Week 15 NFL Thread: Come to Minnesota and shovel snow!

Smith is definitely an above-average coach in terms of setting a tone and leading an organization. When it comes to all the in-game stuff, he's decidedly below average.

I tend to agree with Rick that in firing Smith, they run the risk of not being able to upgrade him.

Of course, Wannstedt is available...

 

It's pretty hard to fire a coach after he makes the playoffs. If the team was playing over its head or got the breaks to do so (and I think the Bears qualify there), then when it reverts to the mean in the next season, fans tend to blame management for being too stupid to know when they had it good.

 

I don't think you need to get that deep. Two things standout.

1. They got a free win against Detroit.
2. They went against someone's third string QB.

That's likely 2 wins turned into 2 losses.

 

At first we all bought the line that he just did it spur of the moment, now they get caught having planned it, and we all believe at their word that it was his idea and that no one else knew about it, even though they've been doing it all season. Am I the only one a bit suspicious? Any chance this came from higher up?

 

Of course it came from higher up, Guy. The only reason people haven't directly accused Ryan of ordering this is his well-earned persona as a bit of a clown act. He has slightly plausible deniability as someone who might not always know what his assistants are up to.

 

I get that Alosi's in trouble for the trip and the lying.

But the wall? As long as they're standing somewhere they're allowed to stand, I don't see why anybody should have an issue with that. Or is it just the trip and the lying?

 

I don't see anyone talking about possible culpability for Ryan or Westhoff. Are you saying it's because he's a good quote? Isn't it anyone who realizes it's a good career move to be the one NY reporter not in his pocket?

 

It's hard to think that a strength coach would do this on his own -- I have no problem with them standing there (obviously save the trip) -- I'd be shocked if Westhoff didn't know.

 

One home game --- at most --- in the second half of November is not worth an expensive heating system when the average high for the month is 41 degrees.

Sometimes it rains a lot and the sod can't absorb it. Sometimes it ices, and a field thought to be idle until next September has to host a game in mid-December. Shit happens. Can't plan for --- and pay for --- every outlier. Sometimes nobody screwed up. Really.

 

The first game? They shouldn't feel too badly about it. They dominated the hell out of that game, and Detroit was obscenely lu cky they weren't losing by 20 before that last "touchdown."

 

The Bears were also one of the weakest 7-9 teams I've ever seen last year. Should have been 5-11 if Pittsburgh and Seattle had competent field goal kickers, IIRC both missed multiple makeable field goals in very close Bears wins.

I actually don't think Lovie is all that terrible (although I probably fall closer to YGBFKM than RickStain), but I think Angelo absolutely has to go. If it's a package deal with Lovie going too, that's fine. He's nothing special.