I find it increasingly difficult to justify the logic behind some of the Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith’s decision making and that of the rest of his coaching staff.
What, may you ask, am I talking about?
The answer is simple: they constantly endanger players of importance to this roster in situations that present no competitive gain for this franchise and I fail to understand why.
Jan. 1,2012: Brian Urlacher is injured in a game versus the Minnesota Vikings. Major Wright launched himself like a lawn dart at the ball with no regard for anyone’s safety. The Bears at the time were nursing a 7-8 record after injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte had led to a season collapse of epic proportions.
Fast forward 7 months and we sit in a position where Urlacher’s availability for the start of the season is in serious doubt. The Bears could end up in the unenviable position of having to play a considerable amount of time without their defensive quarterback. Their injury projections aren’t ever exactly accurate.
Aug. 18, 2012: Adam Podlesh is injured defending a punt return against the Washington Redskins. He is a punter, and a fine one at that, he receives a snap and kicks the ball, so how much really do the Bears’ coaches need to see?
Had he not been forced to pointlessly show off a skill that anyone who watched the Bears last season already knows he has in abundance, the Bears would not be worrying that he will not be available for the start of the regular season.
Look, football is a savage sport and the NFL is a sport littered with injuries. I don’t want the Bears to wrap everyone in bubble wrap, but a basic amount of caution would be advisable.
This leads me to an even greater preseason gripe than the Podlesh injury. Why do the Bears persist in making Devin Hester field at least one punt in preseason games?
There is absolutely nothing to gain from doing it. The whole league and every fan (even the most casual fan) from every team, knows what Hester is capable of doing on special teams. He is very likely going to the Hall of Fame because of it. So why is he out there in preseason fielding punts?
I ask the question because, mark my words, this is an accident waiting to happen. You have guys on the field fighting for roster spots when preseason wins mean nothing. I will be furious if Hester were to be injured by a guy looking to make a name for himself because he was needlessly endangered by his coaches.
Preseason is about building cohesion on the roster, taking concepts from practice and working them out on the field. Unfortunately in some circumstances, I really don’t feel the Bears’ coaches have weighed up the cost versus reward of the situation.
Buy Chicago Bears Tickets | Buy Chicago Bears Apparel
To be honest I have never felt Lovie Smith was what the Bears needed to win. Probably a nice enough guy but maybe that’s not what the bears need. I think Lovie gave his coaching staff and players too many breaks and drug out inconsistent plays far too long. He allows mediocre play become good enough and plays that until it becomes all to clear to everyone else that it won’t be good enough. This goes far beyond Lovie Smith, this goes beyond the stigma of the Bears being a defensive team. The Bears won’t go anywhere until they can wipe the slate clean and get some really new ideals in there from a coaching standpoint and from the players standpoint. Brian Urlacher is just another example of how defensive players cannot survive the plays a Urlacher has to endure to play in the NFL. Its a long season anyway and to put injured players not 100% in preseason is bad coaching.
Couldn’t agree more on the injury front. I am all for players earning their spot on the roster, but putting guys who are a lock for a roster spot in unnessicary danger in games that do not count, is nothing short of idiotic.
In regards to Lovie we will have to see if is the guy who can win us superbowl. This offense has been neglected so long there will be teething problems, but the offense alone should win us 10 games this season. Playoffs anyone can win as the Giants have shown with both of their Superbowl wins, its all about peaking at the right time.
I completely agree with alibud69 and will go just a bit further and question whether or not the Bears strengthening coaches actually place enough emphasis on REQUIRED conditioning during the off season. By required, I mean setting goals and monitoring them.
If a highly paid athlete commands high pay, then they should earn it, both on and off the field, 365 days a year. I squarely place blame on the coaching staff of the NFL teams for not LEADING their respective teams enough – both on and off the field, 365 days a year. Quit pampering and wanting to be ‘friends’ with these God-gifted men and LEAD them… most of the younger players, in my opinion, would increase their performance if they knew there were actual LEADERS dressed as coaches on the sidelines, looking out for the best interests of the players on the team instead of their job tenure and the profit margin of the owner.
This is a great point, on this website we have also already questioned the medical staff thaqt the Bears have in this article from Chicago Bears Jew:
http://www.rantsports.com/chicago-bears/2012/08/16/are-the-chicago-bears-medically-incompetent/
I am hoping that Phil Emery will really begin to shake this franchise up. We really need to cut the crap in every single corner of the franchise if we ever hope to be an elite dynasty franchise again, you can only live off of the history of the 1985 Bears’ for so long
Lovie is a BUM! Remember people: he was the DEFAULT choice for Head Coach. The Bears wanted Nick Saben. But, he wanted control over Player Personel and Angelo didn’t want to give that to him. So, they had to pick what was left at the bottom of the barrel. That was Lovie. Same thing with Jauron. They wanted McGinnes (sp?) and he quit because McCaskey announced his hiring on the radio before he signed any contracts. So, they had to pick what was left at the bottom of the barrel. That was Jauron. Doesn’t it strike them as odd that no other team wanted these 2 before the Bears; out of desparation, hired them?? Lovie SUCKS as a coach! He makes HORRIBLE gametime decisions and time management choices. I want Coaches and Players here that want to be CHICAGO BEARS, NOT just another football player. Where’s the passion and fire and drive we used to see when Ditka was Head Coach?? Sometimes I feel like they are just going through the motions on the field, just to get a paycheck. You rarely see anyone getting pissed off when they make a mistake or let the other team score. Everything seems to be a joke nowadays. I think we have a real good time this year; at least on paper. If they don’t make it to the playoffs and more, it will be because of Lovie and his poor game management. Mark my words. Just watch. We’ll either get to the Super Bowl or Lovie will be fired. Either way, we win.
To just piggie back on this rant. How about the last play of the half Friday night vs the giants. Why are you running forte for no reason whatsoever. Kneel on that thing man. As if the qb sneak the play before wasn’t nerve racking enough. Come on lOvie. We need these guys!!!!
Hester also fielding punts again, I actually don’t mind Lovie Smith as Head Coach, but when he acts or allows his coaches to act like a complete bunch of jackasses it annoys the hell out of me. I am just thankful preseason is over, the Bears are lucky that it is only a punter and a questionable third round Safety that got injured badly, many other teams have lost key players from their rosters for the season.