Thread: At 3-3, Lovie Smith needs a bye-week bailout

Trust key factor for Bears' offense

Increasing players' confidence in system is Martz's challenge


November 7, 2010 Hands on
Lovie Smith obviously loves his job as the Bears' head coach, but he does miss working more closely with players.

That's why he enjoys working with the team's nickel backs. The emergence of D.J. Moore, who has a team-high three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, has been one of the most pleasant surprises on the defense, and Smith has played a key role in Moore's development.
Smith interacts with Moore and Corey Graham every day, whether it's on the practice field to go over technique or in a meeting room.
''I just never want to get away from a position completely, so that's just a way for them to let me do something here,'' Smith said. ''The nickel is involved in all three phases.''
Often, though, it's just Smith and Moore.
''I guess he steps down off his high horse, and it's just a player-coaching type of thing,'' Moore said. ''It has helped me out.''
What's it like working so closely with the head coach?
''From outside looking in, you'd think he doesn't talk that much or smile that much, but he's goofy,'' Moore said. ''He tells jokes. He smiles.''
Smith said it's gratifying to watch Moore, a fourth-round pick in 2009, play with more and more confidence.
''It's been good to see all of our players improve and just grow, especially the ones who haven't played [a lot],'' Smith said.
Testing his team
What's that saying? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Well, in Minnesota, coach Brad Childress isn't the only one feeling the heat in the Vikings' locker room. ESPN reported Friday that Vikings owner Zygi Wilf nearly fired Childress on Monday after the coach abruptly released receiver Randy Moss, whom the team had acquired for a third-round pick last month.
One of the beneficiaries of this drama is quarterback Brett Favre. According to two sources, some players are tiring of Favre after he reported late, generated another distraction (Jenn Sterger), barely practiced and, of course, struggled on game days.
Last season, Favre quietly impressed teammates by spending a lot of extra hours studying alone at Winter Park. This season, he doesn't appear to be putting forth the same kind of effort.
Childress isn't the only member of the Vikings who has a lot to prove today against the Arizona Cardinals at the Metrodome.
Can't cover the NFL without ...
Sprint Wireless USB modem. In fact, I'm using it at this very moment. Wi-Fi is generally available, but the USB modem has bailed me out on a number of occasions.
Neither Mike Martz nor Jay Cutler lacks self-confidence. That's one of the traits that has helped each defy odds and achieve success, which is why both tend to compound one mistake with another, believing his mind (Martz) or his arm (Cutler) can make amends.
But without a game last weekend, Martz and Cutler had extra time to consider the mess before them and take ownership of their roles in an offense that's ranked 29th in the NFL.
On Wednesday, Martz and Cutler sounded humble, both emphasizing that more actively involving running backs Matt Forte and Chester Taylor might not be such a bad idea.
A self-installed governor on Martz and Cutler is a start because they're both 1/8¼ber-aggressive.
''I always thought it was a match made in hell,'' said ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer, who played quarterback for 14 NFL seasons and led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title.
Martz is one of the innovators of the passing offense, but he's also ''a reckless play-caller,'' Dilfer said. ''And [Cutler's] a reckless quarterback. This was a horrible match.''
But the two are one, and they desperately need to salvage the season because the stock of both has been plummeting during the last year.
Scaling back the aggressiveness is a start, but the second -- and greater -- challenge will be to foster trust throughout the offense.
No one in the organization will say it, but Cutler isn't playing with confidence, and he doesn't look comfortable.
Even when he has a pocket, Cutler feels ghosts and sometimes runs into trouble. Even when he delivers a good pass, his young receivers don't always seem to be where they should be. All the while, his offensive coordinator isn't helping his cause by dialing up more passes than runs.
''To trust your schemes, trust your coaching, trust the players around you, quarterbacking is the most dependent position in sports,'' Dilfer said. ''You're so dependent on so many others to be successful.
''You can't be decisive if you're not trusting. You can't have poise if you're not trusting. Almost every important element of quarterbacking comes down to trust.''
On the field, the Bears didn't get a chance to build that trust last week because Cutler didn't throw at practice. Coach Lovie Smith opted to rest him instead. But receiver Johnny Knox said Martz and receivers coach Darryl Drake continually have preached about the importance of being responsible for the offense to thrive.
''Basically, what [Martz] tells us is: 'Don't fool the quarterback. Be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there,''' Knox said. '''Trust the people next to you, and things will get rolling.'''
The shuffling along the offensive line has complicated cohesiveness, but Martz said trusting one another and ''getting in sync'' is essential to the success of the offense.
''When the faces change, when you're new, it's a little hard sometimes,'' Martz said. ''But I feel real good about where they are right now, particularly the offensive line. The progress in the last game was remarkable. So we look forward to this game.''
Receiver Devin Hester has only 18 catches for 182 yards this season, but he said he still believes in the offense.
''I'm still confident,'' he said. ''I've seen it work. It's proven over the years, and we've seen glimpses. It's just a matter of us doing the right things and making it work.''
Added Cutler: ''Everyone just needs to keep believing in the system and get the details right.''


http://www.suntimes.com/sports/jense...sean07.article

Originally Posted by Boochee Man

Um, we're 4-3.

Try reading the article before commenting next time.

Under Lovie Smith the Bears are 3-3 after the bye week.

Originally Posted by Boochee Man

We'll be 4-3 after today. LOL

Nice save....