Bleacher Report - Lovie Smith

Chicago Bears-St. Louis Rams: Should Bear Fans Be Hoping For a Loss?

Max Kienzler — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:45:09 -0500

The Chicago Bears welcome the St. Louis Rams to Solider Field this Sunday in what promises to be an impressive display of mediocrity.

The Bears are in the midst of a free fall, dropping five of their past six games while the Rams haven’t gotten up high enough to be in consideration for a free fall this season. Their sole victory came against the Detroit Lions. So it would appear that despite recent struggles, the Bears should come out of this game on top.

That all said, my brother posed a question to me after last week's embarrassment at the hands of the Vikings:

Do I, as a Bears fan, want the Chicago Bears to actually win this week?

It is an age-old question that is always brought up when a team is out of the playoffs and the fans start wondering about their team’s draft spot. Now in the Bears situation, they have a total of zero draft picks the first day of the draft (thanks Jerry) but they do have something else to “lose” for.

If the Bears finish the season at, say, 6-10, with the two wins being over the Rams and in the season finale versus the Lions and the three losses to the Packers, Ravens and Vikings, Lovie Smith will use Ron Turner as the scapegoat and fire him. If that happens, Lovie will keep his job for at least one more year and, predictably, the Bears will have another subpar season in 2010.

For the record, I think Turner should be fired, I just do not think he should be the only one.

But let us just say the Bears lose out, finish the season at 4-12 and ride a NINE-game losing streak into the offseason. Wouldn’t that force GM Jerry Angelo to make a change at head coach? The simple fact of losing 11 out of the last 12 games, with the only victory coming against the Browns, would have to force a major move by Bears management. Would it, dare I say, even force team president Ted Phillips to make a change at the general manager position?

Now let me be clear on this, I am rooting for the Bears to destroy the Rams this weekend. As I told my brother, I can never bring myself to root against the Bears in any situation. But his argument will be made by many others because, let's face it, by losing now, the Bears might actually be doing what is best for the future.

Look at what would happen if we beat the Rams…

1. The offense gets in a good rhythm. Maybe Jay Cutler throws more touchdowns than interceptions (a feat he has accomplished only four times this season). Matt Forte could be geared up for a big game, facing one of the league's worst rushing defense.

Sidenote: Did you know that the Bears currently “boast” the league's worst rushing offense? I mean, I knew we were bad, but I didn’t realize we are DEAD LAST in the NFL! That is depressing.

2. It should solidify Chris Williams at the left tackle position. The Rams do not have the most fearsome front four, so it should give Williams a chance to reacclimatize himself with the position he held before the Bears coaching staff moved him at the start the year.

3. The Bears defense should be able to keep Kyle Boller in check while focusing on shutting down a still-dangerous Steven Jackson.

4. A win will make the Bears 5-7 and keep alive an outside shot at a winning record, which I am sure will make for a very mild-mannered and monotonous postgame speech from Lovie.

Now, if the Bears lose to the Rams…

1. They will be embarrassed on local television and have to face the shame in handing the Rams their second win of the season.

2. The Bears’ fan base will be calling for heads to roll right then and there, to heck with the end of the year.

3. It means that either the Bears defense just simply quit or it means Jay and our awful rushing attack turned the ball over.

4. A loss will guarantee nothing better than a .500 season, which I am sure will make for a very mild-mannered and monotonous postgame speech from Lovie.

It might also make the upper management, and hopefully the McCaskey family, take notice of just how far this team has fallen in the three seasons since their Super Bowl appearance.

But with all that said, I will still rock my Bears jersey (maybe Idonije, maybe Big Cat) come Sunday morning and find a bar that will play this game (there has to be one, right?) and hope the Bears blow them out.

Meanwhile, halfway across the world, my brother will be rooting for a Bears loss at the hands of arguably one of the worst three teams in football.

And yet, despite me hoping for a win and him hoping for a loss, we both have the same goal in mind: Chicago Bear success. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?

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Top Ten Ways To Help the Bears

Johnny D — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:44:33 -0500

It’s great to be a fan of a franchise with such a great tradition, but every now and then even something with great tradition needs some help. Bears fans are frustrated. We're tired! This season started with such high hopes and now we feel like next year is so far away. Only adding to our misery is that our last playoff trip is even farther away. It is time for some drastic changes. And when I say it is time, I mean right away! McCaskey family, you need us right now. Here are some recommendations from a lifelong Bears fan.

Begin Slideshow

A Flag For the Chicago Bears, Jerry Angelo, and Lovie Smith

Adam Simpson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:19:45 -0500

Although I tout the “fire Lovie” ideals, I believe changing our GM and all of our coaches is the way to go for this team. If the Bears cannot get rid of Angelo or won’t, then they simply need to rid themselves of this coaching staff and hire someone who can stand up to or go against Angelo when it needs to happen.

Angelo has proven two things—he is a poor talent evaluator (draft, free agents, own talent) and can be a competent GM. The problem is how and when they spend money; they have no problem rewarding their own players that spent years playing rookie contracts for under $1 million a year when it comes time for their contracts to expire, but won’t pay the big bucks to a free agent or a draft pick (I know we gave Cutler more money and gave Cedric Benson all that money but as a whole).

I’m all for rewarding good play but when they give the big money to players like Nathan Vasher, who wouldn’t have been a starting player for a lot of the teams, it becomes a problem.

Furthermore, I can sum Lovie up in one fancy word: Nepotism. He constantly gives jobs to his Tampa buddies and to people that he likes, regardless of talent.

Look at Ron Rivera. Can anyone say he wasn’t run out of town by Lovie and his Cover 2 defense?

The Bears had a top three defense the year before the Super Bowl, top five the Super Bowl year and then they let Rivera go. why? Some say it’s because he has aspirations of being a head coach, which I won’t disagree with.

However, does a Wal-Mart employee quit their job when they have an interview with Kmart? I don’t think so, and I don’t think Rivera "left" because he wanted something better.

In reality, he left for two reasons. First of all, Lovie didn’t want him getting the credit when Lovie is the defensive guy. He had Babbich coaching the LBs and knew that Babbich would be his perfect coordinator. Lovie’s defense is Bob’s defense and someone like Babbich isn’t going to stand up to Lovie because he knows his years as DC was the pinnacle of his coaching career.

The second reason is pretty simple; Rivera became a top DC in the league and Angelo/Philips/McCaskey didn’t want to pay top dollar for a coordinator or even a coach for that matter (Lovie was the least paid coach the year of the Super Bowl). End of story.

Being stoic in the NFL can be a good thing, especially for a head coach. However, when "your" way isn’t working or you simply don’t have the personnel to do things "your" way then adjustments need to be made, plain and simple.

Those changes, however, never happen. What happens is that Bears fans get to watch sloppy, poor play on Sunday and wait for Lovie’s press conference that will sound like this...

“We went out, we played our game plan and we came up a little short. We’re going to go back to practice and keep working on what we do and get our system back on track ... Rex is our quarterback.”

In the current staff’s mind every team the Bears play has the best day in the history of their franchise and there was nothing they could do about the loss as the other team was that good that day.

Maybe it’s time to change some things up and make the defense and offense less predictable. On defense, they could try something other than playing about 10 yards off the line of scrimmage in coverage.

On offense, maybe they could stop chucking it up to Olsen 24/7 and try running the ball a bit more, and by run I mean not up the middle every time. Forte can run for 30 yards on a screen off to the side or a toss but we keep plugging this guy up the middle and it’s just not working.

Also, Jay will be the quarterback for the next half decade, at least. However, if he feels the need to throw three or more interceptions, maybe he could spend the fourth quarter on the bench (NOT permanently but just for the game); immediate reaction might be “you can’t bench a franchise QB!” but, didn’t Philly bench McNabb last year after a poor start?

Didn’t the Eagles take A LOT of flak for this move? Didn’t McNabb start the next week, have a great game and ended up making the playoffs? Isn’t McNabb currently in one of his best stretches since that benching?

Trust me, if they benched Cutler for a quarter all that would happen is one of the biggest frowns Cutler’s ever had in his career; they would not be risking losing Cutler.

The Bears constantly appear inept because they are spineless from McCaskey on down. Phillips job is to protect the bank, Angelo’s job is to build a team and Lovie’s job is to coach that team.

Not one of those guys has any penchant for rocking the boat or doing something not “Bearsish” (outside of the Cutler deal, and I know I made up a word).

Since they haven’t won in over two decades, it might be time for someone inside of Halas Hall to realize that "business as usual" isn’t working and isn’t going to work, period.

They need change. Unfortunately, for the fans and the NFL as a whole (they would benefit if the Bears were good) the people they have in place are PERFECT Bears people; but I assure you, being a Bears person isn’t a good thing in football.

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Chicago Quits in Loss To Minnesota, Throws in Season's Towel As Well

Max Kienzler — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:33:41 -0500

I am writing this article in the fourth quarter with eight minutes left. I do not need to see the rest of the game. Everything I need to know the Bears showed me in the first three quarters. And that is quite obvious.

The Chicago Bears have quit.

They have quit on this game.

They have quit on this season.

They have quit on Lovie Smith.

And they have quit on their fans.

Not every player and not on every play. But the Bears have stopped caring if they win or not.

There is no fire. No passion. At this moment, the Bears defense has allowed 518 yards in three and a half quarters. Favre is 10 yards short of his career high.

On both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, the Chicago Bears have cashed out on the 2009 season.

Lovie Smith should be gone at the end of this season and quite frankly, I do not care who replaces him. Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan, Leslie Frazier, or my girlfriend's roommate. Anyone else (other than Ron Turner).

If I were to have written this article at halftime, it would have been a tirade of profanity and anger.

But now, that anger has melted into depression.

Next week, I will still put on my bears Jersey. I will still find a place in Hawaii that has the Bears vs Rams game on. I will still cheer and believe the Bears can win every game. But it is fruitless.

Even as I type this the Bears, down by 26, run the ball for 1 yard on first and ten with six minutes left...How is anyone to succeed with such a blatant lack of leadership on the sideline?

The Bears cannot succeed with this coaching staff, or lack there of.

It hurts.

You know what hurts even more? Having to watch the Bears get destroyed while listening to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman verbally falaish Brett Favre for the entire game.

I have spoken with several bear fans and perused blogs online during the second half and all I seem to hear is loyal, dedicated fans turning the game off early because they are disgusted beyond belief at the lack of effort this team has put forth.

While I continue to watch, I cannot tell you why. My brother has officially joined the bandwagon that hopes the Bears lose out in hopes it will force G.M. Jerry Angelo or Team President Ted Phillips to make changes to this coaching staff and brain trust.

And when you do not record a first down for the ENTIRE SECOND HALF, you shouldn't have a job as a head coach or offensive coordinator in the National Football League.

Two minute warning has arrived...but the game, and season, ended much much earlier.

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