Mike Martz: Dismissal of Chicago Bears’ OC Signals Do or Die for Lovie Smith
Published by Brian Mazique on January 5, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
This is it, Lovie Smith survived Termination Tuesday at Halas Hall, so it seems pretty clear, he’ll get one more shot at getting the Bears back to the Super Bowl, or at least close.
This will be the fourth offensive coordinator in Lovie’s tenure and the third for Jay Cutler. It doesn’t seem to bother Cutler at all as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports:
“It’s well known Jay Cutler had to be cajoled into the idea of working with Martz in the first place. So it’s not surprising the quarterback went to Halas Hall on Tuesday and let Smith know he was in favor of moving on without Martz before the coaches had met.”
Barring an unexpected falloff from Cutler, he isn’t going anywhere. The Bears are committed to him long term, and he was playing well before he was injured.
Lovie’s future hangs in the balance. Injuries won’t even save him this year, as the team was criticized for not having a capable backup on the roster when Cutler went down. While that falls primarily on the shoulders of the dismissed Jerry Angelo, it is Smith and the coaching staff’s responsibility to keep the backups prepared to step in.
If the decision still lies with Smith, he must make sure he is on one accord with the person he chooses to run his offense. This is not the year to have more philosophical differences. Another subpar season will be his last in Chicago.
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