Chicago Bears: 6 Reasons This Is Lovie Smith's Last Season With Team

Chicago Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith may have just signed a contract extension, but his job is far from safe in Chicago.  After getting the Bears to the NFC Championship last season, Smith will clearly need to keep his team winning next year to keep his job because it’s possible, if the Bears take a fall in 2011, he could be gone.

What are the reasons why Smith may be fired?  Let’s take a look at the six possible reasons why he may be let go at the end of the 2011 season.

Failure to Get to the Playoffs

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 22: Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual Meetings at the Roosevelt Hotel on March 22, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite a NFL owners imposed lockout in effect since Marc

If the Bears don’t get back to the playoffs, it’s highly possible that Smith could be let go.  Owners expect results and after making it there last season they are going to want to see the team go back.  It’s going to be pretty much the same team in 2011, so why can’t the Bears get back to the playoffs?  That will be the mentality up top, and if he doesn’t get there again then there could be trouble.

What’s Waiting Behind Smith?

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CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 14: Offensive line coach Mike Tice of the Chicago Bears watches as his team takes on the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on November 14, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Vikings 27-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty

Have you noticed that the Bears have three head coaches as assistant coaches behind Smith?  You have defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, offensive coordinator Mike Martz and offensive line coach Mike Tice on staff, and there is a lot of experience there.  With that experience, if Smith does trip up and not do as well as the ownership group would like to see ,then it’s possible that they could feel comfortable moving one of these ex-head coaches up and replace Smith.  It’s great that he has a lot of talent on his staff, but that might come back to haunt him in the end.

The Division Got Better

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy answers questions during a media session at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

There is no question that the Bears have the talent to get back on top again, but the Packers and the Lions promise to be much better next season.  The Bears have been used to beating the Lions over the last few seasons, and with the improvements that the Lions have made it’s possible that may not be happening any longer.  The Packers will have all of their starters back healthy and ready to go so they will be a formidable opponent.

So it’s possible that if the division gives the Bears serious problems and they don’t win most or all of their games in 2011, Smith could be on his way out.

It May Not Be About the Money

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith answers questions during a media session at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The Bears signed Smith to an extension, and if they were to let him go they would have to pay him for the remaining years on his contract.  But money hasn’t been that much of an issue to the Bears, and they may do what it takes to make sure that they put a winning team on the field.  They may choose to cut their losses and try to build a perennial winner with a new head coach.

There Are Other Coaches out There

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DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 11: Former Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher attends the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils on February 11, 2009 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Cox/Gett

There will be some other coaching candidates out there that the Bears could be interested in if Smith and his crew take a fall.  Names like Bill Cowher ring a bell, and it’s been said that the Bears would have some interest in him.  If he signals that he is ready to go back to being a head coach and Smith and the Bears have a poor 2011 season, Bears owner Virginia McCaskey may decide to jettison Smith and put someone like Cowher or another top notch head coach in his place.

The Bears' Window Is Closing

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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 23: Brian Urlacher #54 of the Chicago Bears reacts to a penalty called while taking on the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field on January 23, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Image

This group of players is getting older, and there isn’t much time left for them (guys like Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs) to win a Super Bowl.  If the team takes a big step backwards, those in charge may decide to pull the plug and try to find someone that’s going to get them to their ultimate goal in a hurry.  Smith has brought the Bears to the Super Bowl once and to the brink of another one but hasn’t been able to close the deal.

If he doesn’t do it this year it may be the final straw. 

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