| 05 January 2010
Starting a running thread with live updates coming out of Halas Hall on what is taking shape on the first day of the Bears' 2009 off-season.
Information I've gathered from various sources indicate that Lovie Smith will be returning as the head coach in 2010.
The most likely scenario is that Ron Turner, Harry Hiestand, and Pep Hamilton will be let go with everyone else on the staff likely returning.
The Bears will likely seek a new defensive coordinator to take over play calling duties from head coach Lovie Smith. A likely candidate is former Bears secondary coach from the 2005 season Perry Fewell who was the interim coach for the Buffalo Bills. Fewell is interviewing for the Bills' head coach job but with the positive relationship between him and Lovie Smith Chicago could be plan B if he isn't hired as the permanent head coach for the Bills.
Players have finished up their day after game team meetings and have been let out to talk to the media. Some of the players who spoke with the media were Charles Tillman and Tommie Harris.
Harris made it a point to emphasize that this will be his first off-season in three off-seasons that he won't be having a surgery of some sort. After the 2006 season he had his hamstring reattached, after the 2007 season he had knee surgery, after the 2008 season he had surgery on his knee in March.
Harris stated the following quotes:
"I don't think a lot of people know that this will be my first offseason without surgery in three years,"
"I've been playing on a leg that hasn't been fully rehabbed so I get the time this year to start fresh, have a full offseason"
"I definitely believe I could play at [a high] level every week"
Charles Tillman talked about his injury for the most part and how it felt to be hurt was like having an asthma attack. Tillman also was one of the players left from the 2005 season in the secondary who worked under Coach Perry Fewell. Tillman stated:
"He was a good coach, we'll see what happens."
The media will be allowed to stay at Halas Hall until 1:00pm today and then they will be closing the media room. Lovie Smith is not scheduled to speak to the media until tomorrow.
Right now the front office personnel and upper management is meeting to discuss the future direction of the team, this is the meeting where the future of the coaching staff will be discussed and any changes that will be made will be made during this meeting. So we'll know by 1:00pm likely what will be happening with potential coaching staff changes.
Tomorrow (Tuesday Jan. 5th) is the day that both team president Ted Phillips and GM Jerry Angelo will be holding a press conference to discuss the future of the team. Lovie Smith is also expected to be speaking at the conference according to various reports. As it stands right now though it will be the two top dogs and then Lovie with the expectation that Ron Turner and most of his offensive staff will be fired.
Lovie Smith will be retained as coach and as previously mentioned in this blog will bring in a new D/C likely a fellow Cover-2 cronie. What they plan to do to address the defensive personnel problems is the next big question. The Bears have no pass rush and will be relying on virtually the exact same defensive personnel in 2009 to win game with in 2010.
I don't know what the top brass will be able to say to address the personnel problems along the defensive line other than to spoon feed the media more crap about Tommie Harris and his knee being fully healthy for the first time since 2005 and how they think Rod Marinelli can do a lot with the current personnel on hand aka Gaines Adams, Jaron Gilbert and Henry Melton.
Day 2
What we have learned today is that tight ends coach Rob Boras is cleaning out his office and has been handed his walking papers. There are others who are in line on the offensive staff that are to be fired, but the one confirmation we do have is Boras. Boras was thought of as one of the better offensive coaches one of the coaches who got good production from his unit on the field. Greg Olsen was not as productive perhaps as you would have like, but Olsen did finish as the team's leading receiver. Also Desmond Clark and second year man Kellen Davis showed to be fairly productive under Boras' tutelage.
This news clearly means that other offensive coaches are on the chopping block. Obviously we'll hear more today at the 2pm Bears press conference, of which we will have live updates.
On the new defensive coordinator possibility front, the word beginning to circulate around Halas Hall is that D-Line coach Rod Marinelli is in line to be the next caller of the defense. Marinelli has never held the title of D-coordinator before having only been a D-Line coach followed by head coach for the Detroit Lions.
This news is extremely sickening to hear that Smith can't even bring in someone outside of the current defensive staff. Marinelli has no business being promoted to defensive coordinator/assistant head coach. I don't care what his trust level is with Lovie Smith, the fact that the Bears aren't willing to bring in someone to challenge the status quo is completely inexcusable.
Officially now coming out of Halas Hall, Ron Turner has been fired. No surprise here, if anyone is going to be the sacrificial lamb for the failure of this season, Turner was set to be the fall guy. Now let the speculation begin as to who the new OC will be. The name that primarily seems to be circulating is Mike Martz. What type of offensive staff Martz would bring in with him would be the next question.
Marinelli will be named the new defensive coordinator for the 2010 season at today's press conference. The Bears will hire a new D-Line coach but Marinelli is expected to be heavily involved still with the D-Line. So I guess who will the Bears hire as the new D-Line coach is next up on the docket, as well as who will be on Mike Martz's staff (I am assuming Martz is the new OC)
Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake is said to be safe....he will be retained one of the few from the offensive staff that is said to be safe.
Also RBs coach Tim Spencer is likely to be invited back...gone would be QB coach Pep Hamilton, O-Line coach Harry Hiestand.
A more secure report now is saying that the Bears did interview Rod Marinelli for the defensive coordinator job, but THEY WILL IN FACT go outside of the organization. Now the talk moves back to Perry Fewell being the Bears d-coordinator in 2010, obviously we'd like to hear about someone who has a different line of thinking, same Cover-2 concept but want to add in some wrinkles. The real necessity is obviously to bring in a new fresh different perspective someone to challenge Lovie Smith.
Lovie Smith needs to go outside of his comfort zone, he needs to bring in an offensive coordinator that is not one of his old buddies or old roommates. He needs to assume the mantel of head football coach, not head coach/defensive coordinator, he needs to focus on every aspect of the Bears' team. He needs someone to come in who is at or near his level as a defensive mind so he can challenge his team both offense and defense. Assume the role of head coach, like Bill Cowher, Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, Bill Parcells, guys that are so entrenched as the head coach you forget that they what their specialty was prior to becoming a head coach.
Tomlin for example is product of the 4-3 Cover-2 days, but Pittsburgh's defense is a 3-4 system and Dick Lebeau runs the defense allowing Tomlin to focus on being the head coach.
The Bears organization has officially announced the firings of six coaches from the offensive staff: OC Ron Turner, QB coach Pep Hamilton, TE coach Rob Boras, OL coach Harry Hiestand and offensive assistants Luke Butkus (yes Dick Butkus' son) and Charles London.
Bears also announce the official return of GM Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith...it's all official now any Lovie Smith replacement speculation can be put to rest.....Sadly....Can't wait to hear Jerry Angelo spin this one....(it's not about money) oh but Jerry it's all about the money and you're a f-ing liar for saying otherwise.
High lites from the press conference
Ted Phillips talks about continuity and the understanding that Bears fans want to win now between Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith. Continuity is Phillips' theme of the day. He also then goes on to talk how the chain of command who has final say in roster decisions, personnel decisions, who plays on Sunday and that Lovie and Jerry have a track record of working well together.
Lovie Smith has final say in his coaching staff decisions.
We embrace our friends and then talks about how great the fan base is, that they share the same mentality as the fans, frustration, and love for the team. In terms of coaching Lovie has the respect of his players. He has the respect and the toughness of his players and to be successful in this league (Lovie Smith).
Ted Phillips isn't answering many football questions deflecting a lot to Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith. Good question about rewarding mediocrity and Phillips gives a firm answer of no. He claims changes are significant changes for this team with the coaching staff.
Jerry Angelo steps to the podium to answer questions, no opening statement:
Jerry Angelo states from a personnel decision standpoint he would make the same calls he did now that he did last year. He has no regrets about the decisions he made.
It's a league of player development and he feels that we have a good core group of players to succeed. 67 players under contract and 13 roster spots open to get to 80 Bears are pretty close to where they are.
Still going through our evaluation process to determine who is going to be back in the front office (scouts talent evaluators under Angelo)
Angelo feels there will be a bevy of coaches that want to coach in Chicago, want to be a part of the Bears.
There were games this year where games were over at halftime Angelo stated. There are not as many dominating players on defense as we once had. (I wonder if this means there could be changes coming on defense). We are doing the best we can with what we are given (read between the lines on that one)
The last two games of the season helped Lovie's cause in Angelo's evaluation of the coaching staff.
Putting together a list of coaches as we speak (as far as offensive staff and a new defensive coordinator).
Offensive coordinator hire will be the biggest decision (hire) of Jerry Angelo's tenure when it comes to the further development of Jay Cutler.
Lovie Smith opening statement
Tough decisions to make the coaching changes that we made. We're not blaming one side of the ball for the 7-9 record. Moving out of my role as defensive coordinator. Reasons why I feel like last year was the best thing for me to do, this year I feel differently. We've been running the same scheme as we did in our Super Bowl year.
Defensively we will stay with the same scheme, make some adjustments with the scheme but run the same scheme. Offensively I'm open to any new offense but my philosophy is I like to run the ball would like to continue to run the football. But I do realize we have some of our best talent at the wide receiver position.
We're going to do whatever we need to do to win. It's a gap control scheme on defense that's what defense is, gap control. I want someone with similar philosophy that I share on defense. Every team in the league runs Cover-2.
We have a good group of players, I think a lot of coaches will want to come to Chicago and coach here.
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