[CBFF] PFW - Coaching is the Bears' problem

[Jerry Madsen]

There's more here than Lovie's personnel concerns! Read it again. And
dont confuse PFW w/ PFT. Thats an insult to PFW.

On 11/5/07, mactbone <mactbone0 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 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
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+Way+We+Hear+It/WWHI/2007/wwhi2218.htm
>
>
> 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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