The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Lovie Smith

Bears lacking direction under Angelo, Smith

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:07:47 +0000

If anyone can explain to me the direction the Chicago Bears are taking this offseason, then I’ll donate a week’s salary to your favorite charity. And “backwards” doesn’t count.

The Bears began the offseason by firing offensive coordinator Ron Turner and relieving head coach Lovie Smith of his defensive play calling duties. GM Jerry Angelo’s first choices as candidates to replace Turner and Smith were USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates and former Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. But he lost out on both when Pete Carroll hired Bates to run the offense in Seattle and the Giants hired Fewell to run their defense in New York.

It’s an understatement to say that Angelo settled for Mike Martz in early February. Angelo had Rob Chudzinski, Hue Jackson and a host of others atop his wish list of offensive coordinators, but nobody wanted to come to Chicago with the possibility of Smith and his entire staff getting axed a year from now. Angelo was desperate, and so too was Martz.

Out of options again, Angelo promoted defensive line coach Rod Marinelli to defensive coordinator on February 5, despite the fact that Marinelli had no previous experience in that role. When the Bears hired Smith in 2004, he tired to bring Marinelli (his former staff member in Tampa) to Chicago to be his new defensive coordinator but the Bucs didn’t release Marinelli out of his contract. Seven years later, Smith is getting his wish.

With the coordinator roles finally settled, Angelo thought it would be wise to fire director of pro personnel Bobby DePaul on Monday. This is significant because DePaul was the man that orchestrated the Jay Cutler trade and had been with the Bears since 2001. That’s nine seasons of experience that Angelo just fired, not to mention the person responsible for pulling off the franchise’s biggest trade.

The timing of DePaul’s firing is perplexing. Most teams fire personnel people in May because at that point, the draft is over and free agency has settled in. Teams rarely fire the man responsible for evaluating players, managing scouting and preparing the club for free agency right before the NFL combine and the free agency period begins. It just doesn’t make any sense because scouting free agents and prospects is a yearlong process – a process that should be almost completed in mid February.

Granted, DePaul is coming off a horrendous offseason. The acquisition of Cutler was met with cheers last offseason and jeers when he went on to lead the league in interceptions because his offensive line (the offensive line that DePaul helped built) gave him little protection. DePaul is the same genius that thought Frank Omiyale (a career tackle used to playing in a zone-blocking scheme) would be a great fit to play guard in a pro style offense. Omiyale teamed up with Orlando Pace (another DePaul signing) to help form one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season.

That said, all league personnel men have hits and misses and their resumes, so why was DePaul shown the door now after nine seasons? Free agency will be vital to the Bears this offseason because they don’t have their first two picks in the draft. So why fire the man in charge of making most of the decisions when it comes to free agents when he doesn’t have a strong history of making mistakes?

One theory is that Smith wanted DePaul gone. DePaul was the one that brought Ron Rivera’s name to the forefront when Smith missed out on Marinelli in ’04 and it was Smith that helped usher Rivera out after the Bears made it to the Super Bowl in ’06. Maybe Smith felt that DePaul was running too much of the show and seeing as how this is a make or break year for Lovie, he wanted to do things his way from start to finish.

Another theory is that Angelo wants to work with former Seahawks’ GM Tim Russkell, whom he knew from their days in Tampa. After stepping down in Seattle at the end of the 2009 season, Russkell is available and with DePaul now out of the way, Angelo can hire his former colleague to take over the pro personnel responsibilities.

Either way, as it stands right now the Bears don’t have a pro personnel person and the scouting combine is next week. And if hiring someone new goes as well for Angelo as finding coordinators did, then the Bears are in trouble.

The Bears’ total lack of direction this offseason is appalling. Granted, it’s not Angelo and Smith’s fault that their top choices for coordinators chose not to come to Chicago, but in a way it is. The perplexing timing of the DePaul firing proves that the Bears don’t have much stability and direction right now under Angelo and Smith. Why would anyone want to come to Chicago without knowing whether or not they’ll have a job in 12 months?

The new season is still more than six months away but thus far, the Bears are off to a rocky start.

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Is Martz a good fit for Cutler and the Bears?

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:25:28 +0000

The “Mad Scientist” is coming to Chicago: The National Football Post reports that the Bears have hired Mike Martz to become their next offensive coordinator.

What’s interesting about this hire is that Martz wasn’t GM Jerry Angelo’s first, second, third or even fourth candidate for the position. Angelo had Jeremy Bates, Rob Chudzinski, Hue Jackson and a host of others ahead of Martz on his wish list, but all of the candidates bowed out, presumably because head coach Lovie Smith is on the hot seat. Why would anyone want to go to Chicago if there’s a possibility that they’ll get axed in a year anyway?

Why would anyone outside of Martz, that is.

After serving as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator for just one season, Martz was out of football last year and was itching to get back into coaching. With so few options, it makes sense that he would jump at the opportunity to join the Bears.

They’re desperate, he’s desperate – it works.

But will it work? Martz was the same person that criticized Jay Cutler earlier this season for being immature following a loss to the Packers in Week 1. Martz reportedly got the Bears’ blessing to fly down to Tennessee over the weekend to meet with Cutler and clear the air, but will the marriage work?

Martz is still regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in football and his track record speaks for itself. Anyone that can turn the Lions’ offense into a top 10 passing attack deserves praise, although the reason why he has been ousted everywhere he’s been is because he doesn’t run the football. He also has no use for pass protection and his quarterbacks are often sitting ducks because he always runs plays out of three and four receiver sets, thus leaving less linemen in to protect his signal caller. That’s not good considering how bad the Bears’ offensive line is and given that Cutler often forces passes when he’s under duress and doesn’t mind throwing as many interceptions as humanly possible during 60 minutes of football.

I see this union between Cutler and Martz ending in one of two ways: An explosive partnership that makes the Bears one of the most excited passing teams in the NFL, or a beautiful disaster that will be worthy of watching from the front row.

Either way, it should be a fun year in Chicago.

Was Martz a good hire for the Bears?

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The Bears have yet to hire coordinators

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:45:22 +0000

Here’s a disturbing nugget of truth for Chicago fans: It’s January 21 and the Bears still don’t have an offensive or defensive coordinator.

On January 5, the Bears fired offensive coordinator Ron Turner and dismissed rumors that assistant Rod Marinelli would be named the new defensive coordinator. But it’s been over two weeks now and the team has yet to find a coordinator for either side of the ball.

It’s not like the Bears haven’t been trying. They offered former Bills’ interim head coach Perry Fewell a contract, but he turned them down and accepted the Giants’ defensive coordinator job. With few reliable candidates left on the market, there’s a good chance that the Bears will re-visit the idea of making Marinelli the D-coordinator.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears will interview Chargers’ assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski for their vacant offensive coordinator position. Given his success in Cleveland (albeit, it was only one year), Chudzinski would be a solid choice as the team’s next O-coordinator but the problem is that it seems like the Bears are flailing. Will Chudzinski maximize Jay Cutler’s strengths or is Chicago’s front office just trying to find anyone at this point?

The good news is that the team hired Mike Tice to become their new offensive line coach. While he failed as a head coach in Minnesota, Tice has also had success as an assistant and the Bears need someone with credibility to come in and revamp their underachieving O-line.

It’ll be interesting to see who the Bears wind up with and whether or not their lack of direction so far will come back to haunt them in 2010. Of course, many Chicago fans believe that with Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo running things, the Bears are doomed no matter what decisions they make.

Report: Lovie Smith to return in 2010

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:41:46 +0000

Bear fans won’t be receiving a belated Christmas gift this year as the Chicago Tribune is reporting that Lovie Smith is expected to return to the sidelines in 2010.

Smith met with team president Ted Phillips and general manager Jerry Angelo on Monday, and the sweeping changes that many fans have been hoping to see are not expected to happen. There may be changes, and Smith noted in his postgame news conference Sunday at Detroit that change comes every year, but it will be far from a housecleaning.

Smith could be given a win-or-else mandate from management. He is signed through 2011 and with $11 million remaining on his contract, the McCaskeys were thought to be unlikely to part with the coach who took them to Super Bowl XLI three years ago. It will be interesting to see what type of role Phillips has taken in what are football decisions.

This isn’t the news Bear fans were hoping for when black Monday rolled around. Smith is just 23-25 as a head coach since he led the team to the Super Bowl a few years ago and the Bears have missed the playoffs the last three seasons. One would have thought that his Super Bowl credit has been used up by now.

The Bears’ immediate future doesn’t looking promising. They’re without a first round pick in each of the next two drafts after trading for Jay Cutler, and they don’t have a second round pick in 2010 because they traded it to the Bucs for Gaines Adams. The offensive line is a complete mess, the defense is aging and outside of Cutler and Lance Briggs, there isn’t a ton of marquee talent on the roster.

Is Smith a strong enough personality to overcome these disadvantages and lead the Bears back to the playoffs? After what the Bears showed this season, I highly doubt it.

Is it time for the Bears to show Lovie Smith the door?

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:30:59 +0000

To his credit, Lovie Smith has one Super Bowl appearance under his belt as a head coach. But how long should one Super Bowl appearance last someone if he fails to reach the playoffs the following three seasons?

After losing to the Colts in the 2006 Super Bowl, the Bears have gone 7-9, 9-7 and are now currently 5-9. Despite trading for Jay Cutler in the offseason, Chicago is regressing and what’s worse is that it doesn’t have a first round pick in either of the next two drafts and also doesn’t have a second round pick next year.

The Bears are floundering, not prospering. So where does that leave Smith?

For all intents and purposes, Cutler’s turnover woes, the offensive lines’ blocking issues and all of the injuries on defense aren’t Smith’s fault. He can’t run, tackle and punt for his team, so maybe it’s not fair for him to be fired at the end of the season when it’s clear that the Bears’ problems run deeper than the head coach.

The problem is that his players have given up. The 31-7 shellacking they took in Baltimore on Sunday was the fourth time that the Bears have been blown out this season. They’re just 1-6 on the road this year and the problems that haunted them in Week 1 are still haunting them in Week 15. That’s a problem – a coaching problem. Even the dreadful Browns and Redskins have cut down on the mistakes that cost them earlier in the season.

The Bears finish the season at home against the Vikings in Week 16 and at Detroit in Week 17. If Chicago shows the same ineptitude over the next two weeks as it has over the past couple months, even a cheap ownership like the Bears might decide that enough is enough and hand Smith his pink slip at the end of the season.

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Is Charlie Weis a good fit for the Bears?

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:54:46 +0000

Charlie Weis needs a job and the Chicago Bears need someone capable of calling more than screen passes.

Seems like Weis and Da Bears would make a perfect fit.

According to a report by the Chicago Sun Times, Weis would be interested in becoming the Bears’ next offensive coordinator if/when the job becomes available this offseason. Ron Turner currently holds the position, but he’s expected to be let go for the way Chicago has struggled offensively this season.

Weis failed as a head coach at Notre Dame, but his offenses were successful. He also had plenty of success as the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, so if the Bears did decide that he was a good fit, at least they would be hiring someone with experience.

That said, who knows if Lovie Smith will be retained at the end of the season. If the Bears decide to go in another direction, it would be up to the new head coach as to whom his coordinators would be. And even if Smith doesn’t get fired, there’s no guarantee that he’d work well with Weis.

Bear fans may crucify me for saying this, but the fact of the matter is that Turner isn’t the only reason why the Bears have been completely inept offensively this season. The additions the team made to the offensive line this offseason haven’t panned out and it has cost Matt Forte what was supposed to be a promising second season. Cutler doesn’t have time to throw the ball and even when he does, he forces passes thinking he has to make plays through the air because the running game is non-existent. Turner will essentially serve as the scapegoat to a much bigger problem.

We’ll see if this story develops, but as of right now it’s just a small rumor that may or may not grow legs.

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Martz a candidate to become Bears’ next O-coordinator

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:15:28 +0000

According to a report by the Chicago Sun Times, Mike Martz is a candidate to become the Bears’ next offensive coordinator.

”Martz would love to work with Jay Cutler,” said the source, who cited the close relationship between Smith and Martz in sharing the information.

Smith is expected to stay with the Bears in 2010 because of more than $10 million in walking-away money.
But offensive coordinator Ron Turner and at least part of his staff could be another story. The Bears (4-6) purged their defensive staff last offseason, and it might be the offense’s turn in January as Smith makes a final effort to turn around a franchise headed toward its third straight season of missing the playoffs. Since Turner was hired in 2005 after the firing of

Terry Shea, the offensive staff has been untouched. In that same span, Smith has changed seven defensive position coaches and moved the title of defensive coordinator from Ron Rivera to Bob Babich to himself.

This makes sense considering that the Bears have no interest in running the ball. Martz has always been able to get the most out of his quarterbacks (Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Jon Kitna, etc.) and could work well with Cutler. Of course, that could be a recipe for disaster given Martz and Cutler’s egos.

Still, Martz pass-happy system would be a great fit for Cutler’s big arm. But even if the Bears do land Martz, they still need to figure out a way to rebuild the offensive line or else Cutler will continue to struggle no matter what system he’s in.

This is an intriguing rumor.

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