Thread: The Current Status of Lovie Smith's Career

Just throwing this out there, it seems Lovie's training camp was blamed for injuries to the team, at least for a few years. It seems more like we have a sub par line, and we knew that since training camp (Cutler threw the ball at a tent out of frustration, remember?), I think we're seeing the line get coached up, as well as the rest of the team getting better. When the main thing that changes is the offensive coaches, it probably means they weren't as good as the ones that are making it work. Perhaps Martz, Tice and co. aren't doing the best of jobs, but when Martz improves his playcalling, it's taking a burden off their shoulders, and allows Tice to get a better feel for things. I mean, I've always felt Lovie's soft and a bad decision maker, but it just seems like things have changed for reasons other than keeping his job.

Originally Posted by JustWinBaby

Ditka didn't just come in and rely on Ryan. Thats just stupid, in that case they should have been great before Ditka ever arrived. Ditka was the one who assembled that team and made it work, after his arrival almost every FA or draft pick seemed to be a homerun. Ryan was a great D coordinator but Ditka gets all the credit for taking the Bears from a losing team to a SB winner in just a couple years. It was also Ditka that begged them to draft Jim McMahon, without that pick they never win the SB.
They were good without Payton also. They went to the NFCC game with Harbaugh and Neal Anderson almost won MVP. That year the Bears lost the NFCC they were as big of a favorite as anyone to win the SB that year.

Watch any interview with Ditka, and he will tell you that the Bears were never the same without Payton and Jim McMahon.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

RM would have ended up as an assistant somewhere; it's not like he spent two-three years sitting around wondering what to do; he was brought in the same offseason as he was fired by us. AND yes Lovie does need to thank him; last year Lovie was supposed to take over the D after the failure that was Babich and he personally took over the play calling; only to have the worst statistical year for the D during his tenure here. RM has rejuvinated this D and got them going again. The D players were cocky and sluggish w/Babich and Lovie as the DC's', and RM has them playing like they did when they were tops in the league; kinda like they are now.

I have to take both sides in this. Because of Lovie's wise decision to bring in Rod Marinelli, the defense is back to playing top notch football and being arguably the best overall unit in the league. Lovie has no one to thank but himself, because the error of his old ways and brought in a fresh face to take over the playcalling duties.

Barring a total meltdown, I see him keeping his job. But let's hope we have a new person making draft picks.

I don't doubt that the hiring of Mike Martz was one asshole buddy kissing the ass of another, but I'm not too sure on the Rod Marinelli thing. Does anyone know what their connection to each was before he came to Chicago as a defensive coach?

Originally Posted by Dagan81

I don't doubt that the hiring of Mike Martz was one asshole buddy kissing the ass of another, but I'm not too sure on the Rod Marinelli thing. Does anyone know what their connection to each was before he came to Chicago as a defensive coach?

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Both were on Tampa Bay together between 1996 and 2000. RM stayed on as DC another few years after that.

and they were like room mates when the team traveled...