Babich to be DC AND Linebackers coach

[GakMan23]

Bears | Babich to have added responsibility this season

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:12:37 -0800

 

Brad Biggs, of the Chicago Sun-Times, reports Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich will also serve as the linebackers coach this coming season.

 

Ya because he did such a good job as the DC that they figured he had way to much time on his hands so he can teach the LB's as well.

[CrackerDog]

Bears | Babich to have added responsibility this season

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:12:37 -0800

 

Brad Biggs, of the Chicago Sun-Times, reports Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich will also serve as the linebackers coach this coming season.

 

Ya because he did such a good job as the DC that they figured he had way to much time on his hands so he can teach the LB's as well.

 

Ridiculous.

[ToddO'Connor16]

What the hell are they thinking. Our fall from defensive grace continues

[clnr]

Well, Smith is taking over some of Babich's duties. Good or bad? Don't know! But at least this will mean it will be a make or break season next year for Lovie.

 

From the same article: Smith said with Babich working with the linebackers that Smith will help coordinate the defense, and he will be more involved this season.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/01/lo...out_coachi.html

[madlithuanian]

Hopefully it's a set-up for demotion...

 

Bears | Babich to have added responsibility this season

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:12:37 -0800

 

Brad Biggs, of the Chicago Sun-Times, reports Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich will also serve as the linebackers coach this coming season.

 

Ya because he did such a good job as the DC that they figured he had way to much time on his hands so he can teach the LB's as well.

[Lucky Luciano]

Well, Smith is taking over some of Babich's duties. Good or bad? Don't know! But at least this will mean it will be a make or break season next year for Lovie.

 

From the same article: Smith said with Babich working with the linebackers that Smith will help coordinate the defense, and he will be more involved this season.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/01/lo...out_coachi.html

 

i have to ask... with our defense crumbling before our very eyes, why didn't lovie get "more involved" last season?

 

i would also like to note that linebacker coach 'shouldn't' be a major concern seeing as that was lovie's JOB when he started out coaching in the nfl. makes you wonder why he would appoint babich to that position after firing the previous coach, who i can only assume, lovie didn't "get more involved" with.

[clnr]

i have to ask... with our defense crumbling before our very eyes, why didn't lovie get "more involved" last season?

 

i would also like to note that linebacker coach 'shouldn't' be a major concern seeing as that was lovie's JOB when he started out coaching in the nfl. makes you wonder why he would appoint babich to that position after firing the previous coach, who i can only assume, lovie didn't "get more involved" with.

Good question! More info from Brad Briggs: Lovie will take over the defensive playcalling next year.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/01/lo...fense_babi.html

[nfoligno]

i have to ask... with our defense crumbling before our very eyes, why didn't lovie get "more involved" last season?

 

This is about as big of a head scratcher as any question out there.

 

I really thought Lovie would have been more hands on w/ HIS defense that was failing so miserably last year, but nope. And for those who believed Lovie was more involved, all I have to say is watch film which shows him continuing to do nothing on the sideline. If he were more involved in defensive playcalls, you would at least see him move his dang lips.

 

But back to the point, I agree that it is just baffling that Lovie didn't step in sooner.

 

Then again, why should we be surprised. This group always seems a step behind. In a game, they are incapable of making adjustments, and even after the game, they have to watch film to understand what happened.

 

I know it is considered a big joke on this board, but seriously, why does it seem like we scream for/about things on this board a year before we see those exact changes made in real life. I remember screaming for us to make the 2 TE formation a major part of our offense in 2006, but could rarely see it. We finally saw it this year. Many also screamed for Olsen to be moved around more in 2006, but it wasn't until 2007 we saw it. We called for the shotgun before we saw it happen. We called for our QB to roll out more to buy time and better see the field long before it was installed. We called for many changes on defense as well.

 

And we screamed for Lovie to take over the playcalling on defense long ago, and yet only now does Lovie get it.

 

As bad as this all is, it is nothing compared to our GM who is just now realizing that, "It all starts w/ the QB".

[madlithuanian]

Truly baffling indeed...

 

It's sad when a message board community is far ahead of the game than the actual folks that get paid to do it.

 

Then again, there is more passion in one post on this board than I've seen in Zombie Smith for about half a decade...

 

I know it is considered a big joke on this board, but seriously, why does it seem like we scream for/about things on this board a year before we see those exact changes made in real life. I remember screaming for us to make the 2 TE formation a major part of our offense in 2006, but could rarely see it. We finally saw it this year. Many also screamed for Olsen to be moved around more in 2006, but it wasn't until 2007 we saw it. We called for the shotgun before we saw it happen. We called for our QB to roll out more to buy time and better see the field long before it was installed. We called for many changes on defense as well.

 

And we screamed for Lovie to take over the playcalling on defense long ago, and yet only now does Lovie get it.

 

As bad as this all is, it is nothing compared to our GM who is just now realizing that, "It all starts w/ the QB".

[BearSox]

Good move, as it's about damn time Lovie put his money where his mouth is. It's his head on the line this year, and if the D sucks again, we know who's head will be on the chopping block.

 

Also, Babich being the DC right now is just a title. Obviously Lovie didn't want to hurt his friends feeling by having to take away his title, even though he's back to being what he was when Lovie first got here. I think Marinelli is gonna play a bigger role then just DLine as well.

[Lucky Luciano]

 

the statement you made about angelo hits the mark. it takes the media to crucify him after a dismal season for poor drafting and misguided priorities before he finally 'gets' it?

 

on to lovie... just what does lovie actually do as HC? just designate his coordinators complete control and sit back on cruise control until the season is over?

 

starting out with shay as our OC it seemed shay was in over his head with play calling. yet lovie did nothing to change the offensive foremat and as a matter of fact seemed unable to even get on the same page as shay with changes lovie said needed to occur. to say shay was out of control is an understatement. is turner now in complete charge of this teams offense without any input, changes, direction or goals set by lovie? it seems quite obvious that lovie has absolutely nothing to contribute on this side of the ball other than mouthing "we need to get off the bus running" when appropriate.

 

on defense we see the same modus operandi. babich is in over his head and yet lovie verbally throws in his complete support without action. truth be known, is lovie's understanding of defense so shallow that he really doesn't have a clue how to fix it and is relying on babich to come up with game plans and game adjustments? at season's end lovie leads us to believe this next season will change/be different because he will now provide input as to how our defense is run?

 

strap yourselves in people, it's gonna be a long season or two.

[CrackerDog]

OMFG! The chicken little brigade, led by NFO, King Chicken, is at it again...

 

What the Bears have done this off season already pleases me.

 

1.) They hired a solid DL coach who ought to get a lot more out of the substantial talent we have there.

2.) They've effectively demoted an ineffective DC and replaced him with Lovie Smith, a guy who clearly had a tad bit of success running the Cover 2 in his previous life

3.) The GM has made it known that QB play on this team (which I actually had little issue with this year given all else) wasn't up to snuff and he intends to bring the heat to that position. Something, if you'd all get your heads out of your asses, that ought to excite you!

4.) The O this season was pretty darned productive with NO wide receivers. NONE. If we can address that, step up the QB play either via free agency or just threatening Orton with a challenge to the position, we ought to see a nice improvement from the O!

5.) Forte is the shit. We're good there for a decade if he stays healthy.

6.) We still need to improve the O Line depth and basically start replacing some of the old guys. Center is my biggest concern now as Olin is a fossil. A few choice picks here and there in the draft will clearly focus here.

 

The sky isn't falling girls. We went 9-7 this season which is dead on for where this team was projected by the optimistic among us. With a few key changes and better production out of the talent we already have, they can revamp quickly and be right back in the swing next season. I'm not saying they will, but damn dudes... Let the actual off season moves take place before you sign the death warrant for 2009. Please!

 

PS. I do/did think the Babich dual role was ridiculous until I found out that Lovie was going to step into a more active role there. I agree with those that say Lovie should've gotten off his ass faster during the season. But that's an opinion based on nothing but a guess that he didn't. Nobody here knows if he was a lot more involved in the late season game plans for the D. NOBODY. And we had a pretty good run at the end of the year until the last game... After Brown was hurt.

[GakMan23]

OMFG! The chicken little brigade, led by NFO, King Chicken, is at it again...

 

 

PS. I do/did think the Babich dual role was ridiculous until I found out that Lovie was going to step into a more active role there. I agree with those that say Lovie should've gotten off his ass faster during the season. But that's an opinion based on nothing but a guess that he didn't. Nobody here knows if he was a lot more involved in the late season game plans for the D. NOBODY. And we had a pretty good run at the end of the year until the last game... After Brown was hurt.

 

 

Actually per Lovie's own words in the Sun Times we have pretty good idea how involved he was

 

"I have been involved a little bit,'' Smith said this afternoon on a teleconference. "My involvement will be a lot more now.

[nfoligno]

1.) They hired a solid DL coach who ought to get a lot more out of the substantial talent we have there.

 

Agree. I don't like that he is Lovie's BFF, but that isn't his fault. He should get more out of our DL than did Brick, though that isn't saying much.

2.) They've effectively demoted an ineffective DC and replaced him with Lovie Smith, a guy who clearly had a tad bit of success running the Cover 2 in his previous life

 

clearly had a tad bit of success running the cover 2? Frankly, this has ALWAYS made me laugh. Go back and check out what he did while DC for StL. They never had a good defense. Their defenses were average at best. They gave up both yards and points, but they won thanks to "the greatest show on turf". The one thing his defenses did well was create turnovers, but how much of that was due to having an offense as they did, forcing teams to be one dimensional, and knowing that if your aggressive play allowed a score, it wasn't a probelm. Sorry, but I would argue Lovie was never that good of a DC.

 

And say what you will, but this is an in-season move. Not an off-season move. This is the sort of thing teams consider a fall back plan. How often do teams head into the season w/ their fall back plan? If Babich is not good enough to be the DC, then he loses the title and you find a competent DC. That is what pretty much every team in the league does, but friendship is just too important to Lovie, so we head into the season w/ a fall back plan. But you have no problem w/ this?

 

3.) The GM has made it known that QB play on this team (which I actually had little issue with this year given all else) wasn't up to snuff and he intends to bring the heat to that position. Something, if you'd all get your heads out of your asses, that ought to excite you!

 

One, as you said, QB was not as great of an issue this year as it has been in the past, so why now is it all about the QB? You don't find it frustrating that in all those years w/ Rex, and unproven QB, we avoided competition like the plague, but in a year we get decent QB and offensive production, QB is suddenly the biggest thing there is.

 

I have no problem w/ the idea of competition, but I do have an issue w/ the timing.

 

Two, your right that this should excite me, but looking at the options available, I find it hard to get too excited.

 

4.) The O this season was pretty darned productive with NO wide receivers. NONE. If we can address that, step up the QB play either via free agency or just threatening Orton with a challenge to the position, we ought to see a nice improvement from the O!

 

But this is part of the problem. Did you not read/hear ALL of Angelo's comments? He specifically said it is not all about the WR. It is not all about the OL. He made out like we have good enough WRs and OL, and only our QB holds us back. I agree it was impressive that our offense did as well as it did w/ so little, but listening to Angelo, I just question why you would be so optimistic we will see big upgrades at either WR or OL. Angelo, based on his comments, is more likely to sign Warner and believe that will solve everything. Sign Warner with this surrounding cast, and well, I just hope we provide the players w/ an awesome health care plan.

 

5.) Forte is the shit. We're good there for a decade if he stays healthy.

 

What does this have to do w/ our offseason? Hey, I agree. Forte was "the shit" and especially when you consider our OL. But if you want to keep him healthy, you better build around him, and I question why you have such an expectation.

 

6.) We still need to improve the O Line depth and basically start replacing some of the old guys. Center is my biggest concern now as Olin is a fossil. A few choice picks here and there in the draft will clearly focus here.

 

I agree our OL is a huge need, though I think RT is #1 w/ OG as close 2nd. But again, remember, it isn't about the OL but the QB. Take a look at how little Angelo has drafted OL since he has arrived, and tell me why you expect him to change?

 

The sky isn't falling girls. We went 9-7 this season which is dead on for where this team was projected by the optimistic among us. With a few key changes and better production out of the talent we already have, they can revamp quickly and be right back in the swing next season. I'm not saying they will, but damn dudes... Let the actual off season moves take place before you sign the death warrant for 2009. Please!

 

That's what I love about you and your exaggeration. No one is saying the sky is falling. No one is saying we are going to be next years Detroit Lions. I guess you just want to read the rosie stuff. There are bitter fans who are watching NFL playoff football, and not feeling satisified, all the while listening/watching our team do things that some of us feel are questionable, and thus we are critical. But in your world, that means we feel the sky is falling. Yea, who is chicken little.

 

Says poster #1, "You know, I am not sure Olin Kreutz is a playing at a pro bowl caliber anymore"

 

Says chickendog, "Oh my God. The sky isn't falling. Everything is Great. Everything we are doing is great. We are going to be great again next year. How dare you question the Gods, er, I mean, the coaches and GM.

 

PS. I do/did think the Babich dual role was ridiculous until I found out that Lovie was going to step into a more active role there. I agree with those that say Lovie should've gotten off his ass faster during the season. But that's an opinion based on nothing but a guess that he didn't. Nobody here knows if he was a lot more involved in the late season game plans for the D. NOBODY. And we had a pretty good run at the end of the year until the last game... After Brown was hurt.

 

One, I said during the season I felt Lovie was likely inserting himself more in terms of game planning, but I would argue he did not insert himself into the role of game day playcalling, which is the point. That is where most fans feel Babich really failed.

 

Two, yea, our D picked it up later in the year, but many would point to replacing Dusty w/ Scott as being a key element of that. While not a great player, that move seemed to trigger improved play by both Urlacher and Harris.

[GrizzlyBear]

1.) They hired a solid DL coach who ought to get a lot more out of the substantial talent we have there.

 

Agree. I don't like that he is Lovie's BFF, but that isn't his fault. He should get more out of our DL than did Brick, though that isn't saying much.

2.) They've effectively demoted an ineffective DC and replaced him with Lovie Smith, a guy who clearly had a tad bit of success running the Cover 2 in his previous life

 

clearly had a tad bit of success running the cover 2? Frankly, this has ALWAYS made me laugh. Go back and check out what he did while DC for StL. They never had a good defense. Their defenses were average at best. They gave up both yards and points, but they won thanks to "the greatest show on turf". The one thing his defenses did well was create turnovers, but how much of that was due to having an offense as they did, forcing teams to be one dimensional, and knowing that if your aggressive play allowed a score, it wasn't a probelm. Sorry, but I would argue Lovie was never that good of a DC.

 

And say what you will, but this is an in-season move. Not an off-season move. This is the sort of thing teams consider a fall back plan. How often do teams head into the season w/ their fall back plan? If Babich is not good enough to be the DC, then he loses the title and you find a competent DC. That is what pretty much every team in the league does, but friendship is just too important to Lovie, so we head into the season w/ a fall back plan. But you have no problem w/ this?

 

3.) The GM has made it known that QB play on this team (which I actually had little issue with this year given all else) wasn't up to snuff and he intends to bring the heat to that position. Something, if you'd all get your heads out of your asses, that ought to excite you!

 

One, as you said, QB was not as great of an issue this year as it has been in the past, so why now is it all about the QB? You don't find it frustrating that in all those years w/ Rex, and unproven QB, we avoided competition like the plague, but in a year we get decent QB and offensive production, QB is suddenly the biggest thing there is.

 

I have no problem w/ the idea of competition, but I do have an issue w/ the timing.

 

Two, your right that this should excite me, but looking at the options available, I find it hard to get too excited.

 

4.) The O this season was pretty darned productive with NO wide receivers. NONE. If we can address that, step up the QB play either via free agency or just threatening Orton with a challenge to the position, we ought to see a nice improvement from the O!

 

But this is part of the problem. Did you not read/hear ALL of Angelo's comments? He specifically said it is not all about the WR. It is not all about the OL. He made out like we have good enough WRs and OL, and only our QB holds us back. I agree it was impressive that our offense did as well as it did w/ so little, but listening to Angelo, I just question why you would be so optimistic we will see big upgrades at either WR or OL. Angelo, based on his comments, is more likely to sign Warner and believe that will solve everything. Sign Warner with this surrounding cast, and well, I just hope we provide the players w/ an awesome health care plan.

 

5.) Forte is the shit. We're good there for a decade if he stays healthy.

 

What does this have to do w/ our offseason? Hey, I agree. Forte was "the shit" and especially when you consider our OL. But if you want to keep him healthy, you better build around him, and I question why you have such an expectation.

 

6.) We still need to improve the O Line depth and basically start replacing some of the old guys. Center is my biggest concern now as Olin is a fossil. A few choice picks here and there in the draft will clearly focus here.

 

I agree our OL is a huge need, though I think RT is #1 w/ OG as close 2nd. But again, remember, it isn't about the OL but the QB. Take a look at how little Angelo has drafted OL since he has arrived, and tell me why you expect him to change?

 

The sky isn't falling girls. We went 9-7 this season which is dead on for where this team was projected by the optimistic among us. With a few key changes and better production out of the talent we already have, they can revamp quickly and be right back in the swing next season. I'm not saying they will, but damn dudes... Let the actual off season moves take place before you sign the death warrant for 2009. Please!

 

That's what I love about you and your exaggeration. No one is saying the sky is falling. No one is saying we are going to be next years Detroit Lions. I guess you just want to read the rosie stuff. There are bitter fans who are watching NFL playoff football, and not feeling satisified, all the while listening/watching our team do things that some of us feel are questionable, and thus we are critical. But in your world, that means we feel the sky is falling. Yea, who is chicken little.

 

Says poster #1, "You know, I am not sure Olin Kreutz is a playing at a pro bowl caliber anymore"

 

Says chickendog, "Oh my God. The sky isn't falling. Everything is Great. Everything we are doing is great. We are going to be great again next year. How dare you question the Gods, er, I mean, the coaches and GM.

 

PS. I do/did think the Babich dual role was ridiculous until I found out that Lovie was going to step into a more active role there. I agree with those that say Lovie should've gotten off his ass faster during the season. But that's an opinion based on nothing but a guess that he didn't. Nobody here knows if he was a lot more involved in the late season game plans for the D. NOBODY. And we had a pretty good run at the end of the year until the last game... After Brown was hurt.

 

One, I said during the season I felt Lovie was likely inserting himself more in terms of game planning, but I would argue he did not insert himself into the role of game day playcalling, which is the point. That is where most fans feel Babich really failed.

 

Two, yea, our D picked it up later in the year, but many would point to replacing Dusty w/ Scott as being a key element of that. While not a great player, that move seemed to trigger improved play by both Urlacher and Harris.

Instead of going through all this why dont we just say " the only thing that would have made this year good was the resignation of smith." We all know no matter what this staff does, it will never meet the expectations of the fans.

[nfoligno]

Instead of going through all this why dont we just say " the only thing that would have made this year good was the resignation of smith." We all know no matter what this staff does, it will never meet the expectations of the fans.

 

I would argue it more being, no matter what this staff is willing to do.....

 

Just throwing this out there. Lovie preached accountability. He then fired the top 3 position coaches, but he kept Babich. Yea, he has now sort of demoted him, but is the accountability really there? You say, no matter what this staff does, but I just disagree. The staff was in a position to walk the walk, but friendship got in the way.

 

Further, I think many would like to see changed to the defense greater than simply altering some name plates. In hiring Marinelli, moving Babich to LB and Lovie taking over the D, we have coaching changes, but the system is still in place, and it is a system many fans question.

 

So I disagree there is nothing the staff could have done, short of firing Lovie, but would argue it is more a matter of there is nothing the staff is willing to do.

[nfoligno]

on to lovie... just what does lovie actually do as HC? just designate his coordinators complete control and sit back on cruise control until the season is over?

 

I believe the term is daydreaming.

 

starting out with shay as our OC it seemed shay was in over his head with play calling. yet lovie did nothing to change the offensive foremat and as a matter of fact seemed unable to even get on the same page as shay with changes lovie said needed to occur. to say shay was out of control is an understatement. is turner now in complete charge of this teams offense without any input, changes, direction or goals set by lovie? it seems quite obvious that lovie has absolutely nothing to contribute on this side of the ball other than mouthing "we need to get off the bus running" when appropriate.

 

on defense we see the same modus operandi. babich is in over his head and yet lovie verbally throws in his complete support without action. truth be known, is lovie's understanding of defense so shallow that he really doesn't have a clue how to fix it and is relying on babich to come up with game plans and game adjustments? at season's end lovie leads us to believe this next season will change/be different because he will now provide input as to how our defense is run?

 

On offense, I would actually give Lovie a bit of a pass. Lovie does not know offense, and there simply was not a lot Lovie could do. If we had on our staff a very well thought of position coach, I guess we could have cut bait w/ Shea midseason and promoted that position coach, but I don't think any of our other coaches were thought off well enough. Lovie was quick to let Shea go though, and frankly, he deserves credit for that. I would not have expected too much more.

 

On the defensive side of the ball though, well, that is another matter. Not only is Lovie a defensive backgrounded coach, but we are running HIS DEFENSIVE SYSTEM. We were in the 2nd year of Babich, and if you look at the Shea example, there was enough reason to fire him after one. But we were in year two, and our D stunk. There is simply no reason, other than not wanting to show up your BFF, that Lovie should not have stepped in sooner. Crackerpuppy will try to argue Lovie may have and we don't know. I think Lovie may have stepped in some for game prep, but I do not believe he did jack in terms of in-game playcalling. Frankly, that is simply not too hard to figure out. When the defense is on the field, what is Lovie doing? If Lovie were talking to the staff/players more on a play by play basis, you might argue he is calling the D, but Lovie was just standing there like a statue, as usual. Unless Lovie has been studying to be a ventriliquist on the side, I don't see how it can be argued he took over the playcalling this past year.

[madlithuanian]

You cruise control comment is spot on!

 

It's like whatever's set up in camp is what we run no matter the consequences! Heaven forbid we change or adjust!

 

the statement you made about angelo hits the mark. it takes the media to crucify him after a dismal season for poor drafting and misguided priorities before he finally 'gets' it?

 

on to lovie... just what does lovie actually do as HC? just designate his coordinators complete control and sit back on cruise control until the season is over?

 

starting out with shay as our OC it seemed shay was in over his head with play calling. yet lovie did nothing to change the offensive foremat and as a matter of fact seemed unable to even get on the same page as shay with changes lovie said needed to occur. to say shay was out of control is an understatement. is turner now in complete charge of this teams offense without any input, changes, direction or goals set by lovie? it seems quite obvious that lovie has absolutely nothing to contribute on this side of the ball other than mouthing "we need to get off the bus running" when appropriate.

 

on defense we see the same modus operandi. babich is in over his head and yet lovie verbally throws in his complete support without action. truth be known, is lovie's understanding of defense so shallow that he really doesn't have a clue how to fix it and is relying on babich to come up with game plans and game adjustments? at season's end lovie leads us to believe this next season will change/be different because he will now provide input as to how our defense is run?

 

strap yourselves in people, it's gonna be a long season or two.

[Pixote]

nfo - you say:

 

clearly had a tad bit of success running the cover 2? Frankly, this has ALWAYS made me laugh. Go back and check out what he did while DC for StL. They never had a good defense. Their defenses were average at best. They gave up both yards and points, but they won thanks to "the greatest show on turf". The one thing his defenses did well was create turnovers, but how much of that was due to having an offense as they did, forcing teams to be one dimensional, and knowing that if your aggressive play allowed a score, it wasn't a probelm. Sorry, but I would argue Lovie was never that good of a DC.

 

I see in his bio this little blurb:

 

Smith guided St. Louis to a defensive resurgence upon taking over in 2001. Inheriting a defense coming off a season in which it ranked 23rd in the NFL in total defense while allowing over 29 points per game, Smith improved the unit to third in the NFL in total defense while permitting only 17.0 points per game. The St. Louis defense made one-year leaps to third from 13th in the NFL in run defense and 10th from 27th in pass defense while improving to a conference-high 14 wins from 10 in 2000. The Rams did that all scored five defensive touchdowns in 2001 while starting seven new players on defense, including two rookies.

 

So he took a team ranked 23rd in total defense, with 7 new players and 2 rookies to deal with, and improved them in his 1st year as DC to 3rd in total defense, (run defense improving from 13th to 3rd, pass defense improving from 27th to 10th, and allowing 12 points a game less than the year before he took over). Yep, sure sound like he sucked as a DC. (And yes, they got a tremendous number of turnovers and take-a-ways also).

 

I personally look forward to him taking over a lot of the DC responsibilities.

[madlithuanian]

I sure hope he can do similar. Becaue it's basically the same as then. The only difference is our horrid ranking this past season came under his watch.

 

Im irritated by the lack of holding Babich responsible. He should be demoted in title too. This is just complete BS cronyism.

 

Smith is putting everything on his shoulders for the most part. I hope he succeeds. I am weary, and feel as though if he does not, that should be his one way ticket out of town.

 

 

 

So he took a team ranked 23rd in total defense, with 7 new players and 2 rookies to deal with, and improved them in his 1st year as DC to 3rd in total defense, (run defense improving from 13th to 3rd, pass defense improving from 27th to 10th, and allowing 12 points a game less than the year before he took over). Yep, sure sound like he sucked as a DC. (And yes, they got a tremendous number of turnovers and take-a-ways also).

 

I personally look forward to him taking over a lot of the DC responsibilities.

[Pixote]

I sure hope he can do similar. Becaue it's basically the same as then. The only difference is our horrid ranking this past season came under his watch.

 

Im irritated by the lack of holding Babich responsible. He should be demoted in title too. This is just complete BS cronyism.

 

Smith is putting everything on his shoulders for the most part. I hope he succeeds. I am weary, and feel as though if he does not, that should be his one way ticket out of town.

 

Personally, it seems the only thing that will make many of the posters happy is for Smith to be fired along with Angelo. I am not pointing a finger at you, or anyone else. Those I speak of know whom I am talking about.

 

Sure, Babich retains the title of DC, but he is actually being demoted to LBC. He was LBC when Urlacher was at his best. He will be in a position he has succeeded in before with us. Believe me, everyone in the league knows he is DC in name only and has been demoted.

 

Yes, Marinelli was HC for one of the worse teams in NFL history, but he was also the DLC for over 10 years with one of the best defenses during that time period and is still considered by many as one of the best DL coaches in the business. Is there anyone more qualified in the cover 2 DLC you would want over Marenilli?

 

Didn't quite a few posters say they wanted Lovie to take control of the Defense? Isn't that what he just said he was going to do? Why is everyone pissed about this? Despite what was said by some, he was a kick butt DC in STL. Criticize him if you want for not doing it sooner, but he is stepping up and taking responsibility and I hope he succeeds.

 

I do not know enough about the DBC signed to make comment. Hopefully he will work out. At least he isn't a college coach with no NFL experience. We questrioned why our DB coach was fired. We are guessing either a scape goat or conflict with HC, maybe he just sucked as DBC, I do not know. Maybe it is simular situations in Houston?

[ChileBear]

Well said, Pix, and I do share your optimism. Afterall, I am a Bears fan! I just hope Lovie is not saying this now as a result of the comments coming out that he's not a hands-on guy. But, of course, I'll be rootin' for the Blue and Orange forever!

[Lucky Luciano]

On offense, I would actually give Lovie a bit of a pass. Lovie does not know offense, and there simply was not a lot Lovie could do. If we had on our staff a very well thought of position coach, I guess we could have cut bait w/ Shea midseason and promoted that position coach, but I don't think any of our other coaches were thought off well enough. Lovie was quick to let Shea go though, and frankly, he deserves credit for that. I would not have expected too much more.

 

i have to disagree somewhat on this statement. if this were lovie's first and MAYBE even his second season he might get a 'bit' of slack as far as his understanding where to turn the corner on an offense.

 

1. i believe that when you are designated as a head coach (and not just lovie) this throws all the exclusive departmental scenarios out the window. it is now your job to understand each individual aspect of your team as a whole and have at the least a general understanding of each individual part and be able to make cognizant decisions in how each is run and if it needs modification when/if the need arises. it is HIS job to train himself to understand these basics.

 

am i saying he should educate himself enough to take over an offenses day to day operations and in-game strategies? probably not. should he educate himself enough to change coordinator duties if he returns to the nfl in that capacity? probably not. but he SHOULD be able to understand enough to tell his underlings that what they are doing does not fit in the scheme he requires as a head coach and suggest changes that are required to do so not only in a general sense but in actual game-time conditions.

 

2. i have to wonder... doesn't a defensive coordinator HAVE to have at least a basic understanding of how offenses work in order to do his job effectively? otherwise how could you prepare your defense to attack an opponents offense?

 

on a final note: if this is not true, then if you hired a special teams coach to run your team would his only duties require only an understanding of how the special teams portion work? i would think your team would be in serious trouble if this were the case.

[madlithuanian]

No worries! I actually think I'm deserving of the blame to some extent!

 

I have been very harsh on Smith over the past 2 seasons. I believe justly. I have hoped for better and have not really seen it. Granted, I thought we'd be 8-8 or worse and were one better. But I think that was due to the unexpected performances of Forte and Orton. I never expected Smith to be fired this season due to contract, and now obviously since we were close to the playoffs. But I do think all bets are off next season. I do think it's do or die for him. I hope he "does". His overall record is pretty good. But this is a "what have you done for me lately league", and for the last 2 seasons, I've been watching other teams in the playoffs. To me, it's unacceptable epspecially given how bad our division is. If he misses it one more time, I think it's truly a time for a change....regardless if you're one that been harping on himn or one that's been supporting him staunchly.

 

I guess my position is why not just be honest with everyone and demote the guy? For many, Smith has seemed to be not very upfront with fans and this is yet another example of feeling like we're treated like 3 year olds by him. We know the reality, why portray a fantasy? What's the real benefit? Does he take us for idiots?

 

I personally think the Marinelli hire is good. Heck, if even by default, he can't be much worse than what we had! I just fear the overall scheme is not working and that even improved DL play will only gain so much overall improvement. I also think the overall environment he fosters has turned some playes into shells of themselves... Urlacher, Harris, etc...all seem to now be extras in a George Romero flick more than the blood & guts of a ferocious D.

 

For me personally, I'm glad Smith is finally doing something to take control. He should have done so earlier. Why does he wait after the season to make a change? That is what I find frustrating. If someone keeps punching me in the face, at some point, I'm going to lift up my hands to block a punch. Yet Smith seems content to be bludgoened until the fight is over. Then in the next fight, he thinks raising ones hands is a good idea now. It's just frustrating is all. It's honestly like a VERY delayed reaction. It's not proactive in the least. The best teams are proactive, not reactive.

 

Overall, I just want to restore some glory back to this franchise. This staff is telling me they are close. I trusted them before. I basically don't now. I will still hope though...

 

Personally, it seems the only thing that will make many of the posters happy is for Smith to be fired along with Angelo. I am not pointing a finger at you, or anyone else. Those I speak of know whom I am talking about.

 

Sure, Babich retains the title of DC, but he is actually being demoted to LBC. He was LBC when Urlacher was at his best. He will be in a position he has succeeded in before with us. Believe me, everyone in the league knows he is DC in name only and has been demoted.

 

Yes, Marinelli was HC for one of the worse teams in NFL history, but he was also the DLC for over 10 years with one of the best defenses during that time period and is still considered by many as one of the best DL coaches in the business. Is there anyone more qualified in the cover 2 DLC you would want over Marenilli?

 

Didn't quite a few posters say they wanted Lovie to take control of the Defense? Isn't that what he just said he was going to do? Why is everyone pissed about this? Despite what was said by some, he was a kick butt DC in STL. Criticize him if you want for not doing it sooner, but he is stepping up and taking responsibility and I hope he succeeds.

 

I do not know enough about the DBC signed to make comment. Hopefully he will work out. At least he isn't a college coach with no NFL experience. We questrioned why our DB coach was fired. We are guessing either a scape goat or conflict with HC, maybe he just sucked as DBC, I do not know. Maybe it is simular situations in Houston?

[Connorbear]

Personally, it seems the only thing that will make many of the posters happy is for Smith to be fired along with Angelo. I am not pointing a finger at you, or anyone else. Those I speak of know whom I am talking about.

 

Sure, Babich retains the title of DC, but he is actually being demoted to LBC. He was LBC when Urlacher was at his best. He will be in a position he has succeeded in before with us. Believe me, everyone in the league knows he is DC in name only and has been demoted.

 

Yes, Marinelli was HC for one of the worse teams in NFL history, but he was also the DLC for over 10 years with one of the best defenses during that time period and is still considered by many as one of the best DL coaches in the business. Is there anyone more qualified in the cover 2 DLC you would want over Marenilli?

 

Didn't quite a few posters say they wanted Lovie to take control of the Defense? Isn't that what he just said he was going to do? Why is everyone pissed about this? Despite what was said by some, he was a kick butt DC in STL. Criticize him if you want for not doing it sooner, but he is stepping up and taking responsibility and I hope he succeeds.

 

I do not know enough about the DBC signed to make comment. Hopefully he will work out. At least he isn't a college coach with no NFL experience. We questrioned why our DB coach was fired. We are guessing either a scape goat or conflict with HC, maybe he just sucked as DBC, I do not know. Maybe it is simular situations in Houston?

Dead on Pix. Thanks for summarizing my thoughts exactly.

 

Peace