Thread: Lovie Asks For Some Quiet Too.............

Smith wants crowd to keep quiet on offense


By Vaughn McClure, Tribune reporter 1:09 p.m. CDT, September 10, 2012



Lovie Smith is all in favor of a boisterous home crowd -- when the Bears are on defense. But in terms of the offense, the coach’s philosophy never has changed in regard to crowd noise.

It’s the same line of thinking quarterback Jay Cutler had during Sunday’s win over the Colts, when Cutler encouraged the crowd to quiet down during a goal-line situation.

"There’s a general rule: When our defense is out there, that’s the beauty of having a home crowd," Smith said Monday when asked about the noise. "... And when we have the ball offensively, we would like for our crowd to be as quiet as possible then.

"Of course, we would love for you to cheer right after the play. But in between, when we’re trying to communicate, yes, we definitely need them to be quiet then."

Cutler motioned with his hands for the crowd to quiet down a first-quarter play from the Colts’ 1. When the noise continued, he called a timeout. Television cameras caught a heated Cutler saying, "Shut up"’ as he walked over to the sideline.

Cutler was asked afterward about his reaction.

"Please, please, please let’s tone it down a little bit when we’re down in the 20," the quarterback said. "You’re more than welcome to yell and scream and do whatever you want to do after we score but, please, let’s go ahead and quiet the stadium down and save it for after we score. Thank you. That’s my PSA."

Smith said the fans were "outstanding" on third downs when the defense was on the field. The Colts converted just 2 of 10 on third down, although they converted both of their fourth-down opportunities.

INJURY UPDATE: Smith did not provide an update on Charles Tillman’s status other than to say he expected Tillman to play Thursday against Green Bay because "my glass is half full." One teammate said Tillman got kicked in the right shin. Tillman, who wore a protected sleeve on his leg during meetings, would have been held out had the Bears practiced Monday.
Smith said Brian Urlacher (knee) and Kyle Adams (shoulder) also would have been held out Monday, while tackle J’Marcus Webb (thumb) would have been limited.