Come to Think of It: Lovie Smith's Stubborness over Tampa-2 will be his Downfall

Look, I know that a coach doesn't necessarily need to be fiery to be successful. One recent example would be Tony Dungy, and a much older example would be Tom Landry.

But let me say this: I do believe it's time for Lovie Smith and his coaching staff to hit the road. But it's his stubborness that is the main reason, not his laid back approach.

Dave Taub can stay; he's done a wonderful job coaching special teams. Perhaps we should consider retaining Rod Marinelli too. Though the results haven't been there, all indications point to his being a solid position coach.

But everyone else can go as far as I'm concerned. I know the Bears are too cheap to replace Lovie now, and his contract extension may play a role in his staying on for at least another season as head coach.

But ultimately it should not be about what he is paid; it should be about results and whether he is a good fit for the Chicago Bears.

They say you ultimately judge a leader by the quality of people he brings in to work around him. Well, if that's true, then Lovie has failed miserably.

He effectively fired Ron Rivera over philosophical differences and perhaps even fear that he was aiming for his job. He brought in inexperienced coaches all around him, which seems to indicate that Lovie is more concerned with getting along with his coaches than having an environment of healthy debate.

Bob Babich was not an effective defensive coordinator, and in all fairness to him, he never should have been put in that position. Likewise, Ron Turner, while experienced, seems to lack creativity. That lack of creativity and imagination seems to be a hallmark of the Lovie regime.

Slow to react and adjust; stubborn to a fault; loyal to players re: "Rex Grossman is our quarterback" that don't deserve it; seemingly even somewhat paranoid—those are not traits that make a head coach successful in the NFL.

Sure, Lovie took us to a Super Bowl in 2006. We thank him for that and will send him on his way with millions of dollars in parting gifts. But how has that defense looked since then? I mean, since Lovie took control of the defense with "his guys?"

This year, the defense has been mostly effective, except for the Cincinnati debacle. It is true that we lost Brian Urlacher. But teams have injuries; it's part of the deal in the NFL. Good teams like the Packers, Falcons, and Bengals have been able to pick us apart at key situations (or, in the case of the Bengals, the entire game!).

Meanwhile, that offense...ugh.

It is clear that, for better or worse, Jay Cutler is the piece the entire offense is built around, and it will be that way for a long time. So it's important that we have an offensive coach who can get the most out of his new toy. That coach is not Ron Turner.

Still, as I've pointed out before, firing Turner won't help that awful offensive line.

Yes, GM Jerry Angelo certainly has to share the blame in all this. He signed or traded for the players, and many of his first round draft picks have not panned out here under his watch. 

With no early draft picks on the horizon, the brain trust of this team will have to make effective decisions in the free agent market and in the draft in order to improve in 2010.

There is little margin for error now. Do we trust Angelo to continue to make those decisions? I wouldn't, but I don't think he is going anywhere right now. So any change at the head coach position will likely be Angelo's last.

Speaking of that, will Angelo be man enough to admit his mistakes in firing Lovie? Or will he be as stubborn as Lovie has been?

Look, I'm not one who necessarily believes that the temperament of the head coach drives the way the team plays. But does Lovie hold his players accountable? Or is he too soft?

Maybe that's one reason the players like playing for him. In a recent Chicago Tribune article, Desmond Clark mentioned that players relate to Lovie's laid-back approach. Gee, what a surprise. Remember, they said a lot of the same things about Dick Jauron until he was gone.

Perhaps no greater indictment of Lovie Smith is his love affair with the Tampa-2. I purposely didn't say the cover-2 because there is a difference. 

The cover-2 is basically a form of prevent defense that almost every team employs. Truthfully, the Bears only use it about one third of the time.

But it's the Tampa-2 that is the base package of the Bears defense under Lovie Smith. Only a couple teams continue to use that as their base package after finding out that other teams have adjusted to it.

Plus, you have to have the right players if you're going to be successful using that scheme. You need pressure from your front four and solid safety help.

So while most teams have moved away from the Tampa-2, our Bears have not. No sir. And that won't ever change under Lovie since he cut his teeth using that scheme.

The real problem here is that the longer this staff is in place, the longer we waste Cutler's talent and the longer the defensive players stay here in a failed defensive scheme, come to think of it.