Do you support a Lovie Smith extension?

[SportsWorld]

Simple question. Do you think Lovie has done enough to warrant an extension. Personally, I'm one of the bigger Lovie bashers out there, and I think he deserves one mainly because I can't think of anyone better that can realistically replace him. Obviously guys like Gruden and Cowher are out there but I don't see them coming back.

[Friend_Of_Haley]

I'm torn. On one hand I'm very happy to bring him back next year and prove himself again. On the other hand, I know head coaches typically don't get to their contract year. It would probably cause a lot of media distractions and locker room unrest about whether or not he is a lame duck coach.

I'd lean toward yes though.

[mattbulls]

I want to see another year before an extension but I know that's probably not a realistic option.

[The Explorer]

3 division titles in 6 years while having putrid quarterbacks and offense for most of those years? Yes, he deserves an extension. He makes some bad decisions in game, but many coaches do, including McCarthy and Bellichick.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

I say yes because Jerry Angelo was exposed this year. His bad personnel decisions regarding the O-Line & WR positions contributed to us not making it to the Superbowl. Although, I will add that Lovie is still suspect when it comes to using timeouts & challenges correctly.

As I mentioned in Sunday's game thread, Lovie negated first down plays in our last two games against the Packers by calling ill-advised timeouts. Both occured during our last drives & both were followed up with horrible plays which, in essence, lost us the game.

Unless the Bears are willing to give Bill Cowher top dollar & full control, Lovie should be given a chance to coach again. Hopefully Angelo's back is against the wall & he will go all out this off-season to give Lovie the talent that this team desperately needs at the O-Line & WR positions.

[Chrome]

Yes. He got the job done this year and the players love playing for him.

[blumeany]

I guess I don't 'get it'. He's still under contract and making a decent payday. It's not like it was before his last contract where he was making piddle and he brought us to the Super Bowl. He's also not a player. How often do you see a coach voluntarily leaving a team after they didn't extend him the previous year? It just doesn't happen very often, if at all.

So, why make the mistake again? Yes, Lovie has had success a couple years, but he also had 3 bad years in a row - not coincidentally - after he signed a big contract extension. From that I can gather one of two things: 1. Smith got cocky and put it on cruise control after he became king of the world with his extension or 2. His team only really plays hard for him when his job is on the line. Both of those are signs of a really unhealthy team.

You also have to add in the fact that soooo many things broke the Bears' way this year. Lack of injuries (until that last game), opponents injuries, a really weak division (for the most part until the Packers made their run late). Everything fell in line for them this year in an unprecedented fashion. So this wasn't like he took a ragtag bunch and through his coaching turned them into champions.

In my mind, the extension makes no sense right now and would be a purely selfish ploy by Phillips and Angelo to extend their own contracts - giving them all job security for at least another 3 years. The smart thing to do would be to come and say that Lovie is going to play out his contract and we will revisit it next year when it comes up. Period.

Also, for the record, I would fire Angelo and Phillips before Lovie - no doubt about that.

[arjay702]

sometimes no sometimes yes. I hate that about him.

[Cliff Levingston]

Absolutely not. It's not that Lovie is a bad coach while he's been given some pretty bad draft picks. However, he's under contract for next year and is still one of the highest paid coaches in the league. Cliff Levingston would make him prove that this year wasn't a fluke before extending him further. As bluemeany said, we had great luck with injuries both on our team and opposing teams which softened our schedule a bit.

If Cliff Levingston is Jerry Angelo, he tells Lovie that he still likes him as a coach but wants to make sure that this team isn't going to flop next year. Angelo needs to get more offensive talent, namely a better offensive lineman or two and a #1 receiver. If he can do that, then we've got enough offensive and defensive talent to make a legit run to the super bowl. If that happens, then he's getting extended for big money.

[Bearsfan1989]

Our coaching staff got out coached in the NFC Championship. The Packers knew exactly what we were gonna do and had a week of practice to exploit it. I'm fine with us playing Cover 2 as our base defense but change it up once and awhile. Most of these games are chess games between coaches and the other team always has the upper hand because they know exactly what were going to do. Of course the players love playing for Lovie because he doesn't demand much from them. We've been extremely lucky this year versing 3 ( 3rd string) QBs and only playing the Seahawks to make it to the NFC Championship. Next year we won't be as lucky and all you Lovie supporters will see what Lovie truly is.

[WEFFPIM]

No

[ChronicKerr]

I would let him coach out his final year and then determine whether or not to bring him back. Knowing the owners aren't going to buy out Lovie's extension contract should things go south I'm fearful of committing to another 4 years or so. I do, however, value having one of the longest tenured coaches in the league and wouldn't scoff at an extension. He has won 3 NFC North titles over the past 6 years and has taken us to the Super Bowl once and the NFC Championship game twice. The players love playing for him as well.

[Cliff Levingston]

Our coaching staff got out coached in the NFC Championship. The Packers knew exactly what we were gonna do and had a week of practice to exploit it. I'm fine with us playing Cover 2 as our base defense but change it up once and awhile. Most of these games are chess games between coaches and the other team always has the upper hand because they know exactly what were going to do. Of course the players love playing for Lovie because he doesn't demand much from them. We've been extremely lucky this year versing 3 ( 3rd string) QBs and only playing the Seahawks to make it to the NFC Championship. Next year we won't be as lucky and all you Lovie supporters will see what Lovie truly is.

The coaching really wasn't a problem, the talent was. The offensive line, Cliff Levingston thought, did a good job considering their talent level, which is terrible. The receiving core doesn't have anyone you can count on to get open. Cutler is talented as hell yet he missed a couple crucial throws. Meanwhile, the Bears stonewalled an offense that put up 48 points on the 13-3 Falcons on their own home field.

This team is just short on talent offensively. We need at least a couple better offensive linemen and a #1 receiver to open up the field for the rest of the receivers. With that, our offense could maybe get to the "decent" level.

Cliff Levingston isn't a Lovie supporter but isn't a Lovie hater either. When you get down to it, record matters, and Lovie has a pretty good record. There's also something to be said about the players who simply love the guy and would run through a brick wall for him. Given at least some talent, his defenses usually perform quite well. He's got his faults, just like any other coach, but he's not the only one to blame. Considering the general lack of talent everywhere on offense except running back and QB, Cliff Levingston points the finger more toward Angelo who's drafts, overall, have been abysmal.

[The Explorer]

So, why make the mistake again? Yes, Lovie has had success a couple years, but he also had 3 bad years in a row - not coincidentally - after he signed a big contract extension. From that I can gather one of two things: 1. Smith got cocky and put it on cruise control after he became king of the world with his extension or 2. His team only really plays hard for him when his job is on the line. Both of those are signs of a really unhealthy team.

You also have to add in the fact that soooo many things broke the Bears' way this year. Lack of injuries (until that last game), opponents injuries, a really weak division (for the most part until the Packers made their run late). Everything fell in line for them this year in an unprecedented fashion. So this wasn't like he took a ragtag bunch and through his coaching turned them into champions.

Also, for the record, I would fire Angelo and Phillips before Lovie - no doubt about that.

3 bad years in a row? I wouldn't say going 9-7 in 2008 was a bad year. Yes there were some critical mistakes, like the kickoff in the 4th quarter in Atlanta, and the Houston loss in week 17. But I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a bad year.

To your second point, I think overall he did a very good job this season. You can't say its all due to the lucky breaks they got. The greatest thing he did was reign in Martz during the bye week to a more balanced offense. How about hiring Tice and Marinelli, who did fine jobs as well. I think it was impressive to lead his team to 12 wins despite utter garbage on the o-line and in the WR corps. Plus, when guys like Urlacher and Briggs come out publicly in strong support of him, that has to count for something.

And to your 3rd point, i agree. Angelo needs to get a helluva lot of blame before Lovie. Its too bad Angelo still has 3 years left and is getting aided by Tim Ruskell

[DanTown8587]

I don't think he deserves an extension solely based on there is little upside to getting Lovie extended and a ton of downside. If the Bears go 4-12 next year (for non-injury reasons) it would just make sense to get a new guy in here. See Dallas and Minnesota last year for that. The SB extension was warranted because he was being paid way too low for someone of his caliber, but that's changed.

But the real problem is that the offense is woefully bad in the skill areas (LT, WR). No QB, I don't care who, can consistently be effective with zero WR to get open and defenses that can get pressure with 3 or 4 or an occasional blitzer.

[skones]

I think he does. He definitely makes some bad decisions during games, much like McCarthy. With that being said, you cannot discount what they guy did this year. Many on our board were calling for McCarthy's head for losing three games in four weeks to you guys, the Redskins, and Dolphins. In all of those games, the Packers were in a very good position to win and made critical mistakes which eventually resulted in losses. AFTER that, however, McCarthy righted the ship and we are where we are now. As much as some of us hate McCarthy as Packers fans, he has been a very big part of how our season has turned out.

I bring that up because I think Lovie Smith was in a very similar situation this season after losing to the Giants, Seattle, and Washington. When situations like that occur, it's very easy to lose a team and a season if things continue to snowball out of control. Lovie Smith and the Bears coaching staff definitely deserve credit for bringing in the reigns there and turning your season from disaster into an NFC North Championship and an NFC Championship appearance. If I'm a Bears fan, I'd be happy to give him an extension.

[heir_jordan22]

Yes. He gets his players to play and that's the most important thing a team can get from a head coach. The players have un-wavering respect for Lovie.