Who is the best defensive player on that team for the past decade? Brian Urlacher. How does he utilize that talent? He drops him back into coverage all the f'n time.

You take a guy that was getting 6,7,8 sacks a year and over a hundred tackles, a couple picks and you turn him into a glorified safety. The guy went 2 whole seasons without a sack. This freak of speed and size can't find the QB all of a sudden. But, hey, that's what that position needs to do in the system.

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You know me like that.

Nas give me one solid example over the past 2 seasons where Lovie has put his team in a position to win rather than lose. 1 decision that Lovie himself has made.

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You guys are still ignoring the fact that nearly everyone believes that Lovie is simply a lame duck coach.

If Lovie is really that good of a coach why is it nearly universal that he'll be fired without a miracle season next season?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I dont think Urlacher was misused. He was a uniquely talented player, and was a HUGE reason the system succeeded when they got even adequate pressure from the front four(their job btw.) Urlacher's stats might not have been great, but his impact on the game was, and you saw that this year.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Because in general most coaches cant go four years without making the playoffs. I doubt he'll be fired even next season if they make the playoffs. Lame duck coach refers to a coach with 1 year left, not 2.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

It was not nearly his best year.

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Copout. Give me one playcall or desicion that has helped the Bears win a game. Because with timeouts and bad challenges, I can name 2 or 3 off the top of my head where he has put them in a position to lose on Sunday.

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Just because he can play Lovie's system doesn't mean that is the best use of his talent. He's played the last 2 years and the defense was not good. He's past his prime now. I guess this is just my opinion but I felt he's been underutilized for what havoc he could create.

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He coached a pretty good game against Green Bay in Week 1. Vasher single covering Jennings at the end was a mistake, but they held Rodgers in check and overcame a horrendous game by Cutler to have the lead with a few minutes left.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Smith scored on the second play from scrimmage because Tillman fell down.


They lost to the greatest QB of all time. They were done 1 td in the fourth quarter.



Cant and Wont argue that. That is bad.




Why judge only AFTER the Super bowl



I was unaware that Lovie was the GM. I dont care if he liked Archeletta. Its Angelo's call.




,
No need to qualify that true statement


Not true. His Winning Pct is 537. You cant just dismiss the success.


Why is lovie's success in quotes? What advantage does lovie have over other NFL coaches?

Yeah. Cutler's 26 int are on Lovie

Oh yeah, a coaching clinic there. Throwing the red flag to see if there were 12 guys on the field was a marvel of coaching.

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Most coaches don't survive three years without making the playoffs unless it's the first three years they are there.

A miracle run to the playoffs could save his job but it's likely he'll be just like Jim Zorn by week 8 next year. The only reason he wouldn't be fired is because of a lockout.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I guess you could have moved him to OLB. MLB's rarely blitz alot. I still dont think that was the best use of his talent. Although it is certainly up for debate. I think he was one of the most dominant players in his prime, and if he was underutilized that's even more amazing.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Actually, I think the first three years are the most likely time to fire a coach for not making the playoffs. After early success, you tend to give the coach more of a benefit of the doubt.

There's no way he'll be Zorn by week 8 next year. The Bears wont be nearly as bad as Washington was this year. If they are, it will be BY FAR Lovie's worst season as HC

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Like a Nas and RPB pointed out, you can only go by results. And the fact is they were on the road against what ended up being an 11-5 team, and barely lost. Sooner or later you have to pin it on the coach or the players. It's usually only both in cases of 3-4 win teams. Lovie's never lost less than 7 games.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Isn't Lovie already "Jim Zorn"? His defensive play-calling duties have been taken away, he has zero interest/input on the offense, and he's widely regarded as being a "lame duck coach" next year.

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Urlacher avgd 5 sacks a year before Lovie.
He has never been a good blitzer

Sacks are not the best stat. I wish I had tackle for loss stats as I think I would be right. His best years for tackles and sacks and I suspect TFL were pre-Lovie.

But, back to Lovie bashing.

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If the Bears lose 2-3 more games next year than they did this year, you'd be surprised?

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I'm certain you are right on this. But I'm not sure that was his best use. Having a MLB that can dominate the middle of the field is invaluable. I dont even think there is one in the league right now. I think Lovie correctly utilized that rare talent, although it didn't often show up in the box score.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

That'd make them 4-12 or 5-11. Yes, that would surprise me alot.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

There aren't many examples of coaches missing the playoffs three years in a row keeping the job for the fourth.
He's starting the season on the hot seat. If they start 3-5 people will be saying he is as good as fired. If that continues to 4-8 or 5-7 his firing will be all but guaranteed and he'll finish the season like Zorn did knowing that it's over.

They'll probably win more games than the Redskins but Lovie Smith will end the season with everyone knowing he is gone and speculation and secret meetings with new coaching options.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I didn't say it was a bad year.

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You know me like that.

The thing is that even 8-8 gets Lovie fired next year. As soon as it's obvious that the Bears won't be winning 10+ games he'll be as good as gone and simply playing out the season.

Even 9 wins may not be enough depending on how the wild card shakes out.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

One thing good teams have in common is coaching longevity. Billick wasnt a great coach but he had good success for almost a decade.

I doubt they will start 4-8. If they are 5-6, that wont make Jim Zorn. I've never seen a coach as good as fired mid-season as Zorn was.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Considering the Seattle game and Pittsburgh game, I would not be surprised.

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You're probably right. I was simply answering spanky's question. Nothing in Lovie's 6 year history suggests a 4-12 season is coming up. I expect them to compete for the WC/Division next season. 8-8 would be pretty accurate. With a few breaks, and better play by Cutler, 10-6 is realistic. This team has improved a great deal since discovering Devin A and moving Chris Williams to LT

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Are you on marriage #2 and/or were you ever a cop?

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OK, I'll admit all rational, irrational, and statistical arguments aside, I just don't like this defense. I don't like watching it. It makes me mad. I think the linemen are undersized. I think they lack real pass rushers from LB because they don't fit the system. I think they don't tackle well.

I admit when they had All-Pro caliber players up the middle, it was a highly effective defense. Maybe the D is just so delicate that losing any one of those would decimate it.

Although, I think if you have any defense with three All-Pro caliber players up the middle, it's going to look pretty good. And if you lose one in other systems it would look quite so terrible but that's just me.

I'm a meatball and I want change.

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4 pages later the truth emerges