LAKE FOREST—No shock in that John Fox was officially dismissed as Bears Head Coach by GM Ryan Pace.As the Bears try to recover from a decade of poor drafting by building a new foundation that’ll allow them to finally compete again in the crowded NFC North, they’ve decided to pace themselves on their march toward relevancy. Despite posting a 14-34 record in his three seasons as the Bears’ general manager and despite firing his first coaching hire, John Fox, earlier on Monday, Ryan Pace landed a contract extension that’ll keep him in Chicago through 2021.Pace will get his chance to see his plan through.Fox of course also had a 14-34 Coaching record, second worst winning percentage in Bears history, only to Abe Gibron.

“He’s earned the opportunity to see his plan to fruition,” Bears team president Ted Phillips told reporters a day after the Bears wrapped up a 5-11 season.

Pace isn’t losing any power either. He confirmed that he will be allowed to make the final decision on the Bears’ next coaching hire. Eagles QB coach John DeFilippo, Vikings OC Pat Shurmur, Panthers DC Steve Wilks emerge in the Bears’ Head Coaching search.Fox was never good with the media, and in fact walked out on his postgame media session in Minneapolis after two consecutive questions about his job security. He and Lovie Smith had THAT in common.