Lovie Smith Fired: Chicago Bears Get Rid Of Coach After 9 Years
Andy Reid isn’t the only coach to get axed at the end of a disappointing season. The Chicago Bears announced today that they were firing head coach Lovie Smith after 9 seasons.
Smith and the Bears started 2012 with a 7-1 record but still failed to make the playoffs. According to ESPN, the Bears are only the second team since the post-season expanded to 12 teams to accomplish that dubious feat.
USA Today reports that the Bears suffered a similar fate in 2011. The Bears started the season with a 7-3 record but ended just 8-8.
The Chicago Bears defense has flourished under Smith but Lovie was never able to create an effective offense. The Chicago Tribune reports that since Smith came to Chicago in 2004, the Bears’ offense has never ranked higher than 23rd. In four of Lovie’s years, the Bears ranked 28th or lower.
Lovie hasn’t commented on GM Phil Emery’s decision yet but after the Bears’ victory against the Detroit Lions on Sunday the Bears coach said that he hoped people looked at his career with Chicago instead of the last few years.
Lovie said:
“Of course, I think we’re moving in the right direction … A lot of times you talk about the five out of six. To me, you count all of the years, all nine of the years. You talk about the last three or so. The last three — disappointing last year, disappointing this year. But a 10-6 season normally gets you in and we just didn’t do enough.”
Do you think the Chicago Bears made the right decision to get rid of Lovie Smith?
