Summer of Lovie

By: Dustin Beutin

Discontent is a winter-time problem. At least it was in Shakespeare’s time when he penned (or quilled, rather) “Richard III.” Though, it should be noted that Shakespeare never had to drive the Edens on a Friday afternoon in February through a rush-hour blizzard, so what the hell did he know about discontent?

Bears fans can attest that the pangs of contentment denied are indeed more painful in winter. Especially when forced to watch the inherently grating and unlikeable Tom Coughlin lead the Giants to a memorable over-throw of King Beli-cheat I. Since the time when football was last played, there has been little to ease the pain of a 2007 Bears’ season that opened with the promise of a Super Bowl window and ended with nothing but broken glass and splinters.

The displeasure of the city, however, was no match for the discontent of the Bears’ players as they cleaned out their lockers following a meaningless and almost silly victory over the Saints at Soldier Field at the bitter end of their last, failed campaign.

There was Alex Brown, who somewhere between being a Super Bowl-bound, Pro Bowl player and the end of 2007 training camp found himself demoted for “sophomore” Mark Anderson; a move that caused tension throughout the season, especially when it became clear that Anderson – though loaded with potential – had become as effective as a giraffe on roller skates against the run.

Brian Urlacher fumed and feuded with the media, intent on providing as little information as possible to a group that had begun to pick at him by Thanksgiving like Uncle Tony on the holiday leftovers. Regarding his neck and back issues, all you need to know is that surgery was necessary in the off-season, followed by a lengthy whine and cheese session about being underpaid.

Back-up Brian Griese saved the Bears for a few games, then admitted that he had performed better without Ron Turner’s play-calling, then found himself back on the bench to think about what he had done: the message clear that the Bears would rather lose games and save coaches than win games at risk of embarrassment.

Kyle Orton professionally stewed under the second revival of the Rex Grossman project after Rex’s first demotion in September. When Kyle finally got his chance, the season was a total loss and the weather a bitter mix of icy games and blowing snow that prevented any true analysis of his skills. Even then, his wide-out options were a slow and slower version of Muhsin Muhammad, the erratic and learning Devin Hester and a soon to be out-the-door Bernard Berrian.

Cedric Benson irked teammates throughout the season with lackluster performance, then provided mercy from his “3 yards and cloud of dust” tour when he broke his leg. Over the winter, there was hand-wringing as to whether he would return only somewhat slower or significantly slower after the injury; but Cedric did what he does best by making the acquaintance of police on land, sea and air. Jerry Angelo’s discontent was felt from Chicago to Texas when he sent Cedric his walking papers, presumably with a love note along the lines of “don’t let the door hit you in the cleats.”

There was more to be sure: Bob Babich couldn’t garner the total confidence of his defensive veterans as he coached his unit into a ghost of itself. The offensive line turned into a melted pumpkin with the loss of Ruben Brown and the devolution of Fred Miller. Mike Brown was lost yet again and Adam Archuleta turned out to be as disappointing as advertised.

Now that you’re totally depressed …

The timing of football life, however, is a blessed rhythm of death and rebirth. Sure, Chicago has suffered through a palpable, football-induced misery from Halas Hall to Homewood and all points in between this off-season. By now, most Bear fans have thankfully been able to wash the taste of a Super Bowl slump out of their mouths with prodigious amounts of first place baseball.

The problem for the Bears themselves, however, is that the discontents of last year are still packed into their luggage for Bourbonnais like so many pairs of underwear. Worse yet, this underwear come pre-soiled and a little frayed at the edges.

The frustration of non-competition roster decisions for Alex Brown and Kyle Orton; the agony of aging glory for Brian Urlacher, the mystery of whether Bob Babich can turn into a bonafide NFL coordinator, the smoking hole left behind by the Cedric Benson chronicles: all of this arrives in Bourbonnais on Tuesday night (along with enough pillows, mattresses and televisions to stock a Wal-Mart).

None of these problems were washed away by the winter-end snow melt; all of it was merely comically and ineffectively swept under the rug in spring cleaning. And if you haven’t noticed, it’s not easy to sweep disgruntled, three-hundred pound football players under a rug. Even if you’re Bugs Bunny.

Add it all up and you have a situation that can only be solved by a dump truck or a mastermind.

Thus, 2008 becomes the year in which Lovie must prove he’s got the chops, the leadership and/or the wisdom to rebuild a team out of a collection of grumpy linebackers, scorned linemen, puzzling quarterbacks, inexperienced rookies, retreaded tires and bubble gum.

He’s already gotten off to a good start with management making deals for Tommie Harris and Brian Urlacher, two moves that should send a clear message to the locker room that excellent play will be rewarded. But, money isn’t enough and is ultimately a management method, not a coaching decision.

Lovie needs to open the gates to full blown competition where only the best players become starters. Maybe even fulfill the mantra of playing the man who gives the Bears the best chance to win.

Lovie can’t stop with the players, though: if Babich’s defense continues to allow teams to run at will on them, change must be swift and clear. If Ron Turner can’t get an offensive line stocked with two pro-bowlers and a first round draft pick to at least generate a fledgling running game, Lovie needs to address that as well. An entire season can’t be wasted again waiting for these coaches to maximize the talent they have available to them. If Babich can’t succeed with a group of players gifted enough to dominate most units in the NFL, then he isn’t cut out for the job; judging Turner is more difficult, but at the end of the day, he is paid to get results, not to make excuses.

Most importantly, Lovie will be judged on how he handles the first genuine QB derby – perhaps even controversy – of his tenure. It is a situation that Lovie has striven to avoid throughout his time at the top. If whoever he blesses as a starter fails, that sound you’ll hear will be the first nail being driven into a fresh coffin lid on Lovie’s run as coach of the Bears.

If Coach Smith can at least pull the Bears to 8-8 or a miracle 10-6, then he will have answered what is now the massive question mark hanging over his head:

Is Lovie Smith a head coach of dynasty potential or was he a flash in the pan?

Is it fair to judge Lovie on whether he can succeed with the frustrations from last year arriving like so many mosquitoes in the sweet humidity of the Kankakee River basin? And how does a coach make a disgruntled player “gruntled”?

The only possible answer is that whether the challenge is fair or not, Lovie is paid to coach this team.

Chicago has refreshed itself from the winter of its discontent and now awaits the summer of Lovie’s coaching. Hopefully a few rays of sunshine will poke through by autumn.

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Though other sportswriters in Chicago might still be unpacking their carpetbags, Dustin Beutin is a born and bred Chi-town sportswriter. Heading into the heart of the Big Ten (Purdue) broadened his sports views, and it was during the Jauron era that he lost the innocence of blind love for Chicago sports and began looking for an outlet to vent his frustration. A trip out west to USC for a Master’s in writing was only tolerable with high doses of ESPN and Dodgers games, though it gave him a respect for the national perspective. Now in the early stages of a sports-writing career, Dustin hopes to give back to the city of Chicago everything it gave him: opinions and heartburn.

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1 Comment

  1. Bears mgmt did the right thing by restocking the o-line, safety and WR positions in the off-season. Time will ell whether those choices were the right ones.

    Knowing we drafted the best left tackle from the SEC last year is a good start. Steltz should grab a lot of PT, regardless of whether he’s starting at SS or FS or coming off the bench.

    Does Brandon Lloyd still have it? Will Earl Bennett turn into another Anquan Boldin or Marques Colston, two other pass-catching machines? His track record in the SEC indicates that is a possibility.

    Comment by Pedro Muchacho on July 25, 2008

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