As a public service to save the next fed-up Bears fan from picking up the phone or clicking "Send," please remember that Lovie Smith has two years and about $11 million left on his contract after this season. So unless Virginia McCaskey adopts Daniel Snyder into the family, the Bears aren't likely to pay Smith a fortune to go away and open the vault for a $6 million-a-year replacement such as Bill Cowher or either of the two Mikes, Holmgren or Shanahan. That means, like Bono and U2, you can expect Smith back at Soldier Field in 2010, barring a Bears implosion that seems implausible. Source: chicagotribune.com
LS is by no means the worst HC coach in the NFL. Get Turner out of there as OC, fire up the torches & storm Jerry Angelo's castle for putting this current roster together & I'll be a happy Bear fan...
eh, i think everyone drastically overrated the talent on the Bears roster this year and predictions of Super Bowl appearances were a little bit too much. Lovie is doing fine with what he's got. the guy is a pretty good coach. now, if you could get cowher, you should do it though.
Yea, just preseason media fodder to get the stories flowing. Bears did nothing to even be considered a favorite in the North let alone the SB. :icon_rolleyes: "Is"? Hell, he killed this offense in the preseason with this patch quilt OL & WR corp. Throw in the a rookie SS while you're at it. Go get a upper echelon QB but give him no receivers & talk about Forte's impact last year but give him no OL this year. F'n ridiculous...
After seeing what Orton and Benson alone are doing, I have to put more blame on Turner and Smith. With the talent that offense has, they should be doing much better. Link doesn't work.
that's a great point that hasn't been discussed. how does everyone feel about Orton and Benson, who weren't 'good enough' for the Bears but have looked pretty damn good in different offenses?
Orton was a solid performer here but had no one to throw to. Responsibility to JA & to a lesser degree, LS. He was growing each game & was keeping his mistakes to a minimum. The play calling from Turner has always been an issue in Chicago. Responsibility to RT but also once again, to JA/LS for player choices. Here in Chicago, they try to force fit the players to the scheme as opposed to tailoring the system to the players strengths which is another major issue. Not surprised that KO is doing well in Denver but I wasn't against the trade for Cutler. Still do it in a heart beat. If Jay wasn't available, KO would still be 'good enough' for being the starter. Problem I had was the staying with Grossman for waaaay too long while KO stood on the sidelines. Benson was a head case who missed too much time to get signed but then was 'hazed' by the vets who stood behind Thomas Jones. Not a fair start. He played well sporadically but came on strong at the end of his stay up to the injury. Sure, he had his issues as a lot of young guys do nowadays but the clincher was that last fiasco when he knew he should avoid all trouble. He brought the end on himself. Shame cuz I thought he was starting to settle down & getting used to the NFL. IMO he benefited a lot from the shock of being home for a few months & to his credit, came back strong & ready to prove himself tho, even if he would have stayed, this OL wouldn't have given him a chance like Cincy's has. However, I don't think Benson has any room for an "I told you so" with the way he was acting at the end of it all in Chicago. Bottom line is I believe it's just more of the way business is done here with the Bear brass, JA & LS, not the players in question. They wanted both guys, would have kept both if not for a trade opportunity for one & a great amount of immaturity from the other. I fault them for a lot but on either one of those guys, I don't.
