Chicago Bears: Change You Can't Believe In

In a world where football people make football decisions, there would be no way Lovie Smith returns to Chicago as the Bears' head coach.
 
Unfortunately, we do not live in that world.

And to make matters worse, it will be up to Lovie to fix the mess he has made for himself.  In this blog, we'll try to help him out.

Kind of.

Smith already took a positive step in removing offensive coordinator Ron Turner from the equation.  Turner was hired in 2005 after Terry Shea, who was Lovie's No. 1 choice as offensive coordinator got the heave-ho, for putting together one of football's worst offenses, not to mention bringing in the worst back-up ever, Jonathan Quinn.

Turner got the nod because of what he had done for some mid-90s Bears team that learned overnight that the best way to win football games was to score more points than the opposition.  That faceless Chicago football team was led by Erik Kramer, who might be the Bears best quarterback over the last two decades.

Unfortunately, for Turner, he never updated his playbook into the 2000s.  In fact, some would argue all Turner did in Chicago was dust off John Shoop's guide on how to run a shitty offense and followed it in detail.  It was something as flavorful as Wal-Mart brand diet soda and as colorful as Bud Selig's competition committee.  Ron Turner's offenses sucked so much, he turned Jay Cutler into Rex Grossman in one season.

Fans wore thin on the Bears running draws and throwing screens in third-and-long situations, and eventually so did everyone at Halas Hall.

The next step would be to improve a defense that ranked 21st in the NFL in points allowed (23.4 points per game).  The second step is to make sure Lovie doesn't hire of one of his best buddies.

That means stay the fuck away from Rod Marinelli.

(Excuse the profanities, but they're necessary to get a point across.  Specifically, this point.)

Remember when Lovie Smith asked Bears fans to trust him after jettisoning Ron Rivera and to bring on Bob Babich?  Yeah, I'd rather forget that too.  Remember when the head coach said to trust him with the play calling after stripping it from Babich and reducing him to a linebackers coach?  Not hard to forget that, it happened last season.

Need more reason for the Bears not to give Rod Marinelli a promotion?

Really?  OK.  Here goes nothing.

When Rod Marinelli was the head coach of the Detroit Lions, he became the latest disciple of the Tampa 2 defensive scheme to apply what he had learned at the hand of Tony Dungy in a new town.  Marinelli's defenses were flat-out brutal.  In 2006, the Lions ranked 30th.  Things got worse over the next two years as they ranked 32nd in each of those years.

Overall, the Lions were 10-38 under Marinelli.  Detroit posted a 1-23 record from Nov. 11, 2007 through Dec. 28, 2008 and allowed 776 points for an average of 32.3 points per game.

Yep, that is exactly who I want coaching the Bears defense that ranked 21st in points allowed (23.4 ppg) in 2009.

In the end, it is sad that for whoever gets tabbed as the new defensive coordinator because he will be nothing more than a glorified play caller.  Nice work if you can get it, but it won't help a unit that is a shell of its former self and is no longer the kind of squad that can carry a team to the Super Bowl.

The Bears let go of quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton and will replace him with someone you've never heard of, whose job will be to make sure Cutler has taken the right amount of insulin and remind him to throw to the players wearing the blue helmets with orange 'Cs' on them.  They also said goodbye to offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.  While they're at it, they should probably say goodbye to the offensive line that spent most of the year being downright offensive.

Here's lookin' at you, Orlando Pace.

Also getting the axe was tight ends coach Rob "Don't Call Me Scott" Boras.  Anyone who tells you they know what the tight ends coach does with the team is either a liar or was a tight ends coach in a previous life.  Still, I don't understand why Boras got the axe.

Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis and Desmond Clark accounted for 13 of the 27 receiving touchdowns the Bears had in 2009.  That's nearly half of Cutler's TD tosses.  Yep, let's blame that guy.  The only justification I could come up with is that Lovie and Jerry Angelo were big fans of the 7th Floor Crew and Olsen hasn't put out any new rap songs since leaving the University of Miami and coming to the Bears.

Running backs coach Tim Spencer will return, despite Matt Forte regressing in all facets of his game.  Wide receivers coach Daryle Drake will also come back for another tour of duty, though I'm not sure why.  It took 13 weeks to get Devin Aromashodu to become a full-time contributor this season.  Last year, Earl Bennett couldn't see the field if the Bears had given him a sideline pass and a boom mic.  Devin Hester started strong, but flamed out toward the end of the season.

Maybe Angelo has confused Daryle Drake for rapper Drake, whose songs are constantly in heavy rotation in my iPod.  Sure, Drizzy Drake has some hot rhymes, but Drake's receivers have had stone hands.

All of these so-called "changes" are meant to distract you, but will not distract me from the buried lead in the Chicago Bears coaching carousel.

Overall, Lovie Smith's career record as a head coach is 52-44.  Not bad.  Want a breakdown of his record since?  Of course you do, especially if you like self-inflicted pain.

• Bears are 22-25 overall
  
• 15-20 against NFC foes; Bears outscored 838-805.
• 8-9 against NFC North foes; Bears outscored 446-448 (180 points or approximately 40.3 percent of that scoring came against the Detroit Lions.)

Proof that the Bears' problems aren't an offensive problem, or a defensive problem.  It's a team problem, and since Lovie Smith is in charge of the entire team, he should be asked to leave Halas Hall and never return.

Unfortunately, the only people that seem to understand that are Bears fans.

Let's Play Da Bears Blame Game

For the first time in the Lovie Smith Era, the Chicago Bears did not earn a win over the hated Green Bay Packers.  And if I remember correctly, one of Smith's priorities when coming to Chicago was beating Green Bay.

Without that win, place a value on the 2009 season?  Priceless -- no.  Worthless -- yes.

Blame Jay Cutler all you want.  It just means you're overlooking the real problem.  Please take this elevator to the top floor, please.

Coaching Carousel

Lovie told Bears fans to trust him when he sent Ron Rivera packing for getting too big, too soon.  He told us to trust Bob Babich to keep Rivera's hard-hitting defense going.  When it faltered, he took the playcalling duties upon himself, and somehow the team found a way to get worse.  When the defensive line was made the next scapegoat, he axed one friend in favor of Rod Marinelli.

It's easy to point out these classic Lovie foibles, but the problem is that it doesn't end there.  Remember the Terry Shea experience?  How about Jonathan Quinn, the back-up quarterback who was so excruciatingly bad, he made Craig Krenzel look like an above average quarterback and Ron Turner's offense look like an improvement.

A Tale Of Two Devins

Not only did Smith's statement declaring Devin Hester a potential No. 1 wide receiver option cost the Bears organization lots of guaranteed cash, it also cost the team its most dynamic player.  Since coming a full-time wideout, Hester has struggled in the return game to the point where he is no longer the team's best special teams player.

Having to learn an entirely new position, with a coaching staff that couldn't teach Einstein basic mathematics and one quarterback with a noodle arm and another fans swore was color blind with the way he thrw the ball to the players in other jerseys, Hester was set up to fail from the outset.

The one area in which the Bears had a decisive edge over everyone else in a thing of the past.

Then there's Devin Aromashodu, who it took Smith and his staff 13 weeks to get on the field.  Bravo, Bears bosses.  For the second straight season, the Bears buried their best receiving option.  You would have thought the team would have learned after finding ways to keep Earl Bennett off the field.  There might not be a move more damning than ignoring Aromashodu, especially when you consider the franchise quarterback begged for his presence in the line-up.

In The End, It All Falls On Jerry Angelo

Jerry Angelo brought in Lovie Smith ... only after being unwilling to share some player-personnel duties with Nick Saban.  Angelo had to OK Smith's hires including Shea, Turner, Babich and Marinelli.

He has whiffed on draft choices and in free agency.  In the trade market, I refuse to knock the Cutler trade because he turned Kyle Orton and draft picks that were doomed to fail into a very talented quarterback and Johnny Knox.  And everyone loves Johnny Knox, right?

However, Angelo did turn a second round pick into first-round bust Gaines Adams -- a player who couldn't find the field with a GPS and a travel guide.  Now the Bears are left without a first or second round pick and are left to fill holes throughout the offensive line, defensive line, defensive secondary ... among other places.

If Angelo wants to keep his job, the first step in the right direction would be starting over.  Not just a new coach, but a set of new philosophies.  No more Tampa 2.  No more rink, dink and stink offense.  You can say you want to get off the bus running, but when you trip over your own two feet upon getting off the bus, you're not doing yourself any favors.

But if Angelo wants to do Bears fans a favor, he puts Lovie and his gang out of their misery.  Then, Angelo will show himself the door it's all over.

Five Cold Hard Facts As The Case vs. Lovie Smith Builds

At 4-7, it is very easy to want to hop on the bandwagon and scream "Fire Lovie Smith!" at the top of your lungs.

The problem with that is most fans are all about change for change sake, and that is never a good way to go about building a champion.  Have coaching carousels in Detroit and Oakland worked well?  No.  It wouldn't work in Chicago either.

But the McCaskey family has to treat the Chicago Bears franchise like a fledgling business.  Everyone must go.  Including Lovie.  Here are five legit reasons Lovie has got to go.

1.  The Big Picture.  Let's just get this out of the way before we get into the heavy-hitting portion of this blog.  Lovie Smith has three winning seasons as Bears head coach.  In the years which Chicago didn't make the playoffs, Lovie's squads have posted a 25-34 record ... and that includes the 2008 team's 9-7 campaign.

The 2005 Bears went 11-5, but were pantsed by Steve Smith the Carolina Panthers in its playoff appearance.  One year later, the team went 13-3 en route to the Super Bowl, but Peyton Manning's heroics gave a glimpse of what future offenses would do to the Bears in upcoming years.

A 49-42 career record isn't going to cut it when you only have two playoff wins and no Super Bowl jewelery to show for it.

2.  The defense is indefensible.  Again, it's easy to write this after the Bears allowed more than 500 yards of total offense ... but facts are facts.  Remember when Lovie made defensive coordinator Bob Babich the scapegoat, so much so that he took the playcalling duties upon himself.  Well, um, how's that worked out for Mr. Smith?

Not good.

The Bears have allowed opponents to score 261 points, an average of 23.7 per game ranking 24th in the entire NFL.  Quite a dropoff from a team that ranked 1st in that category in 2005.

The head coach takes over the playcalling and the play of that unit gets worse?  If that isn't enough of a case against the coach, I don't know what is.

3.  Ozzie Guillen would call him "Little Game Lovie."  The must-win choke jobs are as follows:

• Jan. 15 vs. Carolina: Bears lose 29-21.  NFC Divisional round at home.
  
• Feb. 4 vs. Indianapolis: Bears lose 29-17.  Defense fails to cover Reggie Wayne.
  
• Nov. 9 vs. Tennessee, Nov. 16 @ Green Bay, Nov. 30 @ Minnesota, Dec. 28 @ Houston: Bears lose all of these games when winning one of them puts the Bears into the playoffs.  They choked against Tennessee and Houston.  And decided not to show up against division rivals Minnesota and Green Bay.
  

4.  Lovie's friends are failing him.  There's nothing like getting a job, and then being able to give your friends work.  Unless, of course, you're Lovie Smith and your friends are Rod Marinelli and Bob Babich, both of whom are great guys ... but not great coaches.  Same for Ron Turner.

There's only one rule in the un-written rulebook of giving your friends jobs: Make sure they don't suck.

5. The penalties/lack of discipline.  Are you tired of delay of game penalties on field goal attempts?  How about not reporting as an eligible receiver when you're number is 95?  Personal foul penalties and ejections got you down?  Simple offsides and false starts stalling your drives?

These are all disciplinary fouls and if the head coach isn't handing down the discipline, then nothing is being properly followed.  I'm not one of those Bears fans that begs for a red-faced Mike Ditka for 60 minutes per game, but I am a fan who hates dumb penalties.

So, can you make a case for why Lovie Smith should keep his job?  If so, leave it in the comments so I can tell you how wrong you are.

And for Lovie, here's hoping you hear this soon.

Cedric Benson, Kyle Orton Enjoying Post-Chicago Renaissance

 

Cedric Benson spent a lot of time on his back in Chicago. Now he's (statistically) the best running back in the NFL in 2009.

Cedric Benson is leading the NFL in rushing with 487 yards on 111 carries.  Kyle Orton has completed 63 percent of his passes, thrown for 7 touchdowns and his only interception went to Randy Moss.

So, how are the Bears only 3-1.  Oh, that's right.  Neither plays for Chicago anymore.

Despite said 3-1 mark to open the season, GM Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith are taking some heat for letting these two walk the plank.  Those coming from that angle have misplaced their anger.

Brandon Jacobs is among the late-round running backs to have out-produced Cedric Benson. Both were members of the 2005 NFL Draft class.

If you want to blame Angelo and Smith, just take a look at the players they missed on in the 2005 draft in which they chose Benson with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round and Orton with pick No. 106 in the fourth round.

The first round was littered with busts including Alex Smith, Troy Williamson and Mike Williams.  The jury is still out on Benson and Braylon Edwards.  Same can be said about Adam "Pacman" Jones -- but that would be a different kind of jury.

As for some of the misses, the Bears can look at Pro Bowlers such as offensive tackle Michael Roos (41st pick), linebacker Lofa Tatupu (45th pick), Nick Collins (51st pick) and stud wide receiver Vincent Jackson (61st pick).  The misses continue in the third round as running back Frank Gore (65th pick), defensive end Justin Tuck (74th pick) have panned out to be Pro Bowl players.

If you're brave enough to look at the fourth round players that have gone on to play well, continue reading.  That is where the Bears selected Kyle Orton with the 106th overall selection in the draft.  The following players came off the board in succession:

• RB Marion Barber III (Dallas -- 109th)
• RB Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants -- 110th)
  
• WR Jerome Mathis (Houston -- 114th)
• S Kerry Rhodes (New York Jets -- 123rd)
• RB Darren Sproles (San Diego -- 130th)
  

Bears draft picks that season not named Orton and Benson included Mark Bradley (39th), Airese Curry (140th), Chris Harris (181st) and Rod Wilson (220th).  The most productive player to stay on the Bears and make a name for himself was an undrafted free agent by the name of Robbie Gould.

As for Benson and Orton, there is a truly simple explanation why their stocks have skyrocketed since leaving town.

BENSON BURN OUT

Bears fans should have seen this coming.  After being drafted with the team's first round pick, Benson wept and talked the talk as he seemed primed to be the next great Bears running back.  He was coming off great years at the University of Texas, a school known for producing productive NFL backs.  Crazy.  But productive.

But Benson didn't walk the walk as he and his agent Eugene Parker engaged themselves in a lengthy hold out.  When it came to his run in Chicago, it was all about money for Cedric.  The Bears might have been better off leaving $17 million worth of singles at the doorstep of Pacman Jones.  Benson showed his true colors in the team's Super Bowl loss against Indianapolis, where Benson suffered a tweak injury and never returned.  Not because he was unable to, but because he was unwilling to. 

Then, when the Bears were willing to give him a second chance, he would have rather partied on a boat with several attractive single white females.  And his mother, of course.  The off-the-field issues and the lack of production on the field was the perfect storm which led Angelo to launch Benson to the stratosphere.

With his talent and checkered past, he was meant to be a Bengal.  The only difference with Benson now is that he wants to play football.  You can hear it in his post-game interviews, but you can really see it on the gridiron.  He finishes runs now like he did in Texas.  And he actually executes pass blocks.

Maybe he and Pacman did have a go or two at the club, for Benson is playing like someone looking for a hefty payday.

Kyle Orton couldn't beat out Rex Grossman for the No. 1 QB gig, now he's a star? How did this happen?

As for Orton, I'm still confused.

His defenders will say that he has better talent around him.  That argument will fall upon my deaf ears.

Some will say Orton is benefiting from playing with a great defense.  It's not as if he didn't play with a great defense in Chicago, who allowed a league-low 202 points in 2005 when Orton was the starter for most of the season and posted a 10-5 record as a starter.  It's not like he didn't play with talented teams either, as Orton was around for both of Chicago's playoff runs.

In the end, it comes down to this.  Orton couldn't beat out Rex Grossman for the starting QB job.  Because of that, Orton never reaped the benefits of a 13-3 season that helped catapult the Bears into the 2006 Super Bowl.  That is because at that time, Orton was not more talented than Grossman.  Look at the numbers, they might as well have been the same guy.

That is why Jay Cutler is the Bears' starting quarterback while Orton was shipped out to Denver and Grossman sent to exile.

And no one should be complaining about Cutler's play in Chicago.  He has led two come-from-behind wins against two solid NFL ball clubs as he has lived up to expectations, especially in the guts of the game in the fourth quarter.  And since the season-opening debacle, Cutler has thrown for 624 yards and 7 touchdowns (plus 1 rushing TD), while only throwing one pick.

There is plenty of football to be played this year, and there is a chance that Orton and Benson return to earth.  Benson will get his chance against the Bears in Week 7 in Cincinnati.  But unless Cutler and Orton square off in the Super Bowl, Orton's success in Denver doesn't matter to me -- nor should it matter to Bears fans.