Lovie Smith

[Tarlam!]

I remember reading a lot about this HC when he was appointed as the F.I.B. coach. I remember thinking, what a shame he wasn't appointed GBP HC.

In his first year, he was only asked to perform one thing: A miracle! Namely, to beat our beloved Pack.

He did that once in his inaugural year as HC. I could not fathom it at the time. We were simply a vastly superior team on paper.

Last year, he found game plans to hide the apparent deficiency of Kyle Orton. Then, he displayed incredible foresight by slipping Rex into the playoff game, despite his inexperience.

Lovie must have known Rex would be crushed. Still, he installed confidence in Rex by playing him. Look at Rex this year!

I take my hat off to Lovie Smith and the Bears ownership for recruiting the guy. He will be an institution for years to come, IMHO.

[oregonpackfan]

I agree. Lovie Smith has done a fine job and will continue to do a fine job as HC.


OPF

[Merlin]

I think Lovie is an average HC. The one thing he brings is what a lot of HC's don't have, an ability to make players believe in themselves and the system. His play calling is vanilla on both sides of the ball. What I would want from the Bears is their scouts for the defensive side of the ball. Face, offensively, they still suck. Even with Glassman putting up numbers...

[Partial]

Merlin, you're a moron.

[Zool]

If he could get himself a good/great OC the Bears would be scary.

[Partial]

The Bears are averaging 29 points per game. That is a ton. Their offense is overachieving hardcore right now...

[Merlin]

Merlin, you're a moron.

Comming from you I will take that as a compliment. Why? Because only someone with an IQ as low as yours would resort to claiming I am smarter then you....

[MJZiggy]

Merlin, you're a moron.

Is there some software glitch that's causing everyone to be nasty to each other this weekend? What in hades is going on around here?

[Partial]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

[Partial]

Merlin, you're a moron.

Comming from you I will take that as a compliment. Why? Because only someone with an IQ as low as yours would resort to claiming I am smarter then you....

I didn't claim anything beyond that you're a moron, so I know not of what you say. As for my IQ being low, think as you wish.

[MJZiggy]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

Then wouldn't it have been better to simply disprove him? The statistics make your point so much more clearly.

[Zool]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

He's won 0 playoff games and he's one of the leagues best coaches? Their D puts the O in good positions most of the time and Rex is gambling and winning those gambles right now. They really should have lost to MN, but the Vikings O is stagnant and far too predictable right now.

I won't call Lovie one of the best head coaches in the league till he does something. If you want to talk about his ability to coach up a D then ok.

[Partial]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

He's won 0 playoff games and he's one of the leagues best coaches? Their D puts the O in good positions most of the time and Rex is gambling and winning those gambles right now. They really should have lost to MN, but the Vikings O is stagnant and far too predictable right now.

I won't call Lovie one of the best head coaches in the league till he does something. If you want to talk about his ability to coach up a D then ok.

He has won a super bowl. He was a defensive coach down in Tampa, then went up to St. Louis when they won. They, he took the job with the Bears. It takes a time to field a quality team considering what he came in with, but he certainly has seemed to have turned it around.

I think they're good this year, but not their year. I think Seattle gets to the Super Bowl again.

[Zool]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

He's won 0 playoff games and he's one of the leagues best coaches? Their D puts the O in good positions most of the time and Rex is gambling and winning those gambles right now. They really should have lost to MN, but the Vikings O is stagnant and far too predictable right now.

I won't call Lovie one of the best head coaches in the league till he does something. If you want to talk about his ability to coach up a D then ok.

He has won a super bowl. He was a defensive coach down in Tampa, then went up to St. Louis when they won. They, he took the job with the Bears. It takes a time to field a quality team considering what he came in with, but he certainly has seemed to have turned it around.

I think they're good this year, but not their year. I think Seattle gets to the Super Bowl again.I guess I took the point of this thread was Lovie and his HC abilities. As I said, he's a top D coach, not sure yet about him as a HC. He did get beat at home in the playoffs last year by 1 guy.

[Partial]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

He's won 0 playoff games and he's one of the leagues best coaches? Their D puts the O in good positions most of the time and Rex is gambling and winning those gambles right now. They really should have lost to MN, but the Vikings O is stagnant and far too predictable right now.

I won't call Lovie one of the best head coaches in the league till he does something. If you want to talk about his ability to coach up a D then ok.

He has won a super bowl. He was a defensive coach down in Tampa, then went up to St. Louis when they won. They, he took the job with the Bears. It takes a time to field a quality team considering what he came in with, but he certainly has seemed to have turned it around.

I think they're good this year, but not their year. I think Seattle gets to the Super Bowl again.I guess I took the point of this thread was Lovie and his HC abilities. As I said, he's a top D coach, not sure yet about him as a HC. He did get beat at home in the playoffs last year by 1 guy.

Bill Parcels, Mike Holmgren, Bill Belichich, Mike Shanahan, etc have all lost in the playoffs. I don't put much stock in him losing in his first playoff game as a HC.

[Zool]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

He's won 0 playoff games and he's one of the leagues best coaches? Their D puts the O in good positions most of the time and Rex is gambling and winning those gambles right now. They really should have lost to MN, but the Vikings O is stagnant and far too predictable right now.

I won't call Lovie one of the best head coaches in the league till he does something. If you want to talk about his ability to coach up a D then ok.

He has won a super bowl. He was a defensive coach down in Tampa, then went up to St. Louis when they won. They, he took the job with the Bears. It takes a time to field a quality team considering what he came in with, but he certainly has seemed to have turned it around.

I think they're good this year, but not their year. I think Seattle gets to the Super Bowl again.I guess I took the point of this thread was Lovie and his HC abilities. As I said, he's a top D coach, not sure yet about him as a HC. He did get beat at home in the playoffs last year by 1 guy.

Bill Parcels, Mike Holmgren, Bill Belichich, Mike Shanahan, etc have all lost in the playoffs. I don't put much stock in him losing in his first playoff game as a HC.But they have all since won many playoff games. You cant just KNOW Lovie will be good. Unless youre psychic...In which case, forget what I just thought.

[oregonpackfan]

I think Lovie is an average HC. The one thing he brings is what a lot of HC's don't have, an ability to make players believe in themselves and the system. His play calling is vanilla on both sides of the ball. What I would want from the Bears is their scouts for the defensive side of the ball. Face, offensively, they still suck. Even with Glassman putting up numbers...

Merlin,

You mentioned that Lovie's play-calling was "Vanilla" on both sides of the ball.

As a Packer fan since '59, I remember a Vanilla-playing Head Coach for the Green Bay Packers. His name was Vince Lombardi.

Lombardi rarely used trick offensive plays or elaborate defensive schemes. His main emphasis was to execute the play as efficiently as possible. If you exucute a play to the maximum extent, you don't need fancy, trick plays or formations.

I remember many opposing coaches and players lament, "We knew Starr was going to call for Hornung to carry the ball off right guard from the 2-yard line. We just couldn't counter the blocking nor stop Hornung!"

It is way too early to consider Lovie Smith to be in the same category as a Vince Lombardi. I say again, however, that he has impressed me very much as a head coach.

OPF

[Patler]

The Bears have seemingly gotten better each year under Smith. They certainly believe in themselves I can't think of a Bear who is "underperforming." He has handled players firmly and consistently. Sounds like a good coach to me.

I fear as a Packer fan we might be facing teams coached by Mr. Smith for many years to come.

[ahaha]

Of course he's a good coach. He took over a perrennial doormat and turned them into a legitemate Super Bowl contender in three years. Is he a great coach? No one knows yet, but that's only because he hasn't had a a real chance to prove himself. We'll see how he does in the play-offs the next few years.

[swede]

I would have been pleased to see Lovie Smith as a Green Bay HC.

I'd be UNHAPPY to have Brad Childress as Green Bay HC.

One is a man. The other is a weiner.

Truth be told, I was little envious of Chicago for hiring Lovie from the night of his first press conference. He seems like the kind of guy that inspires players to prepare with pride and play with heart.

On the other hand Childress makes me laugh and want to know if the owner is kidding. The real new coach is behind the door waiting to jump out and say, "gotcha!" right?

[FritzDontBlitz]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

i wouldn't say lovie is one of the game's best coaches yet. the bears are definitely a good team that's having a great year so far, but i will wait to see what they do in the postseason before i start calling lovie great.

and the only reason i would have loved to see lovie in green bay is because he would have brought a much better defensive scheme than the b.s. the packers are running right now. the packers haven't had a solid defensive scheme since holmgren took fritz with him to seattle...

[Patler]

I would have been pleased to see Lovie Smith as a Green Bay HC.

I'd be UNHAPPY to have Brad Childress as Green Bay HC.

One is a man. The other is a weiner.

Truth be told, I was little envious of Chicago for hiring Lovie from the night of his first press conference. He seems like the kind of guy that inspires players to prepare with pride and play with heart.

On the other hand Childress makes me laugh and want to know if the owner is kidding. The real new coach is behind the door waiting to jump out and say, "gotcha!" right?

I agree on both accounts. I was glad the Vikings hired Childress, because I didn't want GB to hire him and I was afraid they would. Not sure why, but I've just never liked him.

When the Bears hired Smith, after his first couple days, my reactions was, "Oh crap!" I had the feeling he was exactly what the Bears needed.

[Guiness]

I think Lovie is showing that he's a good coach, but has yet to show he's a great coach.

The situation reminds me a little of Dungy after a few years with TB. Great D, winning games, hasn't proved he can coach a decent 'O'. I know they're scoring, but the defense is helping with that as well. I think time has shown that Dungy is simply a decent coach, not great.

We'll see. I'd say he's got too keep things rolling a bit before I hand the 'great' nomiker on him.

[Bossman641]

I'd call Lovie a good, not great coach. His teams have improved every year and they never seem to come out flat. He's definitely a great D coach, though.

[mraynrand]

I think you judge coaching by results - especially as a fan who can't see a lot of the inner workings. Lovie's getting results.

One thing that really helps a good coach is showing up after a team has absolutely sucked for a stretch of years and has accumulated at least some good players with high picks. You then use your high picks (a good coach influences a GM) to get the type of players you want, and make the (defense in this case) the way you want it. Clearly, Lovie has made the defense the way he wants it, and it is driving the whole show. When you keep giving your offense the ball, good things will happen.

It also helps Chicago to have an injury free year, and to return an entire team of starters on defense and the O-line. Injuries wil de-rail success no matter how good a coach you are (Just ask Sherman about 2002).

[swede]

I think you judge coaching by results - especially a fan who can't see a lot of the inner workings. Lovie's getting results.

One thing that really helps a good coach is showing up after a team has absolutely sucked for a stretch of years and has accumulated at least some good players with high picks. You then use your high picks (a good coach influences a GM) to get the type of players you want, and make the (defense in this case) the way you want it. Clearly, Lovie has made the defense the way he wants it, and it is driving the whole show. When you keep giving your offense the ball, good things will happen.

It also helps Chicago to have an injury free year, and to return an entire team of starters on defense and the O-line. Injuries wil de-rail success no matter how good a coach you are (Just ask Sherman about 2002).

Good points. They make me think about MM's situation.

I have nothing against MM and my MM arrow is currently pointing up.

But I don't anticipate that I would be broken-hearted if MM were to be fired should the team, say, go well under .500 in 2007. Hypothetically, I wonder how many coaches TT gets to fire before he gets fired himself? My guess is TT could survive MM's firing but would need to hit on a winner the next time 'round or he'd be done also.

The Bears.

Dallas.

Seattle.

Sometimes teams are bad for quite a while before they hit on the right combination of talent and coaching and start winning again. The talent pool is growing again in Green Bay but I'm not all enthusiastic that the coaching staff is the right group of coaches at the right time.

[Dabaddestbear]

I think Lovie is an average HC. The one thing he brings is what a lot of HC's don't have, an ability to make players believe in themselves and the system. His play calling is vanilla on both sides of the ball. What I would want from the Bears is their scouts for the defensive side of the ball. Face, offensively, they still suck. Even with Glassman putting up numbers...
Merlin are you serious?
you are the exception of most pack fans on this site for they dont tend to suck the Kool-aid as often.
You call having a top 5 offense and a top rated QB as a result of an offense sucking.
You my friend I am done with cuz you obviously have nothing left in that poor skull.

[RashanGary]

Great coach IMO.

He's got the players so that helps but he beleives in conditioning and high effort for 4 quarters. He runs a proven system, demands respect and effort and his guys play for him.

I'd take him over all but 5 coaches right now.

I can't say enough good things about Chicago right now but I think it might start crumbling down after this year so they better hit their window and win it now.

[Dabaddestbear]

He just called one of the games best coaches average and said their play calling was crap and that offensively they are terrible.

They put up 29 points per game while giving up 7.25 per game. That is a 21.75 point advantage per game. Thats more than 3 touchdowns and extra points.

Foolish, uneducated statement.

He's won 0 playoff games and he's one of the leagues best coaches? Their D puts the O in good positions most of the time and Rex is gambling and winning those gambles right now. They really should have lost to MN, but the Vikings O is stagnant and far too predictable right now.

I won't call Lovie one of the best head coaches in the league till he does something. If you want to talk about his ability to coach up a D then ok.
WTF!!!???
The defense is stopping the other team but the Bears offense has marched the entire field quite a few times this year. How would you account for all those yards they are getting in the passing game? You cant get them with a short field.
Its not that any team is predictable,its just that this D is just that good and getting better. Did you happen to see the Bears 5th round rookie DE get his 2nd and 3rd sack? This team has depth and is not backing down. They played a tough game against a division rival in the Dome so what. They gave u a TD on a INT and came right back and won!

take the glasses off my friend you are startng to sound ridiculous.

[Chubbyhubby]

Merlin, you're a moron.

Is there some software glitch that's causing everyone to be nasty to each other this weekend? What in hades is going on around here?

I think the reason everyone is at edge is that DABears looked awesome last night and our beloved Pack probably can't beat a junior varsity football team at the moment. Bear nation are calling this year's Bears club "SuperBowl Bound!"

[Green Bud Packer]

the football gods are lifting the bears higher and higher so when they drop it'll be a bigger splat.

[MadtownPacker]

At this point Lovie is as good a HC as Sherman was because both have gotten good teams with good records to the playoffs. I dont put Sherm as a great HC because he never took the next step. So the same can be said of Smith.

Smith still has time to make his mark but while good no one can say he is great. He still has time though.

[MacCool606]

I see some of the blank looks on Lovie's face, and I get the feeling that he may not know what to do. I am thinking that he has a very good staff, one that will probably start getting raided (we interviewed Ron Rivera (sp?) - next year he maay be the hot coaching candidate) by other teams.
Lovie probably set up the coaching structure of the team, but my gut instinct says it isn't Lovie that has the team hungry.
(Now to be honost I haven't seen as many blank looks as I did last year and in the pre-season.)

[lord favre]

I can't call him great yet, he hasn't won a ring. I certainly think he has the potential to be a great one and bring the Bears a championship. He has done an excellent job so far and it has been especially noticeable this year.

he has this team responding the way they should be after being humiliated at home in the playoffs. The Bears are very confident but guarded. They seem to know that they cannot allow themselves to get too big headed yet, they very obviously have their eye on the prize. These guys are pissed off when they allow an opponent to score, after last nights near perfect performance Grossman says "I know we can do better". That folks is a focused team with tunnel vision and it all starts with the head coach.

We are also overlooking the job Angelo has done putting this team together through trades, drafts and free-angency. Love them or hate them you have to admit they have an exceptional amount of young talent and depth. Face it, when Urlacher isn't even your best defensive player you know you're bad-assed.

[BEARMAN]

Great, Not great, I don't care, all I know is he has us 4 an 0 this year and he has DA BEARS playing at a very high level. Everything is clicking, I mean everything, ofence, defence, special teams, kicking, clock managemnet, everything. You can not have him, he is ours. He is the best we have had sence.. "the Coach". He made a statement the day he took the reins, Beat GB(we have)win the division(we have)win a SB(we are on our way). Sorry for you lose tonight(not realy, just being polite) and we'll see you in Dec.

GO BEARS !

[b bulldog]

The Bears look great at the moment, hopefully for the Bears fans sake, they aren't peaking at the wrong time.