Homecomings are weird.
I feel like whenever someone leaves their hometown, they’re balancing the weight of expectations and the desire to prove themselves. When you return, you wanna have something to show for it, to prove you could make it out there despite any doubters. There’s a reason everyone puffs out their chest and lies about their success at high school reunions.
Ivan Pace Jr. left Cincinnati with a chip on his shoulder, but he’s returning home having already proved he belongs at this level.
Pace is no stranger to proving himself. He only had two scholarship offers when he graduated from Colerain High School in northwest Cincinnati, and neither were from Power 5 schools. He had to choose between his hometown Bearcats and Miami of Ohio. When he signed with the Miami Redhawks out of high school, I’m sure he had classmates jeering at the idea that this undersized linebacker/running back had any future in the NFL.
After three years with the Redhawks, Pace transferred to Cincinnati to finish his college career and try to make a case for the pros. He made a pretty compelling one. Pace finished his senior season with 137 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, and a team-high 10 sacks. He was a First-Team AP All-American and one of the best defensive players in the country.
It’s just a shame he wasn’t three inches taller and 15 lbs. heavier. Despite being a darling of draft Twitter and many scouts raving about his tape, Pace was doubted again. Deemed too small by every NFL team for 259 picks in a row, he went undrafted.
Fast-forward to this Sunday, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any haters on either side of the aisle. Whether it’s the hometown crowd cheering on one of their own or his new fanbase that’s quickly adopted him as a favorite, he’ll have no shortage of support whenever his name is called.
If the past three weeks have shown us anything, Pace isn’t just a fun story about a bubble player scraping by. He might well be the best rookie linebacker in the league right now. Pace leads all rookie linebackers in tackles, is the NFC Defensive Player Of the Week, and is wearing the green dot and calling the defense for one of the most exciting units in football.
Matt Fries has an excellent breakdown of what makes Ivan Pace Jr. so special, and it’s well worth your time. In short, Pace combines speed, instincts, and underrated power to be an absolute menace on the field. He’s so good at slipping past blockers and making insane tackles in space, and he has great instincts in coverage. Despite all the criticism over his size, they say the “low man wins” in football, and Pace’s power and low center of gravity make him a sure tackler.
As he’s continued to develop this season, he’s made blowing up plays with multiple would-be blockers in front of him look routine.
The mental side of Pace’s game also can’t be understated. Flores has been the architect of one of the league’s most fascinating and diverse defensive schemes this season. In a copy-cat league marred by boring variations of Fangio-style two-high safety looks, Flores has turned the league on its head with his insane combination of complex blitz fronts and coverage looks. Despite this highly versatile and complex scheme, Pace has incredible instincts for where to be to make the play. And the fact that Flores has trusted this undrafted rookie to be his defensive signal caller is also a huge vote of confidence.
Minnesota’s defense will face stauncher opposition than we all originally thought when Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a torn ligament. Old friend Jake Browning has played lights-out in back-to-back games, completing 81% of his passes for 629 yards and three touchdowns in the past two weeks. Superstar receiver Ja’Marr Chase appears healthy and ready to prove himself with his former teammate Justin Jefferson on the opposing sideline.
Browning and the Bengals may be due for a crash down to earth soon, not unlike what we saw with Josh Dobbs. But Zac Taylor is an excellent offensive mind, and he’s got as good a chance of cracking the code on the Flores defense as anybody. Still, even if the Bengals can draw up some schematic advantage, they must overcome the outstanding and confident play of defenders like Pace. Minnesota’s defense has an aggressive, fly-to-the-ball attitude, and Pace has been one of the major contributors to that all season.
Ivan Pace Jr. returns home having already proven a lot. But based on his track record, I’d wager the chip on his shoulder is just as heavy as ever. He’d probably tell you he still has much to prove, which drives him to be great. Still, there should be no doubt that he belongs on this stage. This Sunday is another chance to shine on it.
