Pace says he's motivated by opportunity to win

During his three years as the Rams' defensive coordinator (2001-03), Lovie Smith never actually coached offensive tackle Orlando Pace, who was in the midst of a seven-year streak of being voted to the Pro Bowl every season (1999-2005). But they still developed a rapport.

"It's funny," Pace said. "During Lovie's time in St. Louis he would come over and before practice he would kind of get stuff going between myself and the defensive linemen. He'd say, 'Yeah this guy's going to do this to you today,' or 'this guy's gonna do that to you today.' He always tried to get a battle going between me and the opposing defensive ends, so it was always fun."

Five years later, that relationship paid off for Smith when Pace decided to continue his Hall of Fame career as a Bear after he was released by the Rams in a move to clear money under the salary cap for a team rebuilding from the rubble of back-to-back 3-13 and 2-14 seasons. By comparison, the Bears' 16-16 mark since their Super Bowl XLI appearance looked pretty good to the 6-foot-7, 325-pound Pace.

"That was a huge factor, he said. "I want to have an opportunity to win. Being in St. Louis the past couple years has been tough. Winning five games in two years is always tough, so I wanted to come into an organization and a situation where we had an opportunity to win ball games and be competitive and have a chance to be in the playoffs and possibly a championship. I felt that Chicago had the tools to get it done."

Injuries kept the 33-year-old Pace off the field for 23 of 32 games in 2006 and '07, but he started 14 games at left tackle last season. In '07, Pace suffered a season-ending shoulder injury (torn labrum and rotator cuff) in the opener, and in 2006 he was sidelined in November by a torn triceps. He missed two games last season with a sprained knee.

Pace could have retired after his release by the Rams and still be considered one of the top linemen of his generation, but he didn't feel it was time yet.

"I feel really good," he said. "That's one of the reasons I chose to play is my body felt great. When you're injured, you have a new desire to play football, a new love for the game, a renewed love for the game. The Bears offer different challenges, so I think it'll be good for me and my career."

Pace was also pursued by the Baltimore Ravens, who offered him more money than the $15 million over three years he got from the Bears. But the Ravens wanted him to move to right tackle, while Pace wanted to remain at left tackle, where he's spent the previous 12 seasons.

"That was one of the things that really factored," he said. "I wanted a situation that was right for me; comfortable. I'm comfortable playing left tackle. Right tackle would have been a stretch for me. Lovie and the coaches felt that (playing left tackle) was a better move for me. That made Chicago an even sweeter deal for me."

If Pace plays at the level he did last season, when he was considered the Rams' best offensive lineman, his acquisition will be a sweet deal for the Bears, and for young offensive linemen like right tackle Chris Williams, guard Josh Beekman and tackle/guard Frank Omiyale.

"He's another good person," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said, "not only in terms of what he brings to our football team as a player, but what he brings to our locker room and (to) our younger players. We have another good (role) model."