Thread: Roster Mismanagement Still a Problem for Bears..........

While this is an article that probably should have been written most of Mulligan's premise for writing it is way off base. But let's start with what wasn't off base.

WTF were they thinking when they released Sanz while they were still carrying a 3rd QB at at least one or two other who they could have released with little or no chance of losing them like we did with Sanz. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,2221387.story Did they honestly think that not one team would sign him within 24 hours of his being released?

I was beginning to think that dumb personnel moves would become a thing of the past once Phil Emery came on board but now I can see where the real problem lies. This is a Lovie move pure and simple. He is and always has been willing to sacrifice offensive players with potential in favor of filling out his depth (and sometimes unneeded depth) on defense. It goes hand in hand with his insistence on using Hester all year long while a guy like Sanz who may have become a difference maker as a 3rd down receiver, especially with Bennett hurting, sits inactive all season long.

This was one of the poorest combinations of personnel decisions I've seen him make yet and truth be told it's one reason I hope we end up missing the playoffs and that makes it easier to say good bye to Lovie. I am solidly convinced that we will never have a decent offense until Lovie is replaced. He doesn't know offensive football and he can't judge talent or potential talent on that side of the ball.

Releasing Sanz with just one game to go when we could just as easily released McCown made no sense at all. There was zero chance of us losing both Cutler and Campbell in the Lions game and just about 100% chance that someone would pick up Sanz and they did. Just one more Lovie fuck up that may seem small but added to the rest I've finally come down on the side of "he has to go after the season ends playoffs or not".

Now for what I disagree with. Signing Bush was not a bad plan at all. No using him enough was a bad plan. He's capable of being far more than just a short yardage back and he's proven that before. But as a short yardage back he's excellent and he's also proven that with his 5 goal line rushing TDs this year as well. Forte absolutely sucks in that role as he proved once again against GB. How many times have we watched him take two or even three shots at the end zone from the three yard line or less and fail? I think I'd need all of my fingers and most of my toes, at the very least, to tally them up.

Bush was not a wasted signing he was wasted in this offense is all. There were far too many games where he was gaining yardage down the field while teams had Forte stymied. If there's no hole where he expects it and he can't bounce it to the outside Forte is screwed whereas Bush can make productive north/south runs through smalls holes and arm tackles and get 4 or 5 yards. He's not a threat to go 36 yards on one run like Forte did on Sunday but he'll get that much far more consistently on 7 or 8 carries than Forte will. He moves the chains frequently while Forte does not.

Signing Kellen Davis based on his potential was not a mistake. The mistake was in continuing to play him after he not only showed no improvement in his overall game, he actually regressed and showed me on Sunday that he's a lazy dumbass when he failed to block his man on that FG attempt and it cost us a TD. Much like Webb he's another one of those "athletic marvels" Lovie seems to wonder at who never lives up to his potential. How many of them have been through the doors of Halas Hall over the years by now?

You know I'm even beginning to soften my blame of Jerry Angelo over his foolish and often inept draft picks and FA signings. I think Lovie Smith has had far more say in many of those than any of us previously thought yet I think he's been clever enough to not come out so publicly in defense of these bozos and let others do it for him that we've always believed that it was more Angelo and less Lovie. Now I'm thinking that in many cases it was quite the opposite. When Angelo got a bit uppity on that MNFB game against the Lions last year and kind of threw his coaches under the bus for not getting performance out of certain players it was because those were guys Lovie and his staff spoke for. Angelo got them and then found they still couldn't play. That wouldn't be his fault now would it and it won't be Phil Emery's either.

No, "the time has come" the walrus said, "to talk of many things", and the first one should be who our new HC should be. For the past several weeks we've all come up with at least a half dozen or more good EXCUSES why Lovie should be retained but that's the problem. Each and every one was just that, and EXCUSE. There is only one clear and compelling REASON and despite Brian Urlacher's opinions to the contrary it is the best REASON.

This team has gone as far as it can go with Lovie Smith as it's HC. In order to consistently compete for championships a team needs to play far more error free ball on both sides of the line than the Bears ever do with Lovie and his crew coaching. The HC needs to be far more error free in his game day coaching and so does his OC. I don't see us getting that from either. And a team needs to be far more error free in it's offseason judgement of talent, who to draft and who to release and replace with a vet FA in order to upgrade a position that failed to work out the previous year. The best teams do all of this and it's why they win. The Bears do not.

This has very little to do with the Sanz deal. He may or may not ever be a great player but that move is endemic of the type or foolish and potentially critical personnel mistakes the Bears have been making for many years and now we can't blame Angelo for them any longer and from what I've seen so far this isn't the kind of move a Phil Emery would make either. GMs don't cut players, coaches do and this one has Lovie Smith written all over it. Now watch him sign Chris Harris as a FS if Conte is lost due to that hamstring pull.

I've had it with Lovie and his ways. I no longer see him as a wise and honest straight shooter. I'm actually beginning to believe he's really more of a coward more intent on saving his skin than actually making the tough decisions it takes to be a successful NFL HC. It's who he chooses to protect in his role as HC that bothers me. It's his Texas Mafia I'm sick of and that includes Drake who more than anyone would be a reason why Hester plays and Sanz doesn't. If a coach or a player has Texas roots Lovie takes him under his wing and gives him every protection for as long as he can. Don't believe me? How about Tommie Harris? Still don't believe me? Where is Josh McCown from? (three guesses) Where is Dane Sanzenbacher from. (Ohio).

Let's just get beat on Sunday or watch Minny beat GB. Either way, it makes no difference to me, but a HC whose missed the playoffs four years out of five and presided over one of the biggest collapses in team history doesn't deserve to keep his job IMHO. So let's just get this over with a start down a new road. It gets us one year closer to getting back on top because with Lovie around next year will not be any different than this year. If there's a "Fire Lovie" club about to begin you can count me in. I'll even start a membership drive of you want.

My mind is made up now. Lovie needs to go.

Well Soul you might get your wish, Bores(I think that's the one on the score right now) is saying his sources are said the decision process for Lovie's job started a few weeks ago, and a few wins at the end of the season are not going to be a determining factor; even making the playoffs MIGHT not be enough to save Lovie. Virginia is not going to have a say, and Emery is making the decision solely on if he feels Lovie can lift this team to a SB contender. Lovie's job is also not the only one on the line, large scale changes could happen and Emery is looking to see who rises to the occassion, hinting Cutler, Urlacher, maybe other key players might be gone also, or maybe just OC's/assistants? oranage are my thoughts?

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Well Soul you might get your wish, Bores(I think that's the one on the score right now) is saying his sources are saying that the decision was starting to be made a few weeks ago, and that what happened last week, and this week won't weight into the decision. Virg is not going to have a say, and Emery is making the decision solely on if he feels Lovie can lift this team to a SB contender.

And my point is that I've become convinced that he cannot. He and the team seem to be far too content with 9-7, 10-6, 8-8 type finishes and falling short. This could be the second time in five years that we fell one key game short of the playoffs. This time it was losing to the Vikes and last time to Houston. In the one year in five we do make it we get steamrolled by the wildcard Packers on their way to a SB championship.

I have no quarrel with the fact that Lovie is an above average coach but he isn't a championship coach and I believe this team and the town deserves that or at least the knowledge we have a coach who can get there and win. Lovie has gotten out coached and blown out of both a SB and an NFCC game so far and has missed the playoffs three out of the last four years. A fourth miss in five should result in an automatic dismissal.

The guy cannot coach offensive football. That's very clear by now. He also can't seem to find anyone to work for him who can and to me that is a huge concern. Why have so many OC prospects turned him down and yet defensive coaches and players flock to him? There has got to be a reason for that and that reason is costing us the offense we need to pair with his defense in order to win a championship.

It's not even so much that I dislike Lovie as it's just time to go in a different direction. The objective this year was to close the gap between the Packers and the Bears and win the NFCN assuring a playoff spot and maybe home field advantage. And after starting off 7-1, and up two games on the Pack at midpoint the team fell apart offensively and now it's 50/50 whether we even make the playoffs at all.

That's pretty pathetic don't ya think? True they were all playoff teams or playoff contenders but who the hell do we face in the playoffs but those same teams. We couldn't beat 'em the first time, we won't beat them the next time and Lovie ends up a day late and a dollar short again. It's time for a change.

Originally Posted by soulman

And my point is that I've become convinced that he cannot. He and the team seem to be far too content with 9-7, 10-6, 8-8 type finishes and falling short. This could be the second time in five years that we fell one key game short of the playoffs. This time it was losing to the Vikes and last time to Houston. In the one year in five we do make it we get steamrolled by the wildcard Packers on their way to a SB championship.

I have no quarrel with the fact that Lovie is an above average coach but he isn't a championship coach and I believe this team and the town deserves that or at least the knowledge we have a coach who can get there and win. Lovie has gotten out coached and blown out of both a SB and an NFCC game so far and has missed the playoffs three out of the last four years. A fourth miss in five should result in an automatic dismissal.

The guy cannot coach offensive football. That's very clear by now. He also can't seem to find anyone to work for him who can and to me that is a huge concern. Why have so many OC prospects turned him down and yet defensive coaches and players flock to him? There has got to be a reason for that and that reason is costing us the offense we need to pair with his defense in order to win a championship.

It's not even so much that I dislike Lovie as it's just time to go in a different direction. The objective this year was to close the gap between the Packers and the Bears and win the NFCN assuring a playoff spot and maybe home field advantage. And after starting off 7-1, and up two games on the Pack at midpoint the team fell apart offensively and now it's 50/50 whether we even make the playoffs at all.

That's pretty pathetic don't ya think? True they were all playoff teams or playoff contenders but who the hell do we face in the playoffs but those same teams. We couldn't beat 'em the first time, we won't beat them the next time and Lovie ends up a day late and a dollar short again. It's time for a change.

That sums it up for me too Soul. Lovie is the very definition of mediocrity. He just doesn't seem capable of taking us to the elite level. We've had some good teams with him as head coach. We haven't had Detroit-like bad seasons. But we can't get over the hump to a Super Bowl win.

100% on releasing McCown vs Sanz. Davis not eating some bench somewhere this season is absolutely stupid. This whole regime has to stop. They are floundering and grasping at straws and can't balance the bottom of the roster. Like Soul I'm beginning to believe that Lovie had much more say than known which softens some (but certainly not all) of JA's blunders.

Bush is too expensive and he would have been great GL punch had they signed some OL. With the problems seemingly magnified this season it seems like it's almost getting closer and closer to a full resurrection job vs. just getting some key additions.