Bears Blitz

Published by Jeff Chase on December 26, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

After getting off to a 7-3 start on the year, the Chicago Bears have managed to drop their last five games. Now may be the time to move on from head coach Lovie Smith.

The Bears have been hurt by injuries this season, but clearly they were not ready for battle in case they were to become injured like they had this season.

The Bears did lose quarterback Jay Cutler following their Week 11 victory over the San Diego Chargers, and then lost star running back Matt Forte two weeks later in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

No one would expect the Bears to play as well as they did with two of their best players out at the same time, but this Bears team just looks like a mess.

So where does that all trace back to? 

Coaching, which is why coach Smith—and more importantly his staff of offensive coordinator Mike Martz and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli—have to go. While Lovie has been a staple in Chicago for eight years now, it is evident that the Bears might need to make a complete overhaul in their coaching and front office—including general manager Jerry Angelo.

In eight seasons, Smith has led the Bears to an overall record of 70-57, including a 13-3 season back in 2006. Smith has taken the Bears to the playoffs three times, including their Super Bowl run in 2006 that resulted in a loss to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

While many do like Smith, perhaps it is just time to move on.

Smith has done a great job in becoming a consistent image for the Bears’ franchise, but he isn’t exactly having turn-around success year in and year out.

The Bears made a huge move to bring in Cutler to play quarterback, but they have failed to truly succeed like they had hoped. With Cutler going down this season, the Bears should have been prepared following what happened in last year’s NFC Championship game, when they lost to the Green Bay Packers after losing Cutler to injury in the game.

While Hanie did have some success in that game, there was no guarantee that he was ready to come in and play like they needed him to this season. Clearly, he wasn’t.

Hanie put the Bears in a terrible position, and that all traces back to Smith and his decision to keep Hanie as the Bears quarterback despite his struggles.

The Bears were looking good with their 7-3 start, but dropping their last five games is just pathetic. They lost to teams like the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks. The Packers loss is understandable, but the rest are just inexcusable. The Bears are better than that.

Smith has had a great run in Chicago, and his services have been greatly appreciated. Now is the time, though, to finally move on.

Here are some possible replacements.

Bill Cowher

There is no doubt how much success Cowher had with a defense-first team in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bears are known for having a strong defense, so they need to find a coach who can embrace that style of play.

No coach represents that better than Cowher. 

It remains to be seen when Cowher would actually return to coaching, as he has seemed pretty set on working over at CBS. If the Bears were to offer the right price, one would have to assume that Cowher would be willing to listen.

In 15 seasons with the Steelers, Cowher went 149-90-1 while winning a Super Bowl in 2005. Cowher took the Steelers to the playoffs in 10 of his 15 seasons, so he is proven as a coach who can get the most out of his players. 

The Bears could use a coach like Cowher, as he represents a different mentality in comparison to Smith. If you ever watch a Bears game, you would be surprised to see if Smith had any movement on his face. He doesn’t react to anything.

With Cowher, the Bears would be getting a coach who would get in their face when they make mistakes and would be making his players work hard. While Smith is highly respected by his players, they need a coach who’s going to push them through motivation.

Joe Philbin

Adding a coach like Philbin would be in the opposite direction of Cowher.

The Packers offensive coordinator presents a great option for the Bears in terms of changing their offensive attack.

While the Bears have seen strides of success under Mike Martz, it is apparent that it is not an easy system for new players to become accustomed to. If the Bears were to bring in a new wide receiver, it would be hard to imagine him making much of a difference right away.

Also, if Cutler was to go down again, the Bears would need a quarterback who could run the system just as well as he does.

It is like Peyton Manning in Indianapolis—the engine doesn’t start without the right key.

If the Bears were to go out and get Philbin, they would be bringing in a guy who has run one of the most explosive offenses over the last two years. The Bears have a passing weapon in Cutler, but they need to make the most of his abilities.

While Martz does run a pass-heavy offense, his system is prone to too many mistakes that a quarterback like Cutler can easily be exposed to.

The Packers have clearly had success on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 34.3 points per game this season. That is best in the league.

Of course, the Packers do have Rodgers, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley and Jordy Nelson, so they do have a better set of pieces for their passing attack.

Still, the addition of Philbin would allow the Bears to bring in a coach who could overhaul their system and perhaps have immediate success. The Bears invested a lot when they brought in Cutler, so they need to bring in someone who can make the most of what they have. 

Cutler has a big arm just like Rodgers, so he could definitely make the big plays with his arm. The Bears just need to get in a new mindset so that they could have consistent success on offense year in and year out.

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