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 29,194
- Liked Posts:
- 25,142
- Location:
- USA
The Bears had a coach that had lost respect quickly. Trestman really shit the bed in that way. Fox was brought in as a known quantity and he was well connected and respected, for the most part.
Despite what is reported I don't think I buy fully into it being Pace's decision ultimately. It probably was "strongly encouraged" to bring in Fox.
Based on what Pace wants to do with the offense and a new QB. Fox is certainly not the guy you want going forward and I am glad the change was made. Not that i think Fangio is the be-all-end-all, but I think it says something that he decided to stay. He could have potentially gone a couple places, but choose to stay on a 3 years deal.
There was respect for Fox among the players, certainly better than what Trestman did, but at the end of the day the turn around from the players Trestman had to what Fox had didn't really cut it. There was some talent loss and Fox could not turn that around.
Despite what is reported I don't think I buy fully into it being Pace's decision ultimately. It probably was "strongly encouraged" to bring in Fox.
Based on what Pace wants to do with the offense and a new QB. Fox is certainly not the guy you want going forward and I am glad the change was made. Not that i think Fangio is the be-all-end-all, but I think it says something that he decided to stay. He could have potentially gone a couple places, but choose to stay on a 3 years deal.
There was respect for Fox among the players, certainly better than what Trestman did, but at the end of the day the turn around from the players Trestman had to what Fox had didn't really cut it. There was some talent loss and Fox could not turn that around.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 14,955
- Liked Posts:
- 16,590
To the bolded, I would not dispute that opinion. Young guy, first time at the helm.... but that speaks to the ability of the ones who hired him- Why hire a guy you don't trust?
Shit or get off the pot.
- Joined:
- Jun 20, 2010
- Posts:
- 38,272
- Liked Posts:
- 32,926
- Location:
- In the mod forum planning your ban
High hopes for fox? Fox was always stuck in his ways and coming here wasnt going to change that
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 14,955
- Liked Posts:
- 16,590
But he had a knck for building a solid d and a good run game... a couple things we needed badly after tresticles.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 20,791
- Liked Posts:
- 29,515
- Location:
- Mountains to Sea
My favorite teams
For the situation, Fox was still a above average hire. He got the locker room back to a professional level and was a take the slings and arrows admirably sacrificial lamb. Could you imagine, if after Trestman, the Bears hired a young guy that ended up like a Josh McDaniels hire? Maybe he could have been gone a year earlier, but this is really the 1st year that I would say you could expect on the field strides, being realistic.
As to those saying Pace wasted 3 years, give me a fucking break. This was not a rebuild, it was a tear down and then rebuild. They had to purge or let run out bloated contracts on aging vets.
Pace now has his coach, his roster, his QB, and his high $$ FA's. The rest is 100% on him.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 29,194
- Liked Posts:
- 25,142
- Location:
- USA
Fox may have been stuck in his ways, but he did turn around two franchises and get them contending quickly and to the Superbowl. I think the Bears were hoping to catch some of that.
Unfortunately the players brought in and retained by Emery were stuck in eternal mediocrity. Pace blew it up and couldn't get enough talent brought in quickly. Fox didn't quite have the talent, and coupled with some bad choices on his part, the team could not go forward.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 29,194
- Liked Posts:
- 25,142
- Location:
- USA
I think part of the discussion when Pace was hired was that the team needed to be ripped down to the bare bones and brought back up. Bears ownership probably would have liked to have done it quicker. Fox was a long time coach and was probably viewed as being able to handle the situation better and not let losing cause internal problems.
I see NFL teams mired in middling mediocrity and it is painful to watch. I understand why the Bears were torn down. They had to get a QB for the future.
We were not going to go anywhere with Cutler and I didn't see anyone trading us a good QB that we could win with.
Porkchop
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Jun 5, 2016
- Posts:
- 661
- Liked Posts:
- 607
Yeah I have to be fair and give Angelo credit. He nailed some of those early drafts on defense. Yes, inheriting Urlacher and Mike Brown greatly helped, because both of them were the proverbial anchors of the front and secondary respectively, but he did a fantastic job of drafting and building around those guys.
That being said, his attempts at drafting offense were equally terrible. I mean, they REALLY sucked. We give Pace shit about drafting Kevin White, but Angelo drafted a half dozen Kevin Whites. In ten years, the only decent receivers he drafted were Earl Bennett and Bernard Berrian. His offensive line draft record is even worse. I don't think anyone he drafted ended up being even mediocre. Of course, we need not speak of his QB resume. Seems like the only legitimately good offensive players he drafted were Matt Forte and Greg Olsen.
That being said, his attempts at drafting offense were equally terrible. I mean, they REALLY sucked. We give Pace shit about drafting Kevin White, but Angelo drafted a half dozen Kevin Whites. In ten years, the only decent receivers he drafted were Earl Bennett and Bernard Berrian. His offensive line draft record is even worse. I don't think anyone he drafted ended up being even mediocre. Of course, we need not speak of his QB resume. Seems like the only legitimately good offensive players he drafted were Matt Forte and Greg Olsen.
Porkchop
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Jun 5, 2016
- Posts:
- 661
- Liked Posts:
- 607
Sorry, but no. The Bears already used a franchise tag on him in an effort to get him to sign a long-term deal. Ultimately, Jeffery did not wish to sign long term with the Bears, so what purpose would it serve to tag a player that made it clear that he didn't want to be there?
So once again, Pace did not "let him go". Jeffery declined and left.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 29,194
- Liked Posts:
- 25,142
- Location:
- USA
Bears could have franchised him again but based on the last negotiation during the tag Jeffery might have made it clear he wanted to leave....I suppose Bears could have traded him, but He may have wanted out period.
I don't think there is much of a win in that scenario for the Bears.
I don't think there is much of a win in that scenario for the Bears.
- Joined:
- Aug 21, 2012
- Posts:
- 20,791
- Liked Posts:
- 29,515
- Location:
- Mountains to Sea
My favorite teams
You are factually wrong. Whatever your opinion about tagging him a second time does not matter. If you open your parrots cage and set him on the balcony ledge and say come here Polly, you can go but I will give you a lot of crackers to stay and Polly flies away, have you not let him go?
Members online NOW
- Member
- Admin
- Mod
- Donor
- HOF
Staff online NOW
-
bamainatlantaYou wake him up, you keep him up -
PrideisBearsBully Mod
