Bears GM Pace happy to get input from others
The first order of business for Bears general manager Ryan Pace is selecting a head coach - something he's never done.
It's a decision Pace considers the most important in the process of building a winning franchise.
"The first step is hiring the right head coach to help me lead that charge," said the 37-year-old Pace, the NFL's youngest GM. "It helps me to have a step-by-step plan in my head - a progressive plan - and right now, that's hiring a head coach, Step One.
"I've hired and identified staff members. (But) I've never hired or identified a head coach, so it's all new for me."
Pace got his first taste of what it's like being on the other end of the interview process just hours after he was chosen as the sixth GM in franchise history, when he led the team's discussion with Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
Bowles is the third candidate who has interviewed for the job, following Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn more than a week ago. Those interviews were conducted by Bears chairman George McCaskey, team president and CEO Ted Phillips and consultant Ernie Accorsi.
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is expected to interview in the coming week. Pace will lead the interview but McCaskey, Phillips and Accorsi will be involved.
"I'm glad these guys are in the room with me," Pace said. "That's why I'm glad Ernie Accorsi is there. He's a Hall of Fame general manager that I can lean on. That's a resource. That was my first experience (with Bowles Thursday) night, but I felt good about it."
Pace has the final say on the head coach, and he knows how important it is to feel good about his decision, a knowledge based on his 13 years in personnel with the New Orleans Saints.
"The relationship between the head coach and general manager, that's critical," Pace said. "So is the head coach and the quarterback. Those are the two most important relationships in the building.
"In New Orleans, I've never seen (general manager) Mickey (Loomis) and (coach) Sean (Payton) come to a major argument on something like that.
"What's the reason for that? Because they have a great relationship. They talk every single day. All those decisions, those are all hashed out because we're communicating in the relationship we have. That's what I'm looking forward to."
Another valuable lesson Pace learned in New Orleans was how people react to adversity. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and left the Saints' Superdome with a damaged roof and flooding that rendered it unplayable.
The Saints were forced to switch one home game against the Giants to their opponent's home field and they played the remainder of their "home" games in San Antonio, Texas, and at LSU. The result was a 3-13 season but an education in human nature.
"I truly believe that in adverse situations like that, you find out a lot about the people that are in the building and on the team," Pace said. "So going through that, we knew that when we got back to New Orleans, who's in and who's out, quite honestly. Adverse conditions I think can be revealing in good and bad ways."
Although Pace has a five-year contract, so did his predecessor Phil Emery, who was fired after three years. That was a lesson Pace didn't have to learn. In his introduction news conference at Halas Hall on Friday he was careful not to use the word "rebuilding."
"We're all judged judged on wins and losses," he said. "You must win. I understand that - in fact, I thrive in that. I know I'm evaluated on wins and losses.
"As far as the time frame and all that, I'm not concerned with that. I want to win."
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