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After Coaching Hire? Ryan Pace Will Lock Himself In Office To Watch Tape

(CBS) We all know that new Bears general manager Ryan Pace faces the immediate, daunting task of hiring a new coach. That's first and foremost on his to-do list.

And after that? He plans to soon plop down in front of a screen and consume all the Bears film he can. It's the only way he'll feel confident in making personnel decisions otherwise.

"I need to grind on tape of the Chicago Bears," Pace said in an interview with Laurence Holmes and Pat Mannelly on 670 The Score. "I have a general feels, guys, but I need to watch every single of this entire season and know this roster inside and out. And for me, that'll be locking myself in an office, putting on some headphones and burying my head in the tape. I think that's what I'm natural at, and that's what got me here.

"For us to have an offseason plan and know what we're going to do going forward, it starts with assessing the current roster accurately, and I can't wait to do that."

It's for that reason that Pace hasn't given much of a take on big-money quarterback Jay Cutler yet. Pace needs to evaluate him as well. After leading the NFL in turnovers in 2014, Cutler has a $10 million guarantee kick in on March 12 if he's still on the roster.

"The quarterback obviously is a critical, critical position to you sustaining success," Pace said.

"I want to get to know Jay. I want to get to know him further before I come to these conclusions."

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