A few things.
1. I'll not miss Lovie Smith. It's great that he's a player's coach. Players work hard for him. (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the money.) I won't miss the miscues (timeouts to freeze his own kicker or negate a 3rd down conversion, allowing the OC to put Todd Collins ahead of Caleb Hanie on the depth chart, etc.) or the disdain for the media and, vicariously, the fans. If the Bears are not feeling the love right now, the wall he's put up has a lot to do with it.
2. We're still two linesmen and two top-tier receivers away from having a premier offense. Cutler is as good as we've had in my lifetime and Forte makes things happen with even a tiny seam. Oh, right. We also need an offensive coordinator. I think Martz is good, but needs a very specific recipe for success. This offense isn't built for him.
3. I really don't understand the vitriol towards Cutler and his ailing knee. Fighting to stay in when you can't plant your lead leg and make accurate passes is purely selfish. I'd much prefer see him admit he can't make throws and get the backup in (unless, of course, the backup is Todd Collins). I watched Cutler get POUNDED all season with nary a complaint. He might not be the most warm person, but he's not here to win a beauty pageant.
4. Along the same lines, why in the hell have we not seen Caleb Hanie more in the regular season? In any of the games where the score was either up or down enough (including vs. Seattle in the playoffs), he should have gotten a few reps. I'm not selling him as the answer to anything, but he's better than Todd Collins and we might need him some day.
5. Give the Packers some credit. They kicked to Hester and bottled him up pretty well. They made the our improved O-line look like rookies, and they completed passes and made plays pretty much at will, even against our venerable defense. They also show a certain confidence, from head coach to QB, when they take the field. It's not a rushed style of play, nor is it pure business - it looks like they're having fun. You know, they were picked by lots of people to be in the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season, and ultimately, they got there.
6. This season has been great in many respects and very frustrating in many others. There was an early bout of losing football which made me lose what little hope I had. Then, there was the Martz and Cutler we had hoped for, the Forte we had seen the year before last, and the defense looking almost as good as it did last time we went to the Super Bowl. The knock all along was the soft schedule and the inability to close out elite teams, but the Bears handled their business (with the exception of New England and Green Bay at the end of the season). With all players healthy for the majority of the year, 11-5 is still not the 13-3 of the previous Super Bowl team. In fact, only 2 or 3 of the 11 wins was decisive. The losses left more doubt than the wins did confidence, I think.
7. In the past three or four years, I've called for the job of Lovie Smith, and I still stand by it. I think Jerry Angelo needs to hit the bricks as well. We need new leaders that draft well and fill needs on both sides of the ball, expect and demand the best out of players whether they like them or not, and not only say they'll beat Green Bay and win the Super Bowl, but actually do those things. I think there's a nice roster of talent to cherry pick and plenty of fat to cut. I think the first thing we need is an Offensive Coordinator that will take Cutler, Forte, and Olsen to the next level. The next thing is help on that O-line. Then one or two premier receivers. Defensively, one more hot CB might be good, but we're pretty well stocked otherwise, assuming Chris Harris recovers from the torn hip muscle. My big concern for the future is that the stars are getting older.
8. I hope there is football next year, but I hope the Bears have a new management regime. Yes, it'll be Cutler's fourth OC in five years, but maybe that one will finally bring the best out of him and cause the offense to win games for a change. That would be great.
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