Bears GM loves what McPhee brings to defense

New general manager Ryan Pace has so far proceeded cautiously through his first free-agent market as the Bears' personnel boss.

He knew right away though that he wanted linebacker Pernell McPhee, whose signing was made official Wednesday morning.

"This is a player we targeted right from the onset," Pace said of McPhee, whose five-year contract is for $40 million, with $16 million guaranteed. "He is a highly productive, disruptive and versatile defender. This guy not only brings the top physical talent but also the right mentality and makeup to improve our football team."

Although McPhee had just six starts in four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, he had 17 sacks, including a career-best 7½ last year. The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder also had personal bests last season with 11 tackles for loss and 4 pass breakups.

He has lined up at both outside linebacker spots and at various spots along the defensive line in nickel situations.

Asked for a scouting report on himself, McPhee smiled and said: "I'm violent. That's all you need to be is violent. Just a violent guy, try to forget about the (last) play no matter if it's good or bad and play with that motor and with that energy."

According to STATS, McPhee's 38 combined quarterback knockdowns and hurries in 2014 were 14th most in the NFL. "He's disruptive," Pace said. "He hits the quarterback a ton. He's an ascending player."

McPhee was a fifth-round pick (165th overall) in 2011 out of Mississippi State and is from Pahokee, Florida, an area rich in football tradition.

McPhee said he played at about 285 pounds last year, but added, "Whatever they need me to get to, I can do it. I'm from Pahokee, I was born and raised to be an athlete."

It's too early to tell how the Bears will use McPhee, although it's a certainty he will play more than the 48 percent of the snaps he did last season, when he had Pro Bowlers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil ahead of him at outside linebacker.

The 26-year-old McPhee said he was confident the Bears' new staff would find the right roles for him.

"I'm putting my trust in coach (John) Fox and all the defensive (coaches)," he said. "They will find a plan for me to go out, create (in) a system where I will be successful like I was in Baltimore."

McPhee said he learned a lot from Dumervil, who had 17 sacks last season, and Suggs, who had 12.

"They taught me a lot how to play with my eyes and my hands and my feet and how to read the game," McPhee said. "They taught me a lot, how to stay humble and take care of my body. It was all a great experience."

Now McPhee says he's ready for another great experience. He has the advantage of coming from the Ravens' 3-4 defense, which is similar to what former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is expected to install in that same role with the Bears.

"I played defensive end in the 4-3, I played defensive end in the 3-4, and I played outside linebacker in the 3-4," McPhee said. "We practiced against the 49ers last year, and their defense was very similar to us, so I think the scheme will be easy for me to adjust to.

"I look forward to helping some of the guys who might have a harder time adjusting to it."

More than that, McPhee is expected to kick-start a pass rush that was 17th in sack percentage last season and whose No. 1 pass rusher (Willie Young, 10 sacks) is less than three months removed from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Pace believes McPhee will help in that regard, and he found a lot to like about his first four years in the league, even though he wasn't a starter.

"I like the violence that he plays with," Pace said. "He's got length, gets off blocks, (and) he's a well-rounded player, too. He's a productive pass rusher but also a steady, consistent run defender.

"Those are some of the things that jump out."

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