While most of the Bears fanbase continues to fret about the organization’s decision to keep Pace and Nagy for another year, one former member of the organization thinks it was the right move.
“I know that fans are probably upset that they didn’t make a change at the general manager position and/or the head coach position, but what I’ll tell you is that the Bears have usually done that every 3-4 years, except for when Lovie (Smith) was a head coach,” 49ers kicker Robbie Gould told NBC Sports Chicago last week. “We had some ups and downs when Lovie was there and I think a lot of it comes down to continuity. I love the fact that they’re going to give (Pace and Nagy) a chance for one more year. And if I’m a player understanding that how you play this season, and what you’re going to put on tape, is going to be a direct reflection of whether they stay or go.”
The Bears are currently in a dip similar to what Gould experienced with the team after reaching the Super Bowl in 2006. They followed that successful season by going 7-9 in 2007, 9-7 in 2008 and 7-9 in 2009. But the organization kept Smith and the Bears made it back to the NFC Championship Game in the 2010 season.
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“If you look at why we were successful and were able to keep it going, it was because that core stayed together and brought the younger players or the free agents along to understand what the systems were,” Gould said.
That's what the Bears hope happens after following up a 12-4 season in 2018 with back-to-back 8-8 seasons. They believe they have a strong core, especially on defense, and just need the right quarterback to get them over the top. Ownership didn’t want to see that core blown up if major changes were made. Gould used the Seattle Seahawks as an example of a consistent organization with nine straight winning seasons and eight playoff berths in that time:
“They just churn out what their philosophy is and find players to fit in with what they do. And I think I’ll applaud the McCaskey family for giving (Pace and Nagy) another shot and keeping continuity because I think they would probably start from scratch again and try to disassemble the team because they want to put their own stamp on it as a new coach and general manager.”
Gould, 38, has spent the last four seasons with the 49ers and raves about the culture general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have created in San Francisco, saying it's comparable to what the Bears had when he was in Chicago with Lovie Smith. He was released by the Bears just before the start of the 2016 season, Pace's second as general manager.