Lovie at any price?

The Bears should let the contract run its course and if the Bears win the Superbowl give him a blank check, if not, let him go. His blind loyalty to Grossman calls into question his judgement regarding what is best for the team.

The Bears success these past two years has been due to Angelo (and his staff) finding good players, and their failures have been due to short-sighted game plans (that do not change regardless of how badly the game is going) and giving certain players a free pass as far as required performance (ie. Grossman).

I watched the Superbowl last night for the first time since seeing it live and my impressions were exactly the same as when I first saw it.

Anyone, ANYONE, who doesn't think the Bears lost that game because of Grossman has no clue as to how you win football games in the NFL. And the reason he was allowed to play that poorly in the most important game of the year was due to Lovie.

Again, the Bears' successes couldn't have anything to do with the coaching staff, but those failures couldn't have anything to do with anyone but Lovie.

Riiiiiiight.

Smith must be asking for ridiculous, Steve Spurrier-type money if they still haven't ironed out a contract extension. At this point, I hope he has a winning season next year and leaves anyway.

(You mean to tell me Angelo's made good personnel moves? Maybe on defense.)

So are you saying that Lovie had nothing to with the Bears success the past 2 seasons? If I understand you correctly, you're saying that the Bears were successfull because of Angelo's picks? OKAY!!! Look at the Giants the past 3 years. Would you not agree that they've had some of the best talent the past 3-4 years and only made the playoffs once the past 3 years? Same with the Falcons, Panthers, and Vikings? If the Bears were 9-7, or 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs the past couple of years would you not've said the same thing? The problem with fans like you, is you are never happy. I'll tell you what, how about the Bears go 12-4 make it back to the NFC championship game and lose. Are you saying that the Bears should let him go, just because the team didn't win the Superbowl? That is the prime example of what I said about people never quite excepted Lovie as the coach in Chicago. I really don't believe that if the Bears HAD won the SB, anyone would've gave him that much credit anyway. Forget about Grossman inconsistantcies, or the Tank Johnson thing, or the Defense slide during the second half of the season. NFL Head Coaches are measured by wins and Losses, and The past 2 years Lovie has compiled one of the better records in the league, not to mention a SB trip. I guarantee you that if the Bears mess this up, it will be one of major F' ups in sports history. All he has done is help make this franchise better since he came here, but people been talking about firing him. Maybe African American Coaches are held to a higher standard than their white counter parts. I didn't want to believe that, but if the Bears don't get this done, and fans in chicago are still not happy with what Lovie has done, then what else is there to believe?

I measure my head coaches by NFL championships, where's Lovie's? He's 0 for 2 in Superbowls. Am I satisfied, no I am not, nor should you or any other Bears fan.

Following your logic about what is important, we should fire Lovie and hire Marty Schottenheimer since he has over 200 regular season wins.

It is because of fans that are willing to accept being second best, that we have the Bears teams that we have had for the last 20 years.

I read somewhere that no team has come back the next year and won a Superbowl, after losing one, since the Dolphins in 1972. And no Superbowl loser has come back to even play in the Superbowl the next year since the Bills in 1994.

This illustrates the point that the Bears blew a huge opportunity because they played Grossman. Whose fault is that.....Lovie's.

I just don't get it. Could the Bears actually let Lovie go too? The Bears games I watched this season featured a dominating defense and great coaching. They also featured a quarterback that made the enitre city feel faint every time he dropped back to pass (provided he handled the snap cleanly, of course). When Rex was good, he was fun to watch. When he was bad, it was really ugly. But Ron Rivera is dispensible, and now so is Lovie? But not Rex Grossman? I thought Lovie was right in defending Rex all season, it was all for Rex's confidence anyway. He had to feel let down by his QB's performance in the Super Bowl - everyone did. If Lovie had made the switch to Brian Griese, I don't think the outcome would have been any different. And how much better would Griese have been in the regular sesaon? He was not the answer. The answer is to find a way to keep one of the best coaches in the NFL in Chicago and find a quarterback we can all have confidence in.

Before you put out this blog I went on a tirade on the Rivera blog and just about everything I said fit on this blog. Why is it that Lovie can't be paid what the going rate for coaches who take his team to the Superbowl even without a win? I think that there are more people who think like the right field fans at Wrigley than anything. I already know what the problem is and I think it's a g--damn shame. Why is it that a brother has to do cart wheels and everything else to please the fans in this city. When Grossman's biggest blunder brought out 500 plus bloggers you actually had people comparing Lovie to Dusty. Why was that. Let me see... This city when it comes to sports fans do have a problem with men of color. I hate to say it but it's true. I'm not just talking about black men it's hispanic players too. For every person who loves Ron Santo as a former player there are still some who appreciated Sosa,even now. Why did the love for him turn bitter so fast. He was basically the same player through out his time here .Why did he turn into a pariah so fast? NOT all fans are that way. And there are way more who do give everyone the benefit of the doubt regardless of color. But there are some who just don't like a minority or non-white person. Then they add all these criterias and make them sound stupid or something. "He's not tough.He's not vocal. He sit there with a stupid look on his face when his players are making mistakes". If a brother blew his stack at the little things you'd run him out of town for that. If Lovie grabbed a white player like Ditka grabbed Moorehead some of you would be up in arms.You'd say he was out of control. Let me tell you from experience(not mine):they lock a brother up for just yelling at their kids in public. One man's tough is another man's nuisance. Save the "oh he's playing the race card". Ask any brother on this blog where he thinks that most negativity towards Lovie come from. This town has a serious problem with how it is perceived with it's relationship towards minority players. How many superstar from all sports pass this town up and go play in Siberia instead of these fickle fans. For every Payton or Jordan there is 5 or 6 people who will tell you that they were never treated 1/5 as well as those two were. A lot of people just think this is a city full of hateful and vengeful fans. Now I see why the Saints fans feel better because we failed at the Super bowl. If it's karma like they say,let me out of here. You are really about to get what you poisonous lot are putting out. Some of it is well deserved. If Ditka signed as many contracts as he did with this team and stayed as long as he did, it had to come with adequate compensation. Winning the Superbowl sure took him through a lot of ordinary finishes.The McCaskeys have always been cheap. This is nothing new. I just think with Lovie they are parroting what they think won't be a public relations blunder. They know that the negative response will be over shadowed by the idiot fan who will tell them it was the right thing to do. Even a coach taking his team to a 10-6 record after the 3 years he had here will be perceived as a failure by these fickle fans. We're off to see the wizard yet again. Every coach we've had in the past 40 years was fired and left. Why is it that Lovie has to have his contract expire and then move on to greener pastures? If the BEARS really felt that fans would be fed up with losing a good coach and really rebel,they wouldn't let it get this far. Didn't Wannstaedt and Jauron get re-upped contracts after showing no where as much success as Lovie has shown. If Ditka was the lowest paid coach after the Superbowl there would've been a small rebellion in this city. Who cares if we didn't win. We've been losing more than football games in this city for a long time. Some one explain the standards where all of us are awarded and rewarded with equal merits. Man ,sometimes ,I really dislike this city. I've seen players like Sandberg, who walked away from millions, never go through the negativity that some players went through. He wasn't half the player he was when he came back and no one made his life hell like they did other players. People say that they get tired of backing a team that is always losing. I'm tired of backing teams that are obvious losers in more places than the win/loss column.

Lovie shouldn't feel bad because some of you measure a coach by winning championships. By that definition there are a WHOLE lot of losers out there as coaches. How many active coaches never won a Superbowl? Why are they being paid like there are? If we got rid of Lovie what championship winning coach are they gonna pay championship money to come here. You're gonna get an unproven guy who sign for peanuts like Lovie did who'll give you the years that the last two coaches did. Firing him won't get you Cowher or anyone else. It Cowher 14 years to win a Superbowl. Why can't we have a guy in place that takes that amount of time to win a Superbowl? Patience is a virtue it's just not in most BEARS fan vocabulary. Hard headed,shallow and dullards comes to my mind because that's what they are.

JohnF: the Bears have had a tough past 20 years because they haven't had any consistency on offense. For that matter, this season is the only season the Bears have actually been second best; by your logic, we should fire Lovie because he didn't win the Super Bowl right away.

Schottenheimer's case is actually a perfect example of why Lovie should get a contract extension: do you really believe Norv Turner is a better coach? Let's look at Marty's playoff losses: "The Drive," an Ernest Byner fumble, a kicker who misses five kicks, a Kaeding choke, and (this year) a defensive back who can't control his temper (or the ball). He was robbed in San Diego; he's got one more good stretch left in him, and when he comes back, he's gonna be hungry. If Lovie is so horrible, what coach would you rather have? Bill Parcells? Pete Carroll? Dennis Green? (Actually, Dennis Green's another great coach who deserves at least one more shot, but that's another story...).

Sticking with a coach who has improved his team's won-loss record each year is not settling for second best; it's understanding that building a championship team takes time.

Oh, and just about everything William said is exactly right, which I know makes me even more popular.

Cue the white privilege denial posse; bring it on, fellas!

JohnF,

I can understand your hunger for championships, however the Bears weren't in any realistic position to win ANY championship until Lovie arrived here. Part of me really hope the Bears do what you say. I really would like to see the Bears hold onto the $$$, let Lovie play out the final year of his contract, and realisticly the Bears could go 12-4 next year. I really hope they win the SB but that would be really hard this day in age. If they don't make it, I hope they let Lovie go. Then we'll see his value. You never miss a good thing until its gone. And all this Lovie-fired-Ron-Rivera-because-he-was-afraid-Rivera-was-going-to-take-his-job is straight up bull. If Ron Rivera was as good a coach as people made him out to be, He'd be a head coach by now. 2 years, 9 interviews and he couldn't land one job. But anyway, everyone knows the Bears will take a hard PR hit if they don't get this deal done before the season starts. The pressure is on them. Lovie did his part.

Mr. Donald. Enough. I am sick of everything being about race. You assume white people are automatically
prejudiced, and judge minorities more harshly. I am sick of that attitude. Racism goes both ways. I think Rivera being let go was all about money. He's going to be gone,so the Bears weren't going to give him big money for one year. That's called BIG business. I think Lovie deserves Petrino money and more. Stop with the race thing. After all, wasn't it Lovie's decision not to have Rivera back.

Amen, GA Bears fan. I don't dislike Lovie "Farty Ball" Smith because he's black. I just think he's an idiot, viz., calling a timeout that could have given Seattle extra time to score in the playoffs. That's just one of many of his brain farts.

William R. Donald...right, after hearing 2 weeks of "first black coaches in the SB", the Bears are going to make a public relations disaster by not re-signing him. I love how you jump all over some agent's comment and immediately play the race card.
"This town has a serious problem with how it is perceived with it's relationship towards minority players". Puuulllleeeaaassse. How many white Hall of Fame players can stand toe to toe with the adoration given to players like Jordan, Payton, Banks, Billy WIlliams, etc?
I have a better idea where you can really make an impact - why not spend more of your time focused on real issues facing the black community as opposed to whether Lovie will get $4M per year of $5M. Oh, I don't know, maybe things like gang violence, black on black crime, single parent households, you know, the things that make Lovie's multi-million dollar annual contract look hugely important.

Get a clue!

Well sooner or later you knew someone was gonna bring race into this mess but the reality of the situation is the Bears as an organization have always been cheap. McCaskey is so tight he requires a can of WD40 a day to keep him from sueaking when he walks. Having lived most of my life in NW Indiana (and I am white) some my favorite Chicago sports figures were Williams,Banks,Fergie Jenkins,Andre Dawson, Bob Love, Norm Van Lier, MJ, Pipen,Sweetness,Dent,Singletary and a few white players such as Butkus,Sandberg,Paxson,Luc Longley and Steve Kerr. Recently my youngest son who had the misfortune of being a third generation die-hard Cubs fan but never had the pleasure of seeing Billy Williams play but knows Cubs history from comments made by sportscasters and stories from his old man called me from Phoenix elated that he had sat next to Williams on the plane ride from Chicago. Now consider that he lives and works in NYC and has met many bigger named celebrities and mentioned them only in passing at times I found that not just to be interesting but a testament to how he was raised. He did not see a black man sitting next to him on the plane he saw Billy Williams the Cubs Hall of Fame outfielder. So put away the race card and some one please go to Wal-Mart and buy a case of WD40 to loosen up the Bears Wallet!

Oh I have a clue. I can't defend no one when it comes to being a racist but myself. I'm not a racist. I'm a realist. I never said that Chicagoan were ALL racist and I'm not saying that Carl Thoms and the persons that didn't bother to use their real name is a racist. If you read most of these responses in regard to Lovie it screams of prejudice. Some people will not cut him a break. YOU can't say it's not about racism. You can only speak about YOUSELF. When in any of your lifetimes can you can you know something happened and it was race-related? You can not say what's on anyone's mind. You can have kids and not know what's on their mind. Perception is when you walk through the door and someone peg you before you even sit down. Why is it that this guy can have some success with this team and not be given what his lesser predecessors were given ? Why does he have to be 3 times as good as another coach to be considered a success. My parents were right when they said that I would have to work twice as hard to evn be considered average. It makes you sick to see someone mention it,huh? I never heard his agent's comments. By not signing him I see the feet dragging for myself. If you want to talk about the black community don't forget to mention the crook in the mayor's office. Crime down 50%. Not in those communities. There are no cops in the black neighborhoods. If something happens to you in "those" community they don't come out. They make an appointment to call you back. Did you know that? Now,YOU can call about a suspicious person and someone will come out to you in a matter of minutes. In "those" neighborhoods you can be getting killed and the responding cops stop at White Castles before they get to you. Now,that is no lie. It happened. Back to sports: ask J.Jones, Hawkins, Curry, Chandler,Sosa, and any visiting man of color to Wrigley(right field fans) how they are treated by these fans. You who say that there's no racism didn't get called slurs like some of the visiting players and some "home" players who can attest to the fact they happen. If you can tell Saints fans that we're gonna finish what Katrina started what do you think come out of the mouths of some people when it comes to color. When that stuff happened I was the first one to say let's get over it. I just don't say things to just say them . I think long and hard before I sit down and type because I never learned typing, I'm a level headed person and that's why my blogs are not downers. I hit the point more times than not. I can see how positive people like Jermaine get attacked verbally for not speaking bad about any one player. He backs them all and never stray from being positive. But, people who know this try to come out hard on everyone. Ying for yang. NOWHERE in my blog did I say that ALL Chicago fans are racist. But on the under hand why was race brought up when Hardaway said he hated homosexuals? Why did anyone conjure up a vision of Tim's blackness to respond? Because if that's what you see first then it's what's on your mind. Race. Yeah, I got a clue.

BRAVO. BRAVO. Jermaine, Julie B., Anonymous, and all you other rational thinking people. I measure head coaches by their ability to help build and coach a solid TEAM and to have that team make an extended run at the playoffs. If we're lucky and keep most of this team together the Bears could be one of those teams. The last two years we made the
playoffs, improving our second trip. If the Bears stick together and stay healthy, we could easily make it back to the playoffs the next 4 to 5 years. Say we get a few breaks, some amazing defense, a few good signings, and we are
back into the Super Bowl. And then we'll see the results of what Lovie learned as he watched the Bears, the whole team, lose verse the Colts. Bet that Lovie is already learning and improving from the mistakes the Bears made last year, his own included. This should really be a no brainer; I say keep Lovie, Stick with a Winner. And JohnF, if I may respond to your comment, a first time NFL Head Coach who makes it to the playoffs 2 out of
his first 3 years, that's how I measure my head coaches. Either that or with a ruler.

I think Halas Hall needs to buck up and pay Lovie. The fact that he has headed the best 3 year span in 20 years says he deserves fair market value. They lucked up and went cheap on the right guy and now that he has panned out to be the real deal they need to keep him here, AT ALL COST!!! The whole thing about Lovie sticking w/ Rex is garbage. The reason Rex is still the guy is because Angelo bet the farm on him and they are making the whole team sit on that grenade. Why would Angelo bring in Greise who is no longer an NFL caliber QB? Rex's job was never in jeopardy, Greise was nothing more than window dressing who could be insurance if Rex got injured again and never meant to be the #1. Rex is terrible, how bad do you think Greise is if he can't beat out Grossman? I think this board got a little carried away with the race talk. I cant say I agree totally with WRD, but I can see where he is coming from. Chicago FANS have loved most of the great minority players that have worn our uniforms from Banks,Sayers,Williams,Love,Payton to Jordan, Sosa,Pippen, and now Jones, Gordon, etc... That being said, the OWNERS have really shown less than stellar appreciation for those talents. Jordan was never paid fair market for carrying the NBA and the Reinsdorf group to astronomical pay days, I would say they still owe him quite a bit of coin. The Cubs players of the '60s were grossly underpaid, and the Shufflin' Crew all got screwed by the Mc"Clutchky" Klan. For some to say racism plays 0 part in the equation, you are being naive at best and probably a little dishonest w/ yourselves. The fact that Urlacher is the highest paid Bear EVER should tell you something. Why can't Briggs get his due? He is every bit as important to the D, Urlacher would never be left hanging this way. We'll have to see how it all plays out.

BEAR DOWN

"I watched the Superbowl last night"

Of course you didn't watch any of the other games of the season where Rex had his 100+ passing rating. You just watched a game where Rex couldn't handle the snaps. Rex is a good quarterback. Yes, he did suck in the Superbowl, but it was the Superbowl!

Yes, Lovie made a some mistakes last season, but out of all the coaches in the NFL (excluding Dungy), he made the LEAST mistakes. Pay him whatever he's worth.

Mr. Donald
No one is denying that racism is still alive and well in Chicago or throughout this country for that matter, but the reality in the case of the situation with Lovie's negotiations is that the Bears organization doesn't care if Lovie is black, blue, white, purple or pink; they (the McCaskey's) are cheap and if they did thier own grocery shopping would most likely try to haggle over the price of a loaf of bread with a store owner.

The question is should the Bears keep Lovie Smith at any price; my answer is no. My reason is no coach, no athelete, is worth the money they are getting. I'm a Bears fan. I want them to be a good team, have good players, coaches, etc. I want them to win. But I am sick of professional atheletes and coaches demanding more and more money. Lovie Smith was offered $3.5 million dollars per year if reports are correct. How long is it going to take for one of us to earn that kind of money?
Let's get a grip folks, he is a coach for a football team. Football is a game. Where does it end? Who is paying the millions these people say they deserve? In the end it is us, the fan. For those of you who say the Bears owners are cheap, let me ask you, whatever they end up paying a coach or player, do you really think they won't end up getting it back from us? If something doesn't change I believe we'll eventually see the end of the NFL, as well as all the other sports, on network TV. We'll be looking at pay for view sports. That's the only way the teams will be able to afford paying the salaries the coaches, and the players, seem to think they are entitled to. Screw them all.

does anybody out there believe in the sanctity of contract? if you agree to a number for four years then you gave your word. if things had went the other wayand the bears where not successful would coach smith give back some of his salary? of course not! if you think the man on the street is sympathetic for a man who makes 4 million plus for four years your saddly mistaken in my opinion.

It's funny how I am asked to figure out the problems in the black community when we are in Iraq helping to bring democracy to people who don't want us there. That's like spitting in the Ocean and coming back next week and looking for. Our country spend billions of dollars to help others but refuse to put money into communities in this country. Not just black communities. And then with blind loyalty we are asked to back our troops. A am a veteran and no one helps Illinois vets at all. Sports is used as a diversion from everyday strife and still the inequalities surface. There is a guy who blog on just about every blog that they have in the Suntimes and he will tell you he hate black people. Wears his hate like it's a proud flag. One racist is one too many. When I said that there are too many racists in this city it was meant for people like him. If a guy who is a self proclaimed racist give his input on sports figures who are non-whites you would expect him to just show a racist view. I never accused the BEARS of being racist. I said they pander to those who make it easy for them to make unpoplar decisions. I accused people who based their opinion of Lovie on his color under the disguise of saying that he makes mistakes. They know that no one is perfect but they want to dismiss him because of his viewed flaws. If you don't resemble that person, why did you waste your time responding to me? What,you couldn't look at yourself in the mirror or something? I'm sure that there are a lot of people who don't see color at all and they should be commended. The ones who know that that is their problem are the ones who need to be called out. If it don't apply,don't reply. I haven't had time to hate races. When I was in the MPs in Germany between 83-85 I was one of two blacks. In all ,I had 45 some-odd coworkers during that time who I got along with great. Don't think I didn't endure the "jokes" and the "those people" remarks. Since then I've worked in two north suburban hospitals and anyone who's ever known me knows that I am not a race-baiter. Some of you can say whatever you want about me. I call it like I see it. I don't lose sleep waiting for people to call me anything. I'm very comfortable in my skin.

Roman responds: Ok, I think everyone has made his argument about race. Time to end it.

Race may not have anything to do with it from a business standpoint, but I have to question whether it has anything do with acceptance wih some fans. I'd be willing to bet that if Lovie Smith were coaching the Raiders, and had the same success he's had here he would be widely accepted by most, or all Raider fans. My point is all year, no matter if the Bears won or loss, There were people "questioning" Lovie's coaching. Not just on these Blogs, but in the sports bars, football parties etc. In their eyes Lovie couldn't do anything right. Those same people were saying that Lovie couldn't lead the Bears to the SB. When he did, you heard absolutely nothing from them. Then when the Bears loss the SB, all of a sudden the Lovie/Rex bashing started again. This has been by-far the strangest season ever for me as a Bear fan. It almost felt better during the Wanny years. At least we all agreed that the Bears sucked back then. This year, it seemed noone (fans, media, or the NFL) wanted to accept the fact that the Bears were a good team this year. Heading into the season, some "experts" didn't even pick them to win the division. Then as the season progressed, There were the media's flavor of the month teams (Giants, Saints, Cowboys, and Eagles) All were supposed to end the Bears sweep through the NFC.It never happened.As we all know the bears almost swept the NFC. One lost came against the packers in that meaningless game. Everyone went WAY OVERBOARD with the Rex bashing after that game. It was ridiculous! Now it seems like the Bears are imploding. Coaches getting fired, or leaving, Lovie can't get paid, and players are demanding trades. It really has me worried.

But back to the subject about Lovie. I think that if the Bears don't sign Lovie before this season starts, we can kiss this season goodbye. No one is gonna play hard for a lame duck coach. And it will be a shame.

First I want to say that Jermaine your lastest entry was spot on. I couldn't have put it better myself. Just now as I was watching the Bulls on ESPN I heard a report that said Lovie reportedly said he was "confident" that he would recieve a long term deal with the Bears. Please let it be true. Then the Bears should give Briggs the long term deal he deserves. Come on McCaskey's open that check book.

Bears are the second best team in the league. Before Lovie, all we wished for was to beat Green Bay. How soon we forget. We haven't had good times like this in 20 years. Lovie did the best he could with what he had. This man conducted himself like a coach - not affraid of the media and fans. Gelling the TEAM together unlike Ditka who had division. Defending his QB who got him to the Super Bowl. Lovie made the right decision. If any of you believe Greise could get us to the Super Bowl, you are sadly mistaken. Bears need a genuine playoff tested starter, like Vick, McNABB, or even Garcia. Noone on our roster could challenge Grotesque-man. Lovie knew that, and he simply played the hand he was dealt. He has made history, and has given us bragging rights over EVERY TEAM in the NFL except the Colts. BLAME Management for NOT signing this man to a new contract that reflects OUR RECORD in the NFL. There is only ONE coach who deserves better than Lovie in 2007 and that is Dungy. Lovie needs to start thinking about LOVIE. He needs Drew Rosenhouse, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Min. Louis Farakhan, Sen. Meeks AND Barak Obama just to get what HE HAS EARNED. Its Black History Month and they need to be reminded of it. It shouldn't take all of this, but sometimes thats what some people need. It hurts to see him being treated like this and it speaks volumes to why folks like Terrell Owens have their money and why Lovie doesn't. Lovie needs to start this season with a NEW contract, or quit BEFORE the season starts. THEY WOULDN'T GET ONE MORE WHISTLE OUT OF ME!! Got 3 seasons, two division championships and a superbowl appearance. That is one heck-of-a resume and audition. Give him his money cheap jokers!!!!!!!!

What bothers me right now is this "lame duck" label. Lovie is still under contract for next season and whatever players the Bears have when the season starts are also under contract. Now all of these people are professionals and are supposedly motivated by the dream of getting to and winning the SB. The prestige of the ring and all that stuff. Yet many believe if Lovie's contract is not extended before the season starts he's not gonna coach as hard as he did the last 3 years and the players aren't gonna play as hard for him? First of all I think Lovie and any player or coach should get whatever they can even though they are ALL over paid. On the other hand if any of them just go through the motions in the last year of a contract because it was not extended prior to the start of that season they should be fired. The Bears defense declined during the last half of the season during which time Ron Rivera was interviewing for head coaching positions. Apparently his focus was on himself and not on the team winning the SB. That may well be why he was let go and if it was it was the right thing to because he did not live up to his contract and why would anyone believe he wouldn't do the same next season? Now if the players truely like playing for Lovie I would think they would play even harder for him in an effort to get him back with a new contract. If not then they are unprofessional and don't desrve to get back to the SB.

All Lovie is saying is " Show me the money! "
From what I have read, he is asking to be paid the fair market price. The team has improved in each of the last 3 years since he has been the coach, including a trip to the SuperBowl. The Bears management is low-balling him. Pay the guy what he is worth, that's not excessive or " keeping him at all costs ". Why would they want him to leave after the next season so they can start over again with a new coach ?
Management says it will pay Lovie fair market value, so let's get it done and move on to the next step!

The Bears had the most talented team in the NFL, but failed to win the championship. The head coach should take the blame for that. It's a hard thing to get to the Super Bowl (the Colts can attest to that), so once you do make it you sure as heck had better win the ball game. Plus, Lovie wanted to get rid of Rivera, which was just plain dumb. I honestly would not be surprised if the Bears don't even make the playoffs this coming year.

I'm beginning to think it's not all about the the huge amount of money Lovie wants, per se I think the Bears organization is more afraid of the precedent it sets. Any coach who comes to the team will expect and want those kind of dollars and more. And then there's the ripple effect. The asst coaches are going to want to cash with hefty raises. After all, if the head coach is knocking down 5M, a coord should get at least half that. That said... Hey Bears,pay the man!
JimmyD

No Lovie at any price! As much as I don't like the Bears MGT, they have to let his contract run down. IMO he still has to show that he has the leadership to run this team, if they have a good year then he should get a Raise,IMO he still has to many ? to be given a blank check.His blind faith in Rex is going to be his downfall,Rex was good at the start of the season,but it was just that THE START OF THE SEASON!As soon as the teams made adjustments we saw what they( REX,Lovie. ) were made of!IMO Lovie still has to show he can make the tuff call,which he has not.As I said on the other blog , the players did a good job to keep tight lipped about Rex,but I don't think they can take it anymore!He can't give one player a free pass on everything and expect the rest of the team to go OK I need to play better so we can give Rex time to work on his foot work etc... Lovie its ok to jump rex's butt once in awhile,he's not made of glass,he'll be OK,If not then its time to make the TUFF call and move on ( QB's )Show us your a coach that has some B_lls and I'll give you a blank check!

For the ones who say that Lovie was not the sole reason for the bears success last year are either dumb or a racist. Fact is the coach took this team to where it has not been in twenty years. Winning back to back dividion championships proves my point. Im reading some of the comments like let the contract run its course, you have to be kidding me, pay the man, the bears paid dick jauron after his magical 12-4 or 13-3 record and he stunk it up the remainder of his contract. Lovie is the main reason why the bears have progressed the last two years. Bringing in the strenth and conditioner coach who might i had has not had any major hamstring problems the last two years with the exception of brown's foot and tommie. Give lovie credit he is a great coach, who wants to be in chicago. He should get paid, just like alanta paying the college coach over 4.5 millino to coach an NFL team and the bears want to lowball smith, he deserves to be paid, pay him. Race is stil a factor in chicago today, if bill parcells was coaching the bears and the coach wanted a contract extension, chances are he would have had a deal already. It's simple if you tell a coach that you want him why not do what it takes to keep him. When Urlacher contract came up and he wanted a extension, he became the higest paid bear in history, no questions asked. Lovie has progressed each and every year his first year 4-12 second year11-5 2nd round playoff loss third year 13-3 runner up in the super bowl. MEN LIE WOMEN LIE...........NUMBERS DON'T.....THINK ABOUT IT

LOVIE SUCKS! Just because he's black doesn't mean he should get a break for being only an average coach. He's gotten lucky with good players and easy schedules. He just doesn't look, talk or act like a real leader. I'd rather they fired Lovie right now and brought in a real coach.

Tim Little,

I can see where you're coming from. I believe having Lovie "play out" his contract is a dangerous game. It can swing both ways really. Do the players play hard for their coach, or do ride out this cloud of uncertainty caused by upper management. Their is a reason the Bears have not re-signed Briggs or the coach. Upper management for the Bears are very cheap. They clearly have the cap space to sign Briggs 4 times next year but they won't do it. Now Im not looking at this scenario in a pesimist way as some of the fans are. I truly believe that Lovie should get paid as much as the top 5-6 coaches in the League. His record speaks for itself. Some of you nay-sayers can type all the stuff you want. Deep down you know Lovie is a good coach. Pay Lovie, Pay Briggs, and If the sex-cannon have a better year, pay him to!

I really feel that even though lovie signed a contract he deserves to get it fixed before it expires.I read an earlier post about if you sign contract you should stick to it.Well in the real world that is true but unfortunatly in the sports world it doesn't work that way.You gotta stay ahead of the game and gm's have to look into the future constantly for different money scenerios and what not.Lovie has been nothing less then a repectful man who has never done anything to diminish the bears name.He also has comes through on his big 3 promises.(well at least he got to the super bowl)The bears organization has a bad history of being cheap but with all the new cap rules the league and all its teams will enjoy a plethora of money for its players and coaches.Now is not the time to sit back and take chances like this team did 20 years ago letting key pieces to leave after brief success.

Use a little empathy in understanding that the Bears are just trying to keep him for the lowest price possible. Yeah, it's a little insulting to start at $3M, when the market says you're worth over $5M, but if you don't ask you don't receive. I hope that he doesn't settle for anything less than $5M. He's given us a first round bye in the playoffs without a quarterback and has taken us to the Super Bowl with half of one. With Tommie Harris, we'd have probably won it still. Don't forget that as bad as Rex was, we still were driving for the lead in the 4th quarter until he threw the pick. That's with no QB pressure in the second half against the greatest QB in the game.
The suggestions to let him play out his year and possibly walk are ludicrous. We haven't had this type of success in 20 years. Guys talk like Super Bowls are easy achievements. Who's going to replace him? You can't evaluate a coach on championships alone. Super Bowl champion, Bill Parcells had probably the most talented team in the league and look at what he did with it. It's about improving, and we've done that. It's about Rex improving too. Half the season he was the best QB in the game. You can argue that he should be considered a rookie, considering this is his first full season and only played in a handful of games. As bad as he can be, he put up better numbers than Vince Young, who was rookie of the year. This first full season was also better than Peyton Mannings first full season, so be a little patient. If Griese was the guy, he wouldn't have failed his audition for playoff time in the second half against Green Bay, completing a third of his passes and throwing two picks. I understand the "anyone but him" mentality but you have to go with the better of the two, which is clearly Rex, who has shown the ability to be great...if he ever stops fumbling the ball:)

Lies, and statistics (numbers). Get a clue Shaun.

The Bears were the most talented team in the NFL. Coming from a weak division and conference there is no way in heck the Bears should not have advanced to the SB. My Mom could have coached this team to the SB. Lovie brings nothing to the table except stuff he copied from someone else (that doesn't work vs. good teams in big games) and a passive personality that lazy players love. An average or above coach would have brought home the big trophy with the football on the end of it. The Bears got as far as they did in spite of him not because of him. They failed to win the SB because of him. I'm not impressed with him at all. I'm not fooled by the hype and racial crying. He is currently being paid commensurate with his abilities. That's fair. Lovie, do your job. Just do it better next time.

Lovie Smith does NOT deserve a new contract. He should honor the contract that's in place right now, PERIOD! He is NOT a great football coach by any stretch. Fact is, the NFC was the weak sister this past season. Jerry Angelo's drafting and selection prowess is why we won so many games. Let's face it gang, Lovie dropped the ball in numerous areas. First, he stuck with Wrecks for far too long. Every football fan and writer in the USA predicted what would happen to Wrecks in the big game, heck even Denny Green saw the writing on the wall early on. Lovie looked like a deer in the headlights in those games where the Bears looked like a junior varsity college team. Lovie has zero clock mgmt skills. If, as is claimed now, the defense, was Lovie's defense....he dropped the ball HUGE over the last 6 games. Mike Brown and Tommy Harris being out should NOT have destroyed the D the way it did. Lovie also threw Chico under the bus with the timing and the handling of his non renewal. This speaks volumes about Lovie in my mind, he's not an honorable man..period! You don't WAIT until every good job in the league has been filled to tell a key staff member he won't be asked back. This move alone was enough to run Lovie out of town IMHO.
Bottom line, Lovie and the Bears caught some lucky breaks this past season. That will NOT happen again anytime soon gang.

Let Lovie work for his 1.45 Mil and then let him move on. Bring Rivera back home and then, maybe we can go all the way. To all you blindly loyal Lovie fans, OPEN YOUR EYES gang...Lovie and his weak decision making ability cost this city a SuperBowl any way you slice it..this loss sits squarely on the shoulders of Lovie the Wonder Coach and his boy Wrecks! Why won't Bears fans admit the truth? The Lovie/Wrecks love story was a disaster, plain and simple!
Winning isnt everything, it's the ONLY thing and we have lost the big game for two years in a row due to the inability of this coach to properly prepare and game plan his team! It is, what it is!

You only get one time to lie to me like the Bears did Lovie. He needs to pick up his self-respect and roll. What-a-joke! LOVIE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A MISTRESS THAT HAS BEEN PROMISED "I will leave her, be patient". I don't like to see ANYONE treated that way, much less the first black coach to make it to a superbowl, and a standup guy like Lovie Smith. Bears Management are NOT acting like they have enjoyed this man's tenure. Trotting him out on the field like a complete sucker for 3 years while snickering behind his back as ALL of his colleagues/fans/media are laughing at his pitance of a salary. You can criticized Terrell Owens all you want, but you will have to do it from his palacial lawn, or while he is riding in his Bentley. LOVIE'S LOYALTY HAS garnered him NOTHING but RIDICULE. At this point Lovie - do yourself a favor and go where somebody wants you. I AM TOTALLY DISGUSTED at this man's treatment. Happy Black History Month Lovie - TO YOU, YOUR WIFE AND KIDS, and ALL OF THOSE BLACK FANS who society tells that you are the kind of person we like and reward in life.

Maybe Lovie can sign a contract like guys used to that had escalaters. His money should increase whenever he falls under 10th in coaching scale. That would be more than fair. I find it funny that guys say that if he didn't have a great record he wouldn't give back any money. Would the BEARS offer you a refund if the team as a whole lost? Would everyone who had a bad game give their money back? No one would and that should go without saying. Fans always want to hold everyone's money down. None of us thinks that anyone is worth these millions. If a guy hits the lottery how many of us say that we wish it was us. We do it but don't hate on them. We resent players and coaches for making the millions because we feel that they directly got it off of us. Let me tell you:everyone makes money off us. Musicians,actors, and anyone that entertains us in any way. You need to be Amish to not make SOMEONE,somewhere a millionaire. If the market is set you have to deal with the market fairly. The market will not go away just because the BEARS won't pay Lovie what he thinks he's worth. In the long run: you get what you pay for. The BEARS should be glad that they got a great deal with what they paid for. Now they need to show the league that they are serious about attracting REAL talent here. Will they end up like the BULLS: collecting money from an unsuspecting fan base who hasn't forgotten about the great run the team had. Why do Chicagoans go to so many sporting events and sell out the joints when their teams haven't won jack in years? Provide anyone a seat anywhere in Chicago and they will fill it. If you don't go to a game someone will.That's the price of entertainment. The Blackhawks are they exception. How many fans are mad at Wirtz and rightly so? Disrespect the fans directly and you will suffer the consequences. It's up to the fans to let the teams know when they do that. Are the BEARs fans serious about winning or will they let their personal feelings rule their decisions?

If I'm Lovie's agent, I'm thinking "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"!!! He makes a targetted call to a national guy at ESPN to get people in his court and get the media to bash the Bears.
He got Romo and others to bite hook, line and sinker...

This is an interesting post. I am from Chicago but i have lived in DC the past 6 years. I will always be a Bears fan but I have to deal with hearing about these sorry Redskins. It's very dissapointing to hear how Bear fans are not supportive of Lovie and can't help but think it's about race since some of the posts refers to a few of his mistakes. Some of you Chi fans have become spoiled with these past three years. Fans here in DC would do anything to get on the same level as the Bears (and they've won 3 Super Bowls since '85). This situation with Lovie reminds me of how Tampa treated Dungy after he took a losing franchise and turned it around but was fired for losing in the playoffs. Gruden was handed a solid team and got all the credit Dungy deserved (and he admitted it also..he had to.it was that obvious) for winning the Super Bowl. Now look at Tampa? Is that what you want to happen to Chicago? For all the bloggers reacting to the race card, like my man Bill Reddy said in his post..if you don't apply don't reply (that's classic). You all are telling on yourselves by overreacting claiming this isn't about race. Lovie needs to get paid (atleast $4.5M like Petrino and he's never coached a Pro game and he couldn't even beat Rutgers!!!). Hell Marty was getting $4M with an extension and he's never won a playoff game. All of you need to start supporting Lovie, he's a class act and he represented Chicago to the fullest. What's $4M when the owners are making all of the money anyway. They need to pay Briggs also..(show some support and stop hating!!!!)

I wonder how many of the people claiming the "race card" is being played have actually been victims of racism. And I'm not talking about the time a black guy called you "white boy". I'm talking about a time when someone in power excluded you, your family, you neighborhood from something because of your/their race. You can sure talk all day about a subject about which you have no clue about. That's like me talking about how to conduct brain surgery without every going to medical school.

With that said, I love how all these fans call Lovie and idiot but they themselves will never be up for a pro football head coaching job. I'm willing to bet that there are some fans that would actually have Dave Wannstat (sp) back rather than Lovie. And people are questioning his leadership skills? Really? Ditka had trouble controlling his team and coaching staff but no one ever brings that up. Smith could win 3 titles in a row and people would question his skills. Unbelievable! Actually, in America, it is believable, unfortunately.

First and foremost, the Bears made it to the Big Game because of a very mediocre NFC. Second, they played some of their toughest games on the schedule with major injuries on both sides. Third, as was in the past 13-3 Bears, they had some very fortuitous bounces go there way. You don't get clearly outplayed by the Cards, Dolphins, and Packers and call yourself the Best of the Rest. I like Lovie, and the team seems to play for his relaxed demeanor in a positive way. I'm just not sure (or anybody but the coaching staff for that matter) how many poor decisions he contributed to the season. He definitely is worth much more than he's getting paid, but 3.5 to 4 million sounds fair. The players win games, no doubt about it but after that you're only as good as the WHOLE coaching staff combined. Let's see how the revised staff does and where the ball bounces next season. Then I think the picture may be truer to behind the scenes decision making we may never know.

The wheels on the Bears’ bandwagon bus go round and THUD, round and BLAM... CLUNK, round and BUMP.
The wheels on the Bears’ bandwagon bus go round and CLUNK… BLAM... CLUNK... CRASH.
All through the media.

THUD = spanked by the Colts
BLAM = whaaa! show me the money
CLUNK = race card
BUMP = you’re fired
CRASH = whaaa! trade me

"Spanked by the Colts?" Colts didn't take the lead until the third quarter, and didn't really blow the game open until the fourth, when Rex decided that handling the football was for suckaz. The only thing the Colts truly did offensively was take advantage of one Chris Harris mistake; had the offense been able to do anything, that game would have ended a lot differently. But I guess that's Lovie's fault for not handing the reins to an unproven career also-ran.

"Show me the money?" Yeah, I tell ya-a coach who's improved his team's won-loss record, taken home two division titles and appeared in a Super Bowl completely deserves the lowest salary for a head coach in the league. That's idiotic, even for the cheap-@$$ Bears.

"Race Card?" Look, man, you've already proven yourself to be a place-ist, at least. You don't need to make your true colors apparent.

"You're fired?" Rivera, perhaps? The league has spoken regarding how much they appreciate his talents. Let's see how he fares with the Chargers' linebackers, where he's most likely making about as much as Lovie is.

"Trade me?" The Bears need upgrades at every offensive skill position except for maybe running back.

I agree with Gary on this ploy by the agent. Romo, please tell a certain Sun Times writer and sports radio host to take a DEEP breath. Say it with me....it's called negotiating

Ted Phillips has the power, so he has the right to pay or not pay the coach what he's asking for. Smith used this power by dumping Rivera, so Smith should understand that all Phillips is doing is using his power. Because Smith had the right to fire Rivera, so does Phillips have the right to pay Smith whatever he wants. Also, lets stop this "he led us to the superbowl" talk. The real superbowl was played two weeks earlier in Indianapolis between the Colts & Patriots. The combined winning percentage of the Bears opponents was .430, which was the easiest schedule in the league. If the Bears were in the AFC, they would have been about 9-7 and would have possibly been a wildcard team at best.

Look,talk or act like a coach? Tony Dungy look like a history teacher talk like a librarian. Won the damn Super bowl. Bilichik looks like he owns a lawn furniture shop. Won a few damn Super bowls. Tuna looked like an extra from Sopranos. Won a few Super bowls. None of these guys sounded like coaches. How do you act like a coach? Suckerslap photographers? Refuse to shake an opposing coach's hand for whatever reason? Stare at T.O. without telling him to shut the hell up? Lombardi in all his pictures look like a 50's used car saleman. Jimmy Johnson looks like a stand-in for Liberace. They didn't look, act or talk like coaches but they won Superbowls and championships.Why would you fault a guy for those 3 things if you get results? The Bulls won championships with Jordan but got nothing wothout him. Phil Jackson doesn't get an asterick as a coach because of those things. Urlacher was here before Lovie. We had a lot of talent here long before Lovie got here. Why haven't we gone to the Super bowl in 21 years? Why didn't we utilize the talent we had all those years with the coaches we had? 2006 wasn't the most talented team we had in 20 years.After all those other years we finally had it all come together. Give credit where it is due. Ron Rivera was limited on where he was gonna be able to sign. He could not sign with any team or interview once we made it to the Superbowl. Him,not getting a job anywhere else wasn't Lovie's fault. Whatever the perception of Rivera as a coach in any way is established by him alone. If he didn't make an impression on these other teams you'd have to say that that is Rivera's fault. How many coaches were fired because someone wanted someone else to be their coach. If Rivera was any good,honestly,some owner would have made him their coach. Why are you guys not mad at other owners for not giving Rivera a shot? Blame them. Buddy got himself a job and left Ditka in the dust. Ditka didn't want Buddy back. Why is that O.K.? Why is it that ownership of the BEARS didn't stand in the way of Lovie disposing of one of their favorites. These guys fired Jauron because he didn't want to fire Shoop. They can't be all bad. Lovie has B-lls: he fired Shea once he knew that that guy wasn't gonna work out. I'm not mad at your opinions. I just don't agree with them.

"The Bears had the most talented team in the NFL, but failed to win the championship. The head coach should take the blame for that. It's a hard thing to get to the Super Bowl (the Colts can attest to that), so once you do make it you sure as heck had better win the ball game. Plus, Lovie wanted to get rid of Rivera, which was just plain dumb. I honestly would not be surprised if the Bears don't even make the playoffs this coming year."

Actually, the Chargers were the most talented team last year. Go figure. A simple trajectory would suggest that the Bears will be in the Superbowl next year, if not go all the way.

"His blind faith in Rex is going to be his downfall"

His unwavering support of this good young quarterback got him to the Superbowl! If that's a downfall, who needs an upstart?

"LOVIE SUCKS! Just because he's black doesn't mean he should get a break for being only an average coach. He's gotten lucky with good players and easy schedules."

This is the NFL. Who doesn't get lucky? There is no manifest destiny out there on that field. Again, look at the Chargers. People said they'd go all the way and they went home early. Lovie was right about Grossman, and he was right about running the team. Pay him his rubles!

"Coming from a weak division and conference there is no way in heck the Bears should not have advanced to the SB. "

Tell that to Nick Saban and the Miami Dolphins. The NFC was just as weak under Jauron as well. What does this have to do with anything?

"Lovie brings nothing to the table except stuff he copied from someone else (that doesn't work vs. good teams in big games)"

It's called inspiration and adaptation. You learned everything you know from someone or something around you. Does that mean YOU copied? The Chargers had the perfect defense, in the better division of the better conference and they STILL didn't make it to the Superbowl. This only goes to further higlight Lovie's superior competency.

"He is currently being paid commensurate with his abilities. That's fair. Lovie, do your job. Just do it better next time."

You speak to him as if he's a lowly bus boy at a restaurant that you can just push around whenever you want to because he's poor and needs the job. It's in the best interest of all of us fans to MAKE SURE that we give him fair pay because the success of the BEARS is intimately tied to Chicago's economy. He's the one that's in demand.

"Lovie Smith does NOT deserve a new contract. He should honor the contract that's in place right now, PERIOD! He is NOT a great football coach by any stretch. Fact is, the NFC was the weak sister this past season."

I don't remember a season when the NFC WASN'T weak. What does this have to do with Lovie's Pay?

"Also, lets stop this "he led us to the superbowl" talk. The real superbowl was played two weeks earlier in Indianapolis between the Colts & Patriots. The combined winning percentage of the Bears opponents was .430, which was the easiest schedule in the league. If the Bears were in the AFC, they would have been about 9-7 and would have possibly been a wildcard team at best."

If that's your problem with the Bears then you should start a petition demanding that the Bears be put in the AFC instead. The rules of the NFL however clearly state that the Superbowl consists of the TOP NFC team versus the TOP AFC team. Lovie got the Bears to the top of the hill, so he deserves the reward. Look, Lovie Smith is worth at least 5.5-5.8 million per year as a head coach. Every team in every city in the League knows this. If we screw Lovie over at a time when we should be rolling out the red carpet our city will be drowning in a sea of embarrassment and shame, Lovie will throw his last year on purpose, we'll lose guys like Hester, Briggs and Jones, and we'll be back to the excellent years of Jauron. This is Bartman X 1,000,000.

Pay him his rubles!

Unbelievable! Hey Carl, ever hear of 'reverse discrimination'?? It's been going on for quite a few years now. Yep. I'm white and been a victim of this crap. But the media doesn't give a damn about THAT, do they? Smith is a gentleman, nice guy. The Bears wouldn't of hired him in the first place - IF - race was an issue. I havn't heard the Bears say anything similar to what Jerry Jones of the Cowboys said about coaches in general, and that is: "At least a hundred coaches could win with the talent I have assembled" This is a NEGOTIATION for the race card goofs out there. Smiths agent is the biggest goof for making this an issue BEFORE it's an issue. Anyone who thinks that Smith and Bauer get to name a price and the Bears MUST pay it is goofier yet. I don't like his/Dungy's cover two defense. It's NOT Bear football. This is a talented team despite Smiths coaching. He'd better watch it because he'll be out of a job if he plays hard ball. The Bears could do better, and it has NOTHING to do with his color. The Sun Timers has lowered itself to a new depth with Slezak's stupid column. She's a female, should she DEMAND top dollar from her employer because she's a female? And if her employer tells her to go scratch, will it be GENDER prejudice? You guys are pathetic. I just need to stop buying this God awful rag.

Smith's agent has been an agent for 25 years.This isn't like Rodman hiring one of his drinking buddies to get him a contract. I thought Slezak made a few valid points. Just like I always think she make valid points. I never see her out-and-out hate on anything. She raise an issue on the level where she actually questions the validity to a situation. Marriotti tells the truth. He just says it in a manner that rubs us the wrong way, once in a while. Why are you so mad that she wondered out loud what a lot of people wondered? Why show her so much hate in regard to an organization that YOU can not defend? You have no idea how they view anything. You'd be surprised at what a CEO or a board member on any sports team really feel about their fans. They will placate you only to keep their money flowing. No one cares how you or any of us feel. We only matter to make them richer. Unless you are a McCaskey you can't tell me what is on their minds. It just seem like you hate real easy.

"This is a NEGOTIATION for the race card goofs out there. "

There is absolutely nothing to negotiate. If you humble victims of "reverse discrimination" ever want to see Hester or Briggs play for the Bears again, if you want to see another Superbowl within the next thirty years, you will DEMAND that Lovie Smith be paid 5.5-6 million. Capiche?

"This is a talented team despite Smiths coaching."

Every player in the League is talented. You don't win games with talent. I didn't see Favre and the Packers playing in the NFC Championship.

"She's a female, should she DEMAND top dollar from her employer because she's a female?"

Hypothetically, if Slezak's column is responsible for bringing in 90% of new readers for the Sun Times, then she would be in a position to demand the best pay. This isn't rocket science.

Lovie is head coach of the ONLY Bears team to make it to the big game in 21 years! He is responsible for 100% of Superbowl berths thus far. Therefore, he deserves 6 million per year.

5-6 million a year is not "top dollar" for a head coach in the NFL, it is high average. You act like he's asking for billions.

Could this be a racial issue? I certainly hope not, but one can't ignore the possibilities. I remember a Dick Jauron who had a 13-3 season, and of course our beloved Bears lost to Philadelphia in the FIRST round. While he STILL had 2 years left on his ORIGINAL contract, the BEars ripped up his old contract and signed him to a new deal, essentially doubling his salary. Note that this was Jauron's first ever head coaching job in the NFL. So why would the Bears not want to rip up the final year of Smith's contract and give him a new deal, and he took the Bears to the SUPER BOWL?

Before hiring Smith, the Bears were after Nick Saban, who had absolutely NO NFL head coaching experience, but they were willing to offer him 3.5 Million a year. NOw Smith, who now has 3 years of NFL coaching experience and proven he is a winner, can only expect 3.5 million when there are rookie head coaches (who are white by the way) getting more?

I get angry when there are a set of rules established by a company, but the rules change when the candidate that stands to benefit is a person of color. If it took only one year of winning for Jauron to get a new deal, why should it take Smith 4 years? Why couldn't Jauron "Honor his contract"? And it goes beyond the Bears.

Kirk Hinrich of the Bulls got a new deal, while Jordan and Pippenbulls had to "honor their contracts." Let Pinella mess around and get the Cubs to the World Series, and he will be the highest paid manger EVER, but Ozzie on the South Side hasn't gotten anything and HE WON a World Series.

so why do black coaches or players have to "honor their contracts" and white coaches and players can get new deals without asking?

For all you people who say it's lovie's fault they lost the SB b/c he played REX who else was he going to play our backups werent much of step up. the bears made it to the superbowl despite REX. Rex sucks and yeah lovie was on his side the whole time b/c you drafted the kid and when he is on his game he is amazing. how bout blame angilo for not drafting a young go to TE or WO. here is a question why are the bears afraid to draft a black QB we passed on culpepper saying Cade would be better wow that was a good call we passed on leftwitch saying he didnt have enough HEART. are you kidding me byron played on a BROKEN LEG and his linemen carried him down the field if thats not heart i dont know what is. A healthy culpepper is one of the best in the league when manning put up his record TD season culpepper was second oh yeah and he can run. if you say lovie hasnt proven himself he made the playoffs first with ORTON then the superbowl with rex. yeah he lost but the bear renew contract with for less. and dont be surprised if briggs isnt back or holds out b/c he isnt getting the money he deserves but hey knowing the way this town is it will be the BLACK coaches fault for not talking to is BLACK work horse to sign a small contract.

Do the columnists watch the games they report on? If so, any reasonable person would look at the incredibly bad coaching decisions, including leaving an overwhelmed QB in the most important game of the season and not rush to over pay the guy making those boneheaded decisions. The bears were LUCKY to win the first playoff game. Their bad coaching was only trumped by the other coach's slightly bigger blunders. If the bears would have lost that first playoff game, would people still be screaming for a huge raise and contract extension or would they want to run him out of town? As for the sleaze hack column today, for all reasonable people, race has nothing to do with how we root for our sports teams. We expect the best out of our players and coaches and we don't care what color they are. Smith hasn't earned a top scale paycheck yet. Let him finish his contract and if he leaves, maybe he'll take grossman with him.

Should the bears keep their coach at any price. Should the bears keep their coach at any price. I've learned in life that if you repeat something twice, it's retained much better; something we seem to have missed consistently in this blog. This isn't about race, or Grossman, or Parcells, or Schottenheimer, or any other coach or crede. This is about whether Ted Phillips knows enough about the Bears and THEIR coaches. This is about inside knowledge about how his team plays for THIS coach. This is about a fair asking price for THE situation at hand. And then the monumental task of convincing the MCCHEAPIES the number is correct, for OUR coach. Any price? Absolutely not! Revised contract? Absolutely! Two years of solid ball should be rewarded regardless of the division or conference, or the coaches origin, race, past, etc. Sometimes owners with deep pockets gamble on a Petrino, or think they have a can't miss with a Parcells. But in the end you need a coach who his players love to play for; a sharp staff who works as hard as you; a little luck during the season; and getting hot and healthy at just the right time (e.g. Bill Cowher & the '05 Steelers). I think Lovies' the man. I just hope Mr. Phillips can convince the McCheapies?

Paul, of course you have been discriminated against, it's called affirmative action. As for Carol Slezak's column. She has no proof race has anything to do with this, and if she does she needs to go public with the proof. Until then she needs to shut it and stop trying to currie favor with blacks by showing how "tolerant" she is by writing that type of column. This type of reaction, bringing race into the equation, is the exact reason why if I was a GM I would really hesitate about hiring a black coach. With a white coach you don't have to worry about being called a "racist" if there is a contract squabble or if you have to fire an incompetent coach. Look at the criticism Notre Dame took for firing an incompetent coach like Willingham. Hiring a black coach is not worth the trouble that comes along with it. And the Notre Dame example and this Bears situation are classic examples of this. In the future I am sure the Bears will have this in mind when they are hiring a new coach. I am sure Ted Phillips will secretly tell Angelo to keep it white so as to not get a controversy like this again.

Why speculate on woulda,shoulda. Let's talk about what did happen. If you can honestly say that Griese would've won you a Super Bowl you are wiser than 31 other owners who bypassed his services. Only in Chicago will a backup come in and rescue a Superbowl win for you. Only a backup can save your season. You guys are on your own oasis with some of your thinking. GMs and coaches on 31 other teams didn't think that Griese warranted even a backup role. He didn't come here because he thought he could beat Rex out. He came him because we were desperate. We had guys like Chad and Henry the past few years and hated on Kordell even though he never got a real opportunity to get this team going. We didn't know the difference from SHOOP and Shinola but how many people blame Kordell and called him a bad QB because of what we were as a team at that time. WE can prop up Chandler and Jeff George and make a recycled mistake like Rick Mirer but we want to throw Rex under the proverbial bus because we know so well what a QB is in this town. Let's look at the parade of losers we had in the years that our worst enemies were trotting out their hall of fame QB Favre? Oh yeah, we should be spoiled. WE've had it so good you wonder where the good times went. And the ignorant person who called Slezak "sleaze hack" take the cake for sensitivity. I'm sure that she doesn't need me to defend her but that was low. Why are you so upset? Was it that race thing,the sex thing or was it saying Lovie might turn out better than Ditka. Man did she strike a nerve. She sure didn't miss your main artery.

Anthony you can't discount anyone's reason to really validate your own. If that was the case you wouldn't need to bring up other owners or other coaches like you did and everyone else did. Not one person stayed on topic. If they did their answer would've been as long as the blog heading. Yes or no would have sufficed. This is a debate and it's why people feel it is necessary to defend or bemoan Lovie as coach. I only defend. These guys are right and not wrong about how they feel. Because this is about their opinions. Like I said:I don't agree with some but I don't hate them for their opinion. Yes or no is too easy and no one wants to give in that easy. Sports fans are stubborn fans.

Quote from "Jeff" :

"This type of reaction, bringing race into the equation, is the exact reason why if I was a GM I would really hesitate about hiring a black coach. With a white coach you don't have to worry about being called a 'racist' if there is a contract squabble or if you have to fire an incompetent coach. Look at the criticism Notre Dame took for firing an incompetent coach like Willingham. Hiring a black coach is not worth the trouble that comes along with it" (emphasis mine).

To use your words, sir, this is the exact reason for columns such as Slezak's, for statements such as the one Mr. Donald has been making (along with many, many others), indeed for the existence of the Rooney Rule in the NFL. Oh, and yes... for the Affirmative Action that you claim has been used to "discriminate" against you.

The affirmative action topic should be reserved for another forum, and thus I will attempt to refrain from discussing it further.

However, the notion that race is not an issue here is absurd. Let me first say that I'm unaware of any comments Smith's agent made regarding race, but only that they were far apart on their financial discussions. Regardless, when you factor in the arguements that Slezak and others have made-- particularly about the situation behind Jauron's extension-- there is an obvious incongruity (BTW, 'incongruity' means that things aren't equal... the whole reason for affirmative action). Factor in that other coaches with the same or lesser credentials than Smith are making four times his salary, and it's something that bears discussion. This is not to say that the intention is there on the Bears' end, but it's definitely a valid question.

Re: Jeff's comment-- This is pure and utter ignorance. You seem, sir, to not realize that a belief system such as yours is the exact reason for debates such as these. It is the reason that there continues to be a general disharmony in the country and in the world. If the statistics show that a man is deserving, shouldn't he receive market value for the work he's done? Even if he's black? ESPECIALLY if he's black.

Wow! That's all I can say about some of you and your ignorant posts. All I can do is shake my head if thats how some of you feel about hiring African American Coaches. Guys like you are the sole reason racism is alive and well today. But thats all Im going to say about that because it's too stupid of a subject talk about. Too stupid for people emotions to get all riled up because someone's skin color. Anyway...,

some of you can post all the negative slander all you want, the bottom line is we're coming off a superbowl season with a bright future for years to come. The duo of Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo has been great for the Bears the last 3 seasons. Angelo said he wanted a Coach that can be on the same page as him. Well he chose the right guy obviously. With them, the Bears have compiled the second best record in the NFL the last 2 seasons. Ted Phillips should have offered Smith no lower than $4 million. The $3 million he offered WAS an insult no matter how you look at the situation. Lovie Smith is not a middle of the pack head coach like some of you have posted. He has won at every level of coaching including the highest level. He deserves to be among the top paid 5-6 coaches in the NFL period. If I were him (Im not), I wouldn't take a low ball offer from the Bears either. It's like a slap in the face. Ted Phillips could've offered smith a $3 million contract after last year, but he wanted to wait "and see what happens". Well he waited, then Smith wanted a new deal at the beginning of the season. Again Phillips wanted to wait. Then Lovie and the Bears won the 1st playoff game in what, 13 years?! Phillips should've been ringing Lovies phone off the hook. He probably could've still gotten away with a $3 million offer then. Yet, he wanted to "wait". Then as we all know, the Bears went on to the SuperBowl, along with all the haters, and the ungreatful, so-called Bear fans who doubted them all season. Now, they have to pay Lovie at least $4.5 million or lose a great opportunity. What I mean by that, is the nation is watching Chicago. So are potential free agents. Phillips,the Bears, and Chicago are embarrasing themselves more, and more as long as this thing keeps delaying. Pay the coach, and have a potential dynasty. Lose the coach, and we'll all return to mediocrity. So keep posting your Racially motivated post, and insensitive replies. It not only makes you look stupid, it makes Chicago look stupid.

Did Michael Sneed ("...3.3 million a year for five years. That's over $16 million bucks, folks. Not to put too fine a point on it.") read Carol Slezak's column in Tuesday's Sun-Times? Carol mentions 5 or 6 coaches that make more than that. Only one of these coaches did better than Lovie Smith last year.

Maybe if lovie didn't keep getting outcoached every time he goes up against an experienced nfl coach he would be worth paying. As it is, he's still learning, still making a lot of mistakes, and still getting outcoached, so if he coaches like a rookie, pay him like a rookie.

And if he thinks losing in big games, to teams he should beat, entitles him to some big contract, i'd let him walk. He'll soon find out that there are only a few owners desperate enough to risk a big contract on an unproven or unsuccessful coach.

I wish him luck and hope he finds a good job somewhere else, maybe one of his buddies would give him a defensive coordinator job, that seems to be where his interest and talent level are.

I hope that Slezak goes on to write about how Lovie Smith doesn't like Hispanics (he canned Rivera) as well as his struggle with white coaches (Wade Wilson).
People...can't we agree that there are bigger racial issues that exist in our country rather than if a black head coach gets $4M or $5M???

The timing of Lovies negotiations are wrong for him also. But the timing thing just might be the genius of cheap-askey inc. I wonder if the Dallas job was still vacant, would a contract even be an issue? For Lovie, going to the Superbowl turned out to be the WORST thing for him personally. Lovie is in negotiations with every vacancy filled, and while he is under the last year of a terrible contract. They have him by the short-n-curlies. Lovie has only one thing he could do...walk or ask for a buyout. I really don't know how that works in the NFL if you are under contract. Someone please let me know? But it appears Lovie has no leverage. The Bears on the other hand might have their eyes focused on Tuna or Schottenheimer. Lovie needs to get out of their way. He has proven one thing for sure, he is no match for the cut-throat sharks in Chicago. Lovie needs to take next year off. And wait for another opportunity.

Last reply and then I'm out of here: Aren't results the main thing you look for in a coach? How is anyone outcoached and have the record we've had the last two years? I guess there a lot of less than stellar coaches out there, so after this year you'll have your pick of them.I won't even respond to what that guy said yesterday,because he really proved my point. How many of you guys will defend him without showing your true colors? If I was Perry Mason I'd rest my case right now. I'm waiting for some of you to throw yourselves on the mercy of the court of public opinion.

Should have been champs but aren't. Those are the true results. That isn't worth an extra dime to me.

HEY ALL OF YOU WHO SAY YOU WATCHED THE SUPER BOWL, AND CHICAGO HAD THE BEST TALENT, DIDNT WATCH IT AT ALL. NO TEAM HAS BEEN DOMINATED SO BAD AS THE BEARS FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. YOU NEVER STOPED MANNING ALL NIGHT , THEY RAN ABOUT 80 PLAYS TO 35 AND YOUR VAUNTED DEFENCE COULDNT GET THEM OFF THE FIELD. AFTER ONE GOOD RUN THEY SHUT DOWN YOUR RUN GAME, AND TOOK YOUR WIDE RECIEVERS OUT OF THE GAME. RAN THE BALL ALL OVER YOU GOD IT WAS UGLY. THE WHOLE TEAM NOT JUST GROSSMAN. IF LOVIE HE HAD A BETTER QUARTERBACK HE WOULD HAVE PLAYED HIM!!! HE DIDNT BUY THE GROCERIES HE JUST COOKED WITH WHAT HE WAS GIVEN. IF YOU DONT LIKE THE MEAL IM SURE OTHERS AROUND THE NFL WILL!!!! PEOPLE OF QUALITY WILL ALWAYS LAND ON THERE FEET. JUST LET HIM GO TO WHERE HE WILL BE RESPECTED!!!!!

Okay,last,last reply and I'm out of here: where is the uproar for him firing Don Johnson who is a black guy? How many hispanic coaches are there to begin with? If there aren't many the NFL needs to address that. If he fired Ron Turner would he still have the issues Mark speak of? How many would view that as a wrong? I see plenty of people wish that Turner was fired. Watch how that would turn in the other direction if that occurred. And this is a sports blog,we're suppose to talk about things relating to sports. Are you helping with the racial issue or are you trolling for more by stating that Lovie fired a hispanic guy and a white guy,but not add that he fired that black dude first? I REST MY CASE in regard to why you guys have a beef with Mr.Smith. If a person has time to re-read most of you guy's blogs they would see that you DO tell on yourselves. There is a pattern to your hate.

"As for Carol Slezak's column. She has no proof race has anything to do with this, and if she does she needs to go public with the proof. Until then she needs to shut it and stop trying to currie favor with blacks by showing how "tolerant" she is by writing that type of column."

That's right, we blacks promised Slezak a trillion dollars in gold bars if she were to "curry favor" with us and make excuses for the third best coach in Bears history.

"This type of reaction, bringing race into the equation, is the exact reason why if I was a GM I would really hesitate about hiring a black coach. With a white coach you don't have to worry about being called a "racist" if there is a contract squabble or if you have to fire an incompetent coach."

"Hiring a black coach is not worth the trouble that comes along with it."

You poor, poor white man. Hire a black coach and what do you get? A 400% improvement in only three years, your first Superbowl in 21 years, and the honor of having the first Black coach in NFL history battling the Second black coach in NFL history for the first time. Here baby, let me wipe the tears and snot off your face.

"I hope that Slezak goes on to write about how Lovie Smith doesn't like Hispanics (he canned Rivera) as well as his struggle with white coaches (Wade Wilson)."

It's funny, I haven't heard any such claims from Roberto Garza, Hunter Hillenmeyer or Brian Urlacher.

"People...can't we agree that there are bigger racial issues that exist in our country rather than if a black head coach gets $4M or $5M???"

That is EXACTLY the Problem . Lovie is not being offered $4M or $5M, He's being offered nothing. On the other hand, I would love to have an open conversation with whites about the various racial issues facing blacks in the city. You just set the time and the place and I'll be there to talk.

Aren't we setting ourselves up for a huge fall by not paying Lovie a fair wage? Lovie is making 1.4 million dollars a year as coach. If another team were to offer him 6 million per year and use the first year's salary to buy out the last year of his contract, he would be left with 4.6 million per year. That's more than 3 times more than he'd be making in his last year with us. After that he'd be making 5 times as much. Lovie says he wants to stay. He doesn't want to fight, he just wants to coach. Every man has his limits though. Let's let him be a great coach by paying him a REAL wage.

Listen, I understand that most whites in chicago are happy to back a loser as long as he's white, but I don't want to be a loser. I want to be a winner. Winning is fun. People all over the world watch the NFL. It is a reflection on my city and I, so let's do the right thing and pay Lovie 6 million dollars per year.

Pay him his rubles!

William Donald...you can get off the ledge now!!!

Carol Slezak...you can go back to writing stories on how it's too hot to play baseball in August.

Other Chicago meatball fans...it's call a negotiation, NOT give someone whatever he wants because of the color of his skin.

Good grief!

If it didn't apply you didn't have to reply. I guess we know now who the people I was talking about. Just because MR.SMITH signed his contract doesn't mean that the treatment I was talking about will change. If anything I think the hatred will only intensify. Why is my name the only one that most of you guys speak of? Plenty of guys questioned the BEARS motivations. My responce was always about the fans who were racially bias. I guess the reaction to me just shows that it wasn't a swing and a miss.If it didn't apply,you would not have replied. If I said "only stupid people eat dry toast" if you said anything after that you were stupid. How can you defend stupid people if you're not stupid. I'm not catholic,so I can't defend how catholic people think. I can tell you how a christian thinks because that's what I am. So,how do you like your toast, stupid?

Do you also yell "STELLA" after you say you shoulda been a contender?

To Keylan, I would appreciate it if you would not racially insult me by calling me a "poor, poor white man". I would love to respond in kind but I realize that whites don't have the same freedom on these blogs as blacks do. Now, getting back to Smith. You people on here saying Smith is a genius are mentally deprived when it comes to football. I am only a casual pro football fan now because of how the NFL has become infested with felons, but even I know how lucky Smith and the Bears have been the last few years. The Bears had the easiest schedule in the league playing in the far inferior NFC. Smith also came to the Bears at just the right time. He joined the Bears when they were in the second year of their new stadium. And the new stadium meant the Bears have much more revenue to spend on players. Something Wannstedt and Jauron never had. Also, when Wannstedt coached the Bears the NFC Central was perhaps the best division in the league. Smith has coached the Bears when the NFC North is perhaps the worst division in the league. I will be laughing in November when the Bears are 4-7 and trying to get to .500. As for my intelligent, common sense statement about how hiring a black coach only brings potential headaches to a franchise, I think that statement has been proven to be true. You all remember Nolan Richardson suing Arkansas for discrimination when they fired him, don't you? Don't you think other athletic directors in college took notice? If that statement is too tough for some to handle then I suggest you wipe the tears away from your face and grow up. BTW, let me just congratulate Richie Daley on his humiliating victory over his two opponents the other day. It looks like that Bridgeport influence will continue to thrive in the city. And that is much more important than any sports story. And electing Daley is much more of an honor for Chicago than Smith leading a band of felons on house arrest down to Miami to party with his guest Jesse Jackson.

The BEARS have had and has the same equal revenue to spend on their team as the team in the smallest market does. The NFL has a salary cap that every team can use up to a point. The BEARS never surpass the cap and rarely get close to it. The BEARS haven't spent any more money on players than even the small market teams has spent. The BEARS as an organization gets to keep more money than most and they don't have to share it with the players. If each team can spend up to ,say 103 million, on player salaries the BEARS will never get close to that. If they make money off PSLs they don't have to spend that money on salaries. In essense they are making and have been making more than enough to field a talented team. Their probably was the fact that they weren't drafting talent. And not keeping the talent once they are past the 4 years in the league. Unrestricted free agents always leave the BEARS. Now they are locking more of that talent up but also losing it like they lost Colvin and a lot of guys still playing in the league,elsewhere. Like chances are they are going to lose Briggs because they don't want to pay him what he could get on the open market. They almost never use the franchise tag on anyone. Now,the Daley situation: he's a bigger crook than anyone knows. Congratulaions on winning against two people I never heard of. I wouldn't have voted for either one,even if I still lived in Chicago. It didn't matter to me what their race is. I don't vote color,I vote on the facts and what I find out in open debate. Daley didn't debate any issues. So what he has done since he's been in office will have to be my marker for what he stands for. A whole lot of corruption was discovered by others under his watch and you'd have to wonder what type of city manager he is to fail to see these things. You can bury your head in the sand but you will have to take the blame for it existing. The city looks good. But how many plastic surgeries does a person need to make you forget that they are still ugly. Politics in Chicago is too self-serving. They aren't really helping anyone any more than they are helping themselves. Too many crooks in politics in Chicago of all colors and everyone of them are for the all-mighty dollar more than helping out the people. If you're proud of that by all means "stick out that chest". I live in a nice little diversified town on the outskirts of Illinois,right near the Wisconson border. And I wouldn't trade this for all the things I ran into in my other 41 years in the City. I LIKE Chicago but I LOVE it 35 miles south of me,more.

I forgot to mention that I haven't seen one person on this blog refer to Mr. Smith as a genius. WE ALL said that we like the results that are happening with this team. I think for the most part we have defended him when someone refers to him as a buffoon. All coaches make mistakes. But you guys make it seem like he should be perfect to be considered good. Now,I've NEVER insulted anyone about their race on this blog. If I considered you stupid the shoe had to fit for you to wear it. It just seem to me that some people responded and defended racial insensitivity as if they knew what that was about. It's like you agreed with it. If that's the case then I'm not me or people like me who are the problem.

"Nolan Richardson suing Arkansas for discrimination when they fired him, don't you? "

Dungy was fired from his last job and he didn't sue anybody. In fact, I seem to remember him winning a superbowl last month.

I see nothing wrong with Jesse being there during the Super Bowl. He's not a criminal. And Lovie has to know that because Jesse bitched about there not being enough minority head caoches that it helped him and others get their foot in the door. Jesse is considered a trouble maker by a lot of people because he challenges the status quo. He's not a spokesmen for all black people but if he gets a negative overturned that has to be considered positive. Jesse is a man who makes mistakes just like everyone does. Some things I admire about him and some things I don't. There isn't a man alive I admire outright. Black people also say that he needs to take a seat and steer clear of some things because it's not worth it. But there are more people blindly following the President of our country on average than are following Jesse so please don't think he is considered the spokesman for blacks. Black people are enscounced in daily America so no particular person is their spokesman. Just like Bush isn't the leader of only caucausians. He's America's leader. Not just some Americans. All of Us. When I say I admire Jesse,it's to say that I admire any man who has his life's mistakes plastered on the front paper and doesn't slink off and hide the rest of his life in shame. He's not my hero or anything like that but I see how he serves a purpose. even if he serves himself along the way. Hey,that is the American way after all.

Well I've seen some comments that tickled the "Genius" level as close as you can. Some of you have been saying he's the best coach, top 3, top 5. In any case you are way off. Some of you guys would absolutely call others stupid, idiot, racist, hater for criticizing the head coach. Now you sound like choirboys. All any of you need to do is express your opinion about the topic. Stop insulting others. I've been called all of those names many times by a handful of bloggers. Not once have they been correct. I have criticized Lovie because I don't like his coaching, management of the team, and approach to almost everything. That's all there is to it. My intellect level and racial viewpoints have 0% to do with any of it. If you say otherwise, you would be wrong. If you like being wrong or want to show others that you know how to be wrong then knock yourself out.

To clarify: I think people came to his defense more than anything. Realistically, some people have been calling him a bad coach even before the season even started. Some said that we wouldn't advance or we would have a horrendous season. When that didn't transpire that didn't change the tone of the negativity. It kept coming,if not,became greater. It felt like some resented him for not failing. If one person only brings up the negative there will be a bunch who bring up the positive. If you look back on the season the negativity seemed to be unwarranted. The first 6 or 7 games weren't met with any positiveness by certain individuals. That made those who saw a good team go overboard with defending the coach. No matter what,it smacked of a personal nature. No matter how good Rex played the coach sucked. No matter how bad Rex played the coach sucked. Everything was the coach's fault. No one jumped on Rex when the going was good. Only when Rex stunk did the negativity for him come out. Some people's feelings changed OVER the course of the season about him. But for coach it was the same negative,even when there could have been a little positive, which there never was. The accolades were there for coach only to combat the negativity. And to be further truthful the negatives for coach have only shown up among others AFTER the Super Bowl. Ther weren't that many people before then. I can see going out on a bad note bringing the negatives out,so I don't blame those who jumped on lately. It's the few who did it all season that had us wondering what was up. Now all season you have made digs against others when it came to their intellegence. You've said that others "sound like" something and it implies your opinion when you did that. Your tone can be pretty defiant and condescending and of course that brings out people like me who love to debate any and everything. It's part of the energy that you put out. I do it too,so I'm not above admitting it. But if you're putting this in the past like you told Darryl,why rehash it now. You see you can't change anyone's perception so why waste your time? People will see you the way they want to. Why worry about it? NO one even knows your real name, so why care how they feel? You can start fresh and start calling your self anything else and no one will know. My name is out there and I can care less who doesn't like me. If no one came straight out and called him a genius why address people like they did. Coming CLOSE only matters in horse shoes and grenades.

Just setting things straight for everyone. You can believe me or chose not to. That's up to you. I'm trying to encourage people to stop insulting each other and talk football. If they have a different opinion express it, but don't insult the other guy.

Remember the other hard headed know-it all we just rid ourselves,of(Dusty)let's let another one go away, Lovey .....both end in "Y" do I see a pattern here... Turner can leave and he can take Rothchild with him too maybe they can catch Rivera's train before it leaves...