LAKE FOREST Trysten Hill Jersey , Ill. (AP)from Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace heading into the draft.”This time of year I think it’s OK to be a little boring in these moments,” Pace said Tuesday.He’s saving the excitement for when the draft starts on Thursday.Pace has shown he’s not afraid to make a bold move to get the player he wants. And with the No. 8 pick, the Bears have a chance to land a difference-maker whether they stand pat or make a trade.Pace staked his reputation last year to Mitchell Trubisky when he traded up a spot with San Francisco to grab the quarterback he believes is the one to help energize a struggling franchise with the second pick.In 2016, Pace moved up two spots with Tampa Bay to land outside linebacker Leonard Floyd at No. 9.”I think when we identify a guy that we like – and there’s unified vision in the building of a player that we want – I don’t think we’re ever afraid to go up and get that guy,” he said.”I’d rather do that and ensure we get that guy, than he goes right before you and everybody walks out of the draft room, you know, a little bit disappointed.”There has been plenty of disappointment at Halas Hall and Soldier Field in recent years.The Bears have four straight last-place finishes in the NFC North and just one trip to the playoffs since the 2006 team’s run to the Super Bowl.Even so, they believe they have the quarterback in place to lift a struggling franchise.They’ve spent the offseason trying to surround him with the pieces he needs to reach his potential, hiring offensive-minded coach Matt Nagy to replace John Fox and signing receiver Allen Robinson.Now, they have another chance to land a major contributor. Whether they go for help on offense or a potential centerpiece on defense in the first round Connor McGovern Jersey , Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson and Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith would seem to fit.Pace said the Bears have identified eight players they would be comfortable taking at No. 8. None are quarterbacks, though he believes a strong class this year works to Chicago’s advantage.Pace was also asked about the decision to let receiver Cameron Meredith sign with New Orleans. The team’s leading receiver in 2016, he missed last season because of a knee injury.Because the Bears tendered him at the low restricted free agent level, they did not get any compensation from the Saints.”Obviously he was coming off an injury,” said Pace, who worked in New Orleans’ front office before the Bears hired him as GM in 2015.”We lean on our training staff and our docs. Hey, I’ve got a lot of respect for Cam and a lot of respect for the organization he went to (Saints). We wish him luck.”Pace also said the Bears will decide whether to pick up receiver Kevin White’s fifth-year option after the draft.It seems unlikely they will, considering the West Virginia product has been limited to just five games since Chicago selected him with the No. 7 pick in 2015.”Right now it’s all focused on the draft,” Pace said. ”Then once the draft’s over, we’ll meet with him and his agent and make that decision.”— Running back Le'Veon Bell won his freedom from the Steelers by taking a stand and sitting out a full season. Now that he’s a member of the Jets, Bell reflected on the mindset of the team that made him a second-round pick in the 2013 draft.“Pittsburgh is a great organization Foster Moreau Jersey ,” Bell told Jenny Vrentas of SI.com. “They’ve got a great owner, head coach. They kind of treat you like — they don’t treat you like you’re human. What I mean by that is like, yeah, I’m an NFL athlete, but still I’m a human being. You know what I’m saying? I still play video games, I still make music. They don’t want to allow you to be yourself. They want you to be, if you’re a Steelers, you’re literally playing football 24/7. You’re not supposed to be playing video games and like making music, playing basketball. You’re not supposed to be doing that. You’re supposed to be working out.”You’re also supposed to be doing what the Steelers want as it relates to the structure of contracts. Which is what created the problem in the first place. If the Steelers had simply offered Bell the full amount of the franchise tag for 2017 ($12.1 million) and the full amount of the franchise tag for 2018 ($14.54 million), fully guaranteed, Bell quite possibly would have (and arguably should have) accepted a four- or five-year deal starting with $26.64 million over the first two years.Instead Anthony Nelson Jersey , Bell made the $12.1 million, sat out a year, and got the $26.64 (plus .36) million fully guaranteed from the Jets. While the process was rocky and some remain determined to declare Bell a loser (presumably so that they can say they were right about their position that he shouldn’t sit out the year), the Steelers flicked the first domino by virtue of their stubborn refusal to deviate from the way they structure contracts, even when the player carries the franchise tag.For more on this and other subjects, check out Wednesday’s PFTOT, appearing in the video attached to this blurb.