Lovie Smith

[KirkNOTCharisma]

That's ridiculous. Cutler didn't get Smith fired. Cutler has done nothing but win the entire time he's been in Chicago. If he looks ****** off half the time, it's because the other half the time he's running for his life getting concussions.

The Bears were two offensive linemen away from being a serious Super Bowl contender. Starting over right now is asinine.

Bingo. Seriously, when our O clicked (read: when J-Webb didn't get pwned), we had a good time. And on D the injuries are what screwed us. I mean, don't get me wrong because our D is freakin' ancient, but we had a SB caliber team when we clicked. We definitely need to draft some real O-line this year and a good LB.

 

[GhostofBTT]

Not so ridiculous my friend, didn't Shanahan get fired at Denver when he was there?

Look, I am not saying there is a direct link that Cutler complained and got him fired, maybe DW a bad citation.

It is moreso the fact that where he has been people have this belief that he is really good and he has a game that makes everyone think, yeah this is the guy that is going to lead us. Problem is he is no different than Tony Romo, just not that good.

Sometimes franchises believe they can put crap talent around "elite" players and expect it to work and then blame the coach when it fails.

I don't think Cutler's that great, I just don't think he's the problem. The Bears failed to make the playoffs, but it wasn't Cutler's fault.

Cutler's not an elite Qb, but you don't need an elite QB to win with that defense. Just look at Seattle, San Francisco, Houston, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. Outside of Minnesota with their running game, each team won with a great defense and an OK QB.

Cutler has the worst offensive line in the NFL. I think with an average line, the Bears could have won 12 or 13 games this year.

 

[sportstalent]

I don't think Cutler's that great, I just don't think he's the problem. The Bears failed to make the playoffs, but it wasn't Cutler's fault.

Cutler's not an elite Qb, but you don't need an elite QB to win with that defense. Just look at Seattle, San Francisco, Houston, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. Outside of Minnesota with their running game, each team won with a great defense and an OK QB.

Cutler has the worst offensive line in the NFL. I think with an average line, the Bears could have won 12 or 13 games this year.

I guess I am one that doesn't feel Chicago has a great defense and before you jump me here, they are great at turning the ball over, but not a great defense and there is a difference.

My team is SF and their defense is not what they were last year. They have difficulty stopping teams they shouldn't (see: both Rams games and Cardinals yesterday), but when they create turnovers, they look a lot better.

Great defenses don't get torched like SF did at Seattle and Chicago did against SF.

 

[sportstalent]

Cutler has the worst offensive line in the NFL. I think with an average line, the Bears could have won 12 or 13 games this year.

With a better line, Matt Forte is the player I thought he was going to be when I took him in my Fantasy Draft.

Bears would win more games with a better line, like the Houston game for instance and they are in the playoffs.

I think it was a bad mistake to get rid of Smith, but also it is time for them to make some roster changes, go younger in the front seven and get a real LT.

 

[GhostofBTT]

I guess I am one that doesn't feel Chicago has a great defense and before you jump me here, they are great at turning the ball over, but not a great defense and there is a difference.

My team is SF and their defense is not what they were last year. They have difficulty stopping teams they shouldn't (see: both Rams games and Cardinals yesterday), but when they create turnovers, they look a lot better.

Great defenses don't get torched like SF did at Seattle and Chicago did against SF.

I don't mean like historically great, but great relative to their competition. You say SF didn't have a great defense, but they were third in yardage and second in scoring. Chicago was fifth in yardage and third in scoring. Those are very good defenses. But even good defenses get torched once in a while.

 

[MeatMan]

i guess there is no such thing as a great D then if that's the criteria sportstalent

 

[SteveGarvey]

Phil Emery is damn fool.

Bears are screwed. Goodbye veteran players. Chicago will clean house.

Idiots.

Agreed. 10-6 and you get fired? That's good enough most years to be in the playoffs. If Green Bay takes care of business and beats the Vikes then the Bears are in the playoffs and Lovie is safe.

 

[uihawk82]

That's ridiculous. Cutler didn't get Smith fired. Cutler has done nothing but win the entire time he's been in Chicago. If he looks ****** off half the time, it's because the other half the time he's running for his life getting concussions.

The Bears were two offensive linemen away from being a serious Super Bowl contender. Starting over right now is asinine.

^^ agree, big mistake by bears, The guys drafting the olinemen like carimi should be fired, and maybe the GM.

I wonder if the GM wanted Tice fired/demoted back to oline coach and Lovie said "NO".

Anyway, the bears were 10-6 with one of the worst olines in the league. They might have won a super bowl a couple years ago with a better oline when they lost the NFC Champ game.

I have been a big bears fan since 59-60 and their coaching choices and draft picks are routinely questionable so when you have a winning coach you better keep him.

Urlacher still doing great on his instinct and remaining speed.

NOt much differnet than the hawkeye formula, great defense, kicking, special teams, win turnover battle, have an offense that is serviceable.

 

[Sparky]

Agreed. 10-6 and you get fired? That's good enough most years to be in the playoffs. If Green Bay takes care of business and beats the Vikes then the Bears are in the playoffs and Lovie is safe.

When a team starts off the season 7-1 and ends up 10-6 it's pretty bad. Lovie has never been able to lead the team to closing the deal.

 

[uihawk82]

When a team starts off the season 7-1 and ends up 10-6 it's pretty bad. Lovie has never been able to lead the team to closing the deal.

And why did they swoon at the halfway point, because carimi and the #2 right tackle couldnt get it done so they were playing a third stringer at tackle. and their left tackle is great. Cutler gets clobbered and misses a couple games because of the poor oline and now the whole league is like a shark frenzy because they know the bears have a weak oline. When cutler was out , geez what's his name, his replacement looked bad.

The same thing happened to the AZ cardinals who started 4-0 but then the line let their QBs get trampled. And the word is out on the Texans oline and teams are shutting down their run game and pressuring schaub. Pro D-coords just love finding a weakness like this.

 

[uihawk82]

and their left tackle is great. Cutler gets clobbered and misses a couple games because of the poor oline and now the whole league is like a shark frenzy because they know the bears have a weak oline. When like this.

I meant to say their left tackle is not great. Yeah Jason Campbell just looked awful when he played.

 

[kicker22]

Agreed. 10-6 and you get fired? That's good enough most years to be in the playoffs. If Green Bay takes care of business and beats the Vikes then the Bears are in the playoffs and Lovie is safe.

If the Bear's don't collapse after starting 7-1 they're in. Regardless of how much more difficult the season got after the fast start they never should have slipped to the point where they were depending on another team to help them sneak into the playoffs. I'm a Bears fan, but I saw this coming a few weeks ago when Marshall started preaching about how much he hates losing and how changes need to be made.

 

[kicker22]

As far as Cutler goes, the guy is a solid player, but a cancer to the team who only thinks of himself. Not saying the line is any good, but I can definitely understand why they'd fail to miss a block or two early in games. The guy's a d-bag and I have no sympathy for him running for his life back there.

 

[Sparky]

And why did they swoon at the halfway point, because carimi and the #2 right tackle couldnt get it done so they were playing a third stringer at tackle. and their left tackle is great. Cutler gets clobbered and misses a couple games because of the poor oline and now the whole league is like a shark frenzy because they know the bears have a weak oline. When cutler was out , geez what's his name, his replacement looked bad.

The same thing happened to the AZ cardinals who started 4-0 but then the line let their QBs get trampled. And the word is out on the Texans oline and teams are shutting down their run game and pressuring schaub. Pro D-coords just love finding a weakness like this.

Oh, I'm sorry. Apparently if there are injuries the coach can lose games and it's acceptable.

 

[GhostofBTT]

As far as Cutler goes, the guy is a solid player, but a cancer to the team who only thinks of himself. Not saying the line is any good, but I can definitely understand why they'd fail to miss a block or two early in games. The guy's a d-bag and I have no sympathy for him running for his life back there.

Please provide proof of this.

 

[sportstalent]

I don't mean like historically great, but great relative to their competition. You say SF didn't have a great defense, but they were third in yardage and second in scoring. Chicago was fifth in yardage and third in scoring. Those are very good defenses. But even good defenses get torched once in a while.

There are some good defenses in the league and Chicago/SF are both good, but not great, just my opinion.

I don't see any "great" defenses in today's NFL, the great defenses don't have those games, maybe a game that is substandard, but not like that.

 

[sportstalent]

The Chicago GM said today, or maybe late yesterday that Lovie was fired because of the Offense and inability to get to the playoffs consistently. Two questions: 1. How long has the GM been there and 2. Isn't it his job to get players that are competent?

In the NFL today, it is rare to get to the playoffs consistently, Chicago getting there in the pattern they have is pretty much the norm. You have exceptions like New England who seem to have been there every year and the Colts when Manning was there. Those two teams have franchise QB's and average defenses, oh yeah, throw GB into that category as well.

The Bears have a good defense, but not a franchise QB, scream at me all you want about how great Cutler is, but there the two QB's mentioned above have had OL's similar to the Bears this season and have still made the playoffs. They haven't lasted long in the playoffs with that situation, but still got there and the defenses they had were far worse than the Bears.

Reiteration of this is a bad firing on the Bears part and that personnel moves haven't exactly been great with Chicago of late, especially on offense. You can argue that Cutler, Marshall, Forte are good players, not disputing that, but the game is one in the trenches and teams that ignore it fail. Look at Dallas, their OL is bad and Romo is not a franchise type QB, he has been the same player when he has had 3 pro bowlers on the line to zero pro bowlers on the line, a QB that can't get it done when it matters. There are numerous QB's like this in the league, Cutler, Romo, Flacco, Ryan just to name a few. In time, we will see how they all turn out. My best example of QB's carrying a team, look no further than Kurt Warner as well, where the Cardinals/Rams were before he got there and where they were when he was there and now after he is gone. The OL's on those teams weren't decorated with high profile OL players as well, but they weren't awful. Point to the weapons he had, look at the others listed, they don't have Marshall Faulk, but who did the Cardinals have at RB? Rams/Cardinals defense is a lot like the Bears, not great, but could get turnovers. Bears defense was great when they went to the Super Bowl, but is nowhere close to that today.

The thought that teams can win with an average QB is a rarity, just because the Ravens won with Trent Dilfer doesn't prove anything other than just how good a defense the Ravens had to win the Super Bowl with Dilfer as a QB.

 

[ssckelley]

Four reasons why Lovie got fired Shea, Turner, Martz, and Tice. He is a defensive coach who could not run an offense and he could not get a decent offensive coordinator.

 

[busabus114]

LOL Bears fans.

So you want Cutler gone? Please provide his replacement that would be better......exactly

And good luck drafting a rookie QB to do the job with that o line.

 

[AZHAWKFAN1]

This is the GM's first year. He replaced Angelo.