The turning point didn't reveal itself on Canadian soil or during a 27-13 win over the Vikings on Sunday that might prove to be one of the biggest wins of Lovie Smith's coaching tenure.
It likely can be traced to a staff meeting at Halas Hall during the bye week when the Bears' college of coaches put their headsets together and realized changes had to be made to put a mistake-prone offense in position to ensure the continued employment of a staff boasting four current or former NFL head coaches.
What refused to reveal itself during the first seven games is the type of offensive identity we've seen the last two weeks. A formula was discovered during the bye week that accentuates the team's strengths and camouflages its deficiencies, therefore giving a unit that was overmatched a fighting chance.
Despite all the criticism heaped on Smith the last three years, much of which has been deserved, and regardless of the skepticism surrounding the hiring of offensive coordinator Mike Martz and the potentially insurmountable challenges presented to offensive line coach Mike Tice, what we've witnessed in back-to-back games is a sign of good coaching.
Even those who have been shaking their fists while demanding the end of the Smith era must admit that at 6-3, heading into Thursday night's game against the injury-ravaged Dolphins, these Bears are not underachieving. In fact, given what we know about this team's drafting history, it's more likely the opposite is true.
Smith and his staff made the best possible use of the bye. After two straight wins, this coaching staff deserves its due.
''We're doing what works right now,'' running back Chester Taylor said. ''Martz is doing a great job of working toward our strengths, mixing up run and pass and keeping defenses honest.''
Despite all the talk about Martz being inflexible, he has been the opposite the last two weeks. He has Jay Cutler dropping back quickly and getting the ball off in rhythm. He has him moving out of the pocket, where he's most effective and less likely to make errant throws off his back foot.
Despite Martz's love for the passing game, he's running the ball in an attempt to take pressure off the offensive line and ensure that opposing defenses respect the play-action pass.
He also made three brilliant play calls during the Vikings game, two of which went for touchdowns, although the roll-out-right-throw-back-left screen to Greg Olsen was nullified by penalty.
The 19-yard pass on third-and-one to blocking tight end Kellen Davis was put in specifically for the Vikings and was set up by another short-yardage play earlier in the game.
''We were just waiting for another third-and-short,'' Davis said. ''We got the look we wanted. It was a great play call, and it worked perfectly.''
Smith's teams have not always excelled at in-game adjustments. Give him time and he can prepare a team as well as anyone, but when other teams adjust he hasn't always made the necessary corresponding moves. That hasn't been the case this season largely because Rod Marinelli has simplified his scheme so much that few tweaks are needed.
While Steve Hutchinson gave his defense credit for making halftime adjustments that helped limit Minnesota to 14 second-half rushing yards, Bears players didn't understand what the Vikings' guard was referring to because they claim the only thing they did differently was execute their original assignments better.
''We don't talk much about the other team,'' safety Chris Harris said. ''We focus on what we do, our fundamentals, and reading our keys. I honestly feel that we could not look at a lick of game tape and go out and beat a team defensively because it's all about the system. Our keys are 100 percent. If you read your keys and know what you're supposed to be looking at, we'll be fine.
''That's the best thing about this defense. It's built for short weeks. We've got a short week. We may not be able to look at as much tape as you would in a regular week, but if you stay true to the keys the system will take care of itself.''
Making the playoffs will take care of itself if the Bears keep playing as well in all three phases as they did against Minnesota. Fair is fair. Even those who have spent the last three years demanding a well-coached team should acknowledge that's what they got Sunday. That's not to say the Bears can't improve. They can and must.
For the moment, however, the cliche rings true. The bye came at the perfect time, and the coaching staff made the most of it.
Yeah, take that, Cr-HATE-on. I still think that if Lovie gets fired at the end of the season, we need to quickly sign and lock up Rich Kotite to about a 20-year contract. I saw quickly because there'll be a feeding frenzy to sign him.
What's that saying about a pig and lipstick?
Couldn't agree with your comments more. Being a long time Mike Martz fan and Lovie as well to a lesser extent (He went prevent defense at the end of 2001 Superbowl and cost the Rams the game)
These are all great coaches. They are getting the the job done. The media is always all over Martz for somehow being stubborn. Yes he is stubborn but not for reasons people think he is. His offense is supposed to be fast and furious that is what its designed to do. Attack. Attack. Attack. That may come off as rigid but its a philosophy that has got him a 56-36 career as a head coach and why every team he has gone to has improved while he was there.
The beauty of the system is that it does make adjustments for the players but ultimately the players must know their assignments pre and post snap or else it falls apart.
This is what we were seeing in the first half of the season. Now the trust between the players is coming. They are starting to play as a team. They've had that on defense the whole year but now the offense is finally believing and we see the results. They see how much better they can be in this system when they watch tape. Just listen to comments made by the Olsen and Taylor after the game.
The Bears may not make the playoffs this year but are in position to do what they haven't been able to do in three years. That signals good decisions on the organization and the coaches.
I guess Mike Martz is still a questionable hire for some fans and writers right?
Ok, maybe Lovie and staff can stay after all (can't believe I'm saying that)... but can we at least get rid of Angelo and bring in a real GM? His drafting history speaks for itself - how does he still have a job? And is it really necessary to wait until the end of the season to start a GM hunt(assuming there's candidate out there to start talking to)? Bill Parcels anyone?? Prob not ($), but there's got to be someone out there with enough football credentials to target. Just please Bears, don't hire another executive staffing firm to conduct the search like last time. Good Gawd.
um, good coaches make adjustments during games, or from week to week. They don't take 7 weeks to finally admit they are not doing well.
When Cutler was sacked 9 times in the first half of the Giants game, that should have been a tornado siren to stop the 7 step drops.
When Johnny Knox quit on his third slant route of the year, it should have been a sign to not use him on those routes any more
When you are averaging 3.8 YPC in the running game, and that includes a 68 yard TD run from Forte against Carolina, that should be an issue
When you fail to get 1 yard on the goal line after 6 tries in the running game, that should have been a warning.
We beat Buffalo and Minnesota, not exactly juggernauts right now. The reason the adjustments are finally happening is that Lovie and Co are realizing their jobs are on the line, and if they get Cutler killed, they are for sure out the door...
That's not great coaching. That is desperation and concession from what they think they should be doing.
Credit? Let them beat the Eagles in 2 weeks, and we can talk about credit. Let them do better than .500 from here on out for the season, and they can deserve credit. Opportunistic wins are not great coaching. They are decent coaching, and lucky breaks.
His due? Neil, Lovie is the same man for whom it took two and a half years for him to come to the realization that the best kick returner ever should go back to, well, returning kicks as we saw last Sunday.
The best part about these last two wins was the lack of involvement from Lovie i.e. no questionable calls were made that he needed to throw a challenge flag for. He just got to stand there on the sidelines and watch the clouds go by while Martz, Toub and Marinelli did all the real coaching. I'll give those three their due, and even Tice for what he was given to work with, but not Lovie.
The people at NFL.com were ready to nominate him Coach of the Year after the 3-0 start. Why exactly? Was it cause he made so many blunders in the previous years that him getting three wins was really that amazing in comparison? Keep in mind, there are three former NFL head coaches and one HC-to-be on this team keeping his head above water.
Also I think you meant "collage" instead of "college" in the second sentence.
Lets hold off on the back patting here. Lets see if Lovie and Crew can finish the season strong and show a pattern. Years of mind boggling errors and no playoff games since the SB season cannot be washed away by one good game.. these guys need to show this for the rest of the season.
Give them credit for what? They faced two teams that don't blitz and didn't blitz and neither of which has a pass rush. They beat two really bad teams who have been really bad all year.
The Bears covinced the writers that the Vikings where this great team, the writers bit and hyped up the game as this big turning point in the season. They beat a lousy team at home who's coach is on the verge of being fired. Wow how impressive. Beat the Eagles, the Packers at home, the Jets and the Pat's, or they are not making the playoff's.
All four of those teams look better than the Bears, and the weakest of those teams "the Packers" are at home.
Should we give the credit for discovering Peppers? Is that the coaching they did for the defense, they coached up all those guys or peppers is just that good.
How about credit for the last three years, they don't seem to want to take credit for that. But when the y play a bunch of really bad teams they want the credit, they don;t want the credit for the washington game or the Giants game etc.. But Lovie he wants the credit for he wins, just don't mention the losses cause those didn;t happen and are not his fault, it's everyone else. It's the writers fault, it's the fans fault it's all the coaches he fired fault, but not his.
The did what they where suppose to do against the Vikings, they beat a really bad team and defended their field. Wow, everything is different now. Beat those 4 teams I mentioned then your good. Then you did a good job, heck go 500 against them, 3 of them are home games shouldn;t be hard.
Yeah Rod coached up the defense by adding Julius Peppers. Funny the three names that where mentioned as him fixing Anderson, Harris, Harrison, Gilbert are all either gone or backups who don't play much.
You wan't to know how well the offense played against the Bills? That's a team with what one interception on the year, 11 sacks. Yet what is not being writen is the fact that Buffalo had 16 disruptions on the QB, thats out of 30 drops, thats pressure, that's a lot of pressure and they shut down the run.
But hey they beat a team like the Vikings who are falling apart. Great job. They beat the dram viqueens at home to send them to 3-6. Who freaking who.
Still in favor of sending Lovie down the road although the Bears did look better against the ViQueens.
Even a blind pig can find a truffle sometimes. Angelo has not fared much better but lets face it, the McCheep family will not send both on their way in the same year.
Doesn't Angelo have more time on his contract than Lovie? That alone will keep Angelo in Chicago at least one more year, the Bears simply will not pay for two contracts of a terminated coach and GM.
Phillips, also has not done that great of a job, he is supposed to be the guy at the top that makes the key decisions for the organization.
Yes, the Bears may be making progress and maybe just maybe if the Bears go deep into the playoffs and beat the Pack to win the division then maybe Lovie and crew deserve a return.
That is one big maybe?
So if Lovie and the Bears get spanked by the Dolphins with a back up QB at the controls on Thursday, are you going to retrack this post?
What's next... "Lovie and Staff Deserve an Extension"?
In the past 50 years, the Bears have had two decades of winning football, the 1960s and the 1980s. Lovie is not the person to change that trend anytime soon.
He is the type of coach that other coaches look across the field at late in the game and think, "I still have a chance because I'm coaching against him."
I loved today's comments because they reminded me of how much I miss Chicago and the unique people living there. To add my perspective, I do think the Viking game was significant, and I think the Vikings, in spite of their problems, are likely to give Green Bay fits. Green Bay was also a team the Bears defeated, Creighton. Are they another one of those pushover teams you mentioned? I agree that more severe tests are on the immediate horizon. Still,6 and 3 is a solid start, and I think it will be 7 and 3 after tomorrow night. The coaches may have learned slowly, but at least they do seem to have learned and made some solid and effective adjustments.