After season finale, Bears ready to plan for next year

Planning for next season begins as soon as Sunday's game against the Lions ends.

General manager Ryan Pace has the final say on Bears personnel acquisitions, but the evaluation process of the current roster will be a group project.

It's a laborious process but one which will be easier with the benefit of having seen players perform all season, unlike a year ago, when the entire roster was new to Fox and most of his staff.

"It's much more difficult when you don't know the players and you don't know the people (in the personnel department)," Fox said. "We've had a lot of changes downstairs and upstairs. That's never been easy, having been through that a couple of times (in Carolina and Denver as a head coach).

"I think we'll have a better feel this off-season for the whole thing, because it's the second time through."

Ideally Pace and Fox will agree on most personnel decisions, and their opinions count more than others, but it's a comprehensive system.

"Everyone is involved," Fox said. "We're going to lean on (college) scouts, pro personnel people, coaching staff. Shoot, our equipment managers and training staff are involved in the final evaluations."

Almost as soon as time runs out in Sunday's season finale, the critiquing of current players will begin with an eye toward next season and what the biggest needs will be in free agency and the draft.

"Typically we'll evaluate our roster immediately after the season, and we'll get into evaluating the ability to pick up new personnel moving forward," Fox said. "It will all be critical. Everyone will be involved, including me."

Left or right:

Drafted as a guard in 2013, where he was a Pro Bowl player his first two years, Kyle Long was moved to right tackle a week before the 2015 season started, and he could be moved to left tackle for next season.

"I don't know where I'll be next year," Long said. "(But) I know I'm going to be a tackle. I don't know where the (heck) that is, but I'll probably be blocking a lot of D-ends next year. Right now we're focused on the Lions, and until I'm told otherwise, I'm going to keep working on my kick set (pass blocking) and trying to set the edge out there."

Lots to work with:

Undrafted rookie safety Harold Jones-Quartey didn't come to the Bears with the elite pedigree of some teammates. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder played at Division-II Findlay (Ohio), where he was a wide receiver his first two seasons.

But he came with some valued qualities and is expected to start his fourth game Sunday.

"He had a lot of what you look for, (such as) football character," coach John Fox said. "He's got good speed. He enjoys contact. He plays the game, as I call it, 'with your hair on fire.' He plays it hard and crisp.

"Now it's just a matter of learning the game a little bit better. He's a small-school guy, but he has the components that we're looking for, and I'm pleased we got him."

Finish strong:

The final practice is in the books, which means coach John Fox has given his final address to his team on the importance of the game at hand.

"I prefer to keep that private," Fox said when asked for a synopsis, "but I think this (game) is unique in that you're finishing one season and beginning another year."

The gist was: "How you finish is important, along those lines," Fox said. "I won't give you my exact address, but (it's) kind of like that."