[CBFF] PFW - Coaching is the Bears' problem

[Phil DeNomme]

This was Pro football Weekly.  Not Pro Football Talk.

>From the article, it seems Lovie had a lot more input on personnel decisions
this offseason.	

-----Original Message-----
From: cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com
[mailto:cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com] On Behalf Of mactbone
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2007 6:41 PM
To: post at chicagobearsfanforum.com
Subject: Re: [CBFF] PFW - Coaching is the Bears' problem

Wait, every thing in here is about the awful personnel decisions... and it's
all Lovie's fault? Do we even have a GM? This is all PFT type BS - league
insiders tell us whatever we've been spouting off about for the last couple
weeks was completely true even though it can't be proven and we'll never
bring this up again.
-Chris

----- Original Message ----
From: Jerry Madsen <jerrywm at gmail.com>
To: CBFF <post at chicagobearsfanforum.com>
Sent: Monday, November 5, 2007 6:05:11 PM
Subject: [CBFF] PFW - Coaching is the Bears' problem

And yet another reason why I STRONGLY believe that Lovie Smith has
become a detriment to this team.  The fact that Jerry Angelo has
ideally sat-by while "mess" came into being is an indictment of him as
well.

Jerry

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http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+Way+We+Hear+It/WWHI/2007/wwhi2218.h
tm


The Bears' necessities

Improved coaching is the key to cleaning up defending NFC champs'
disappointing act

Nov. 5, 2007

In his first full-scale press conference in the Bears' bye week, head
coach Lovie Smith didn't waste words.

"We're 3-5," he kept repeating. "And the blame starts at the top with me."

The way we hear it, well-connected sources around the league couldn't
agree more with Smith's self-assessment, as they survey what has
become a sorry scene that they believe really took root after Smith
received a lucrative new contract shortly after the Bears' Super Bowl
loss to the Colts.

Quickly, Smith started asserting his newfound power in ways that many
close team observers feel have proven to be detrimental to the team.
Not only did he revamp his coaching staff with longtime allies whose
performances so far this season have been, in some cases, disturbingly
shaky. His voice also grew stronger in personnel matters — a kiss of
death that has backfired in the face of many a head coach in recent
years.

Smith's suspect abilities as a personnel evaluator go way back to his
days as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams, when he
emphatically endorsed free-agent addition Jamie Duncan as a
replacement at middle linebacker for departed free agent London
Fletcher — an obviously inaccurate call that Rams insiders tell us is
as responsible for that team's decline in recent years as any.

Smith's personnel shortcomings with the Bears have been most
noticeably on display in the case of beleaguered RB Cedric Benson,
whose 3.1-yards-per-carry average over the first eight games sticks
out like a sore thumb on what has become an inconsistent and often
dysfunctional offense. According to our sources, Smith has been, and
continues to be, the biggest backer of the Bears' 2005 first-round
draft pick, who has not been able to replace the traded Thomas Jones
as expected.

"Benson has been a major disappointment," one longtime pro talent
evaluator told PFW. "He drops the ball all the time in the passing
game because he's worried about getting hit, he's below average as a
pass protector and is an average-to-below-average runner."

The early assessment leaguewide on the Bears' 2007 draft, in which
Smith had considerable input, is equally critical.

"They got nothing out of the draft except the first-round pick (TE
Greg Olsen)," one source told PFW. "(No. 2 pick) Dan Bazuin has been a
complete bust. He may have been cut if he were not injured."

There are other personnel decisions the first half of the season that
have proven costly — most notably moving Danieal Manning back and
forth from safety to corner and asking him to know the
responsibilities of two positions in only his second year and starting
Mark Anderson, a subpar run defender who is best-suited to be a
change-of-pace situational pass rusher, ahead of Alex Brown.

"They have been their own worst enemy," another league source said.
"They are just out of sync right now. The only thing that has been
consistent from last year to this has been the special teams, and now
Robbie Gould is missing short field goals."

Smith's reputation as a player's coach has also come back to haunt
him, according to one team insider. "A lot of the players have taken
advantage of him," he said. "Too many of the veteran guys have gotten
practice days off or have just gone through the motions in practice.
Dating back to training camp, the starting offensive linemen, all of
whom seem to have gotten old overnight, all missed multiple
practices."

Our sources believe the defense's consistently poor tackling, the
O-line's consistently shaky blocking, especially in run situations,
and the receivers' inability to hold on to catches — after leading the
league in fewest drops with 12 last season, they already have 22
through eight games — are hardly a coincidence.

The bottom line?

"Lovie created his own mess," said one league insider. "And if he
doesn't get it cleaned within another year with the caliber of talent
on the roster, he could be old news by the end of next season with a
new captain running the show in 2009."

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