The biggest news to come out of the city today is the firing of Chicago Bears’ head coach Lovie Smith. While it’s welcome news to much of the city, it’s a surprise all the same. After starting 7-1 and ending 10-6 the Bears have failed to make the playoffs after Green Bay lost against the Minnesota Vikings. ESPN is reporting that the Bears have already sent out letters to other teams asking for permission to interview candidates. Ouch.
This is a very unpleasant end of the season and end of the year for Lovie and the Bears. Lovie was well liked in the locker room with Jay Cutler saying on this show this morning after learning of the coaches firing, “I think it’s going to be a sad day at Halas Hall. I have a lot of respect for the guy. He’s made friends with a lot of the players. He’s a players’ coach. I think right now I’m a little surprised, a little sad. Wish I could have done more offensively to help him out.”
Smith, who led the Bears to the Super Bowl 6 years ago, was 81-83 overall in nine seasons and was under contract until 2013. I think we should have all saw it coming when there were absolutely no contract negotiations between Smith and the Bears organization. I personally think the main reason he got fired was because of the expectations the front office had for the offense after acquiring WR Brandon Marshall from the Dolphins. Bottom line is the Bears were expected to make a playoff run and they didn’t, and Lovie paid the ultimate price. General Manager Phil Emery will hold a news conference tomorrow (1/1) to speak on the changes.
Source: ESPN Chicago/AP
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