Ryan Pace Exploded In Bears Press Box During Steelers Game

GM Ryan Pace is paid a lot of money to run the Chicago Bears organization. He has to hold himself to a certain standard when it comes to class and professionalism. Something he does quite well. However, all of that makes it easy to forget a common misconception about him. Pace is a fan of football. He's a fan of the Bears. Nobody wants to see this team succeed more than him. Not just for his job security but because he has grown to love the organization. That was never more evident than during the Bears' battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. According to Adam Hoge of NBC Sports, the GM was in a rare position sitting behind reporters in the Chicago press box. That almost never happens at games. So one can imagine it was quite a shock when the GM had a full-on fan moment when Justin Fields, his prized 2021 draft pick, made one of the best throws of any QB this season.

It came at the start of the 4th quarter.

The Bears trailed Pittsburgh 20-6. They needed a touchdown to get back in it. Facing 2nd and 8 from the Steelers 43-yard line, Fields took the snap. Facing a six-man blitz, the young QB didn't have a lot of time to survey. That didn't matter as he got the ball out just before taking a big hit, sailing a gorgeous throw to tight end Jimmy Graham over two more defenders for a 28-yard gain. It set up a 15-yard touchdown run by Darnell Mooney on the next play. According to Hoge, that pass drew a big-time reaction from the Bears' GM.

"I can tell you one person who got excited: Bears general manager Ryan Pace. He happened to be sitting behind us reporters in the press box Monday night and he pounded the table in front of him in excitement when Graham secured the catch."

Pace understood the situation. Not just in the game itself but in the bigger picture. Fields had been hearing it from critics for weeks about his struggles. Not being good enough, struggling against the blitz, and so on. With the defense ailing, many likely doubted the rookie would be able to carry his team back into the game. Then Fields exploded for 228 yards passing in the second half including some absolute dimes in the 4th quarter to eventually take a 27-26 lead with under two minutes to play. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Gran-pase-de-Fields-para-el-piloto-Jimmy-Graham-que-recibe-28-yardas-y-avanzan-las-cadenas.mp4"][/video] [video width="888" height="478" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Still-cant-get-over-this-throw.-Fields-has-a-linebacker-and-a-lineman-with-their-arms-stretche.mp4"][/video]

Ryan Pace also knew what that throw could mean for him

Remember the context here. The man was facing a huge stigma about his entire tenure running the organization. Many want him gone due to his failures at building a strong enough roster. However, most would agree the primary beef critics have with him was his decision to draft Mitch Trubisky in 2017 over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Something that would've gotten most GMs fired. When team chairman George McCaskey elected to keep him after a disappointing finish in 2020, Ryan Pace likely knew the situation. If he didn't fix the QB problem, he would share that fate soon enough. So he exhausted every possible avenue to upgrade. That included a heartbreakingly close trade for Russell Wilson that was eventually nixed. His only hope left was the draft. Not a great prospect considering the Bears held the 20th pick in the 1st round.

The odds of them getting one of the top QBs? Not great.

Especially after three of them went in the first three picks. Yet when one of them wasn't Fields, a glimmer of hope remained. Agonizing minutes passed as the quarterback slipped down the board, soon reaching a second of the top 10 most assumed he'd go what with QB-needy teams like Detroit (#7), Carolina (#8), and Denver (#9) lined up in a row. When those teams went OT, CB, and CB in succession? Pace saw his chance and seized it, moving up to the 11th pick to grab Fields. Just like that, the Bears had hope again. So yeah, seeing the rookie blossom on a national stage must've been an enormous thrill for Pace. Not to mention a big sigh of relief.