Ho Sit Down! Week 14 - Lovie Smith

While it would be easy to give Marion Barber the Ho Sit Down! treatment this week after he made a terrible mental mistake with 1:55 left in the game and then fumbled the ball in overtime, this game was lost on the sidelines. The shit that Barber did was inexcusable; but the Bears lost this game because of a philosophy that they've followed for as long as Lovie Smith has been in charge... go limp when you have the lead.

I've seen it too many times in the past to overlook the fact that it happened again versus the Broncos. When the Bears have the lead in the 4th quarter, they drop the safeties back deep and leave the middle of the field wide open for easy completions. The idea is that if you prevent the big play, it makes it harder for the other team to score. The problem with this philosophy is that even though they are forced to burn clock, the offense can easily march the entire field by dumping the ball over the middle. Then once they get in the red zone it only takes one defensive breakdown to allow an easy touchdown.

Remember last year how the Bears dominated the Eagles for three quarters and then give up 13 points in the 4th and almost lost? The Eagles couldn't do shit against the Bears all game, averaging just over 23 yards per drive through the first three quarters. Then the Eagles last three possessions go for 65, 58 and 68 yards and three scores. It's not that the Eagles suddenly remembered how to run an offense, it's that the Bears defense got the orders from The Top to bend over and expose their middle parts.

Sticking to the same old script versus the Broncos, the Bears held Denver to just under 20 yards per drive for their first 12 drives. Then when the clock starting running low in the 4th quarter, the Bears go soft on a 63 yard TD drive before a 39 yard drive that ends in a FG to force overtime.

They've been running this end-of-game defense for years, even before Rod M starting calling the plays, so it's not like he was the one that decided to pull back the defensive reins. Lovie is the only person that makes these kinds of strategic decisions.

So while Tim Jennings allowed a huge completion to let the Broncos tie the game in the 4th, and although Marion Barber coughed the ball up in OT which gave Zack Bowman a chance to do his best "Johnny Knox falling down" impression, there was a much Higher Power to blame for this big letdown... Lovie Smith calling the shots From Above.

Lovie, drink your cough syrup and sit your ho ass down!

HO SIT DOWN!
HEY!
HO SIT DOWN!
HEY!
HO SIT DOWN!

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@1stdownroywill

Lovie Smith, You Are Ridiculous!!!

Well it only took 2 years, but Devin Hester is back returning kickoffs for the Bears. If you’re like me, you’re still questioning why Hester was ever taken off of kick returns near the end of the 2008 season. After two dominant season of returning punts and kicks, Hester seemed to have lost the magic in 2008. Instead of hitting the holes hard he tended to dance around, often finishing further away from the end zone than when he caught it. He just couldn’t seem to get out of his funk.

But the answer was always simple and was always right there in front of the our faces. They didn’t need to scale back his offensive responsibilities. They didn’t need Brendon Ayanbadejo back blocking for him. They needed to get him running straight ahead as soon as the ball was in his hands. How do you make sure he’s running forward? Simple… You put him back on kickoffs, so he actually has space to run forward before making his cuts.

Hester may have made a name for himself in college by running sideline to sideline evading the opponents coming at him, but you can’t get away with that in the NFL... this isn't Duke. Special teams players are too fast and too strong for returners to be dancing around taking shots from the other team. You need to keep your feet moving and run forward to make it hard for the opposition to take a good angle on you.

Wait about two years and then go ahead and give credit to Lovie… He’s put one of his players in the best position to be successful. He’s put the best weapon he has in a role that will make the most of his talent. If Hester is back to returning kicks full-time, he could be back to being the most dangerous player in the entire league. It’s a shame that something this obvious could be put on hold for so long, but at the end of the day, all that matters is Devin That Dude is back where he belongs…. in a position to be ridiculous.

Lovie Smith Generic Quote of the Week

Each Tuesday here at Bear Down Chicago Bears we'll bring you the best Lovie Smith generic quote from his weekly Monday news conference that will make you say "No shit, Lovie. Thanks for the update you fucking assclown"

"We realize we have to have more balance on the offensive side of the football, and we plan on doing that"

Well thanks Lovie, so you're telling me that running the ball only 12 times while dropping back 47 times isn't a good balance? Leaving yourself with 3rd and long numerous times after incompletions on first and second down isn't a good plan? Could of fooled me, Lovie. Let me know when you have the stones to tell Mike Martz to run the fucking ball and maybe I'll believe you then.

Wait, Jerry Angelo Still Runs This Team?!? Well Fuck Me

Alright ladies and gents I'm back! Mr.Peanut On Your Face has returned after a 2-year hiatus filled with fast livin' and good times to once again spew gibberish about the beloved, Chicago Bears.

As we sit here today, the beloved stand at 4-2, including 2-0 within the NFC North. To the naked eye, many would believe Lovie Smith and the boys are off to a great start. Winning games is the only thing that matters at the end of the day in the NFL but don't let the Bears record fool you, this team is seriously flawed in more ways than one. There are severe talent/personal issues at several key positions on the offensive side of the ball. Typically, it would be unfair to pin the blame on just one person for the numerous problems the Bears have but this situation is far from typical. Jerry Angelo and his brain trust are solely responsible for most all of the Bears issues.

Jerry Angelo began his reign of terror following the 2001 season in which the Bears played with a horseshoe up their collective asses and finished the regular season 13-3 before crashing and burning in a playoff defeat to Donovan McNabb, Hugh Douglas and the Eagles. The Bears were successful that season due to an opportunistic defense led by up and coming standouts Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown and a solid running game featuring Offensive ROY Anthony Thomas. Things seemed to line up perfectly for Angelo as the right pieces were already in place to replicate the formula that made him successful at his previous stop in Tampa Bay; A solid defense with multiple pro-bowl caliber players and an offense predicated on the run.

Angelo's first 3 seasons (2002-04) were a complete disaster on all fronts. The team on the field was terrible with a combined record of 16-32 with zero playoff appearances. This also marked the beginning of the worst stretch of draft picks EVER by the Bears. Over this 3 year period, the Bears had 29 total picks. Let's start with the good. During this time frame the Bears selected standouts: Lance Briggs (3rd rd - 2004), Charles "Peanut" Tillman (2nd rd - 2004), and Alex Brown (4th rd - 2002). Among players drafted that made an impact for 2-3 seasons: Nate Vasher (4th rd- 2004), Tommie Harris (1st rd - 2004), Tank Johnston (2nd rd - 2004), Bernard Berrian (3rd rd - 2004), Rex Grossman (1st rd - 2003) and Terrance Metcalf (3rd rd - 2002). Notable busts during this time: Marc Colombo (1st rd - 2002), Michael Haynes (1st rd - 2003). This 3 year stretch, unfortunately, is the cream of the crop when it comes to draft picks as most of the players listed above contributed to the Super Bowl run in 2006.

Finally following the 2003 season, Dick Jauron was put out to pasture and a new optimism was born with the hiring of Lovie Smith. Initially, the defense seemed to be in good hands under the guidance of Smith. The Bears rode the strength of the D to back to back division titles in 2005/2006 including a Super Bowl appearance following the 2006 season. The influx of talent on the defensive side of the ball continued through the draft: Danieal Manning, Jamar Williams, Marc Anderson and Corey Graham all contributed during their first few seasons with the club.

The combination of Angelo/Lovie has proven over time that drafting for defense has been the least of their problems. The issue has been the inability to draft any offensive talent whatsoever. The NFL over the last 4-5 seasons has become a league geared toward offense and more specifically, passing offense. During Angelo's tenure, the Bears have drafted ZERO offensive pro-bowlers. Let that sink in, ZERO offensive pro-bowlers. Since Angelo took over, you can count on one hand how many offensive players drafted had a positive impact on this team: Matt Forte, Devin Hester (although originally drafted to play DB), maybe Greg Olsen(terribly inconsistent), maybe Johnny Knox(jury is still out on him) and the combination of Ortman (Orton/Grossman). That's it people. Among the many offensive misses in the Jerry Angelo era: Colombo, Mark Bradley, Garrett Wolfe, Chris Williams(?), Juaquin Inglesias. This does not factor in the numerous wasted high round picks on players that were, for lack of a better term, really shitty: Dan Bazuin(2nd rd), Michael Okwo(4th rd), Roosevelt Williams(3rd), and Jarron Gilbert(3rd).

There are zero players on the current roster from the draft class of 2005 (Chris Harris was drafted that season, but has since been reacquired), zero from 2002, one player from 2004 (Tommie Harris, ugh), two from 2003, two from 2006, three from 2007, three from 2009, four from 2010, and seven from 2008. That's a total of 22 drafted players on the current roster. Of those 22 players, only 6 players are starters. Fucking 6! Over 8 fucking draft classes!

The draft is the lifeblood of any NFL franchise. Jerry Angelo has proven over the last 8 seasons that he is incapable of drafting quality NFL talent. The man has failed over and over again. Sure, Angelo has made many bold moves including the signing of Julius Peppers and the trade for Jay Cutler but in the process has left the cupboard void of NFL talent to surround these pro bowlers with.

I'm not the first to call for Angelo's head and wont certainly be the last, but the bottom line is a change is long overdue. The beloved will continue to swirl in the pool of mediocrity as long as Angelo is in charge. Sam Cooke said "A Change is Gonna Come" Let's hope sooner rather than later.