What I am about to say may insult you as a Chicago sports fan, but honestly it's gotten to my boiling point and I have to vent.
Chicago sports are too much about
"What have you done for me lately" and not enough
"patience." It seems the only answer Chicago sports fans have for any semblance of struggle is
"You're fired!" In the past five years, all our Chicago sport teams have had some sort of success and all our Chicago sport teams have made the postseason. The Bulls/Bears/Blackhawks/White Sox/Cubs have all made the postseason with four of those five going numerous times. Although the only title won came from the South Side, the city has had recent success in recent times. Yet with all the success we have had in this city with our sports teams, the first sign of any struggle means someone needs to lose their job and their overall performance as a coach/player is compared to the trash in my kitchen.
Are we so impatient and bullheaded in Chicago that we do not allow our successful players/coaches to bounce back from conflict?
We are given second chances in our own lives all the time, why can't a GM/Head Coach/Player get the same treatment you do?
Is it because they make more money than you that you should demand success and not accept failure of any kind?
It's absolutely insane to say that after a 4-7 start to a season that
Lovie Smith and
Jerry Angelo need to be fired.
Jerry Angelo was the same General Manager that was the toast of the town after addressing the need that has hampered the Bears for the last 40+ years. Now he is considered the biggest disappointment in Chicago even after pulling off what was called
"the greatest trade in Chicago sports history." Same thing with
Lovie Smith who has a career record of 49-42 with two playoff appearances in his coaching career. After taking a 13-3 team to a Super Bowl in 2006, this will be the third year in a row where there is no postseason play for the Bears. However, looking at this season and the rash of injuries that have on top of all the holes
WE ALL KNEW WERE THERE YET IGNORED....you have to give
Lovie Smith a chance to build around the cornerstone of the organization for the next four to five years. I am not saying a change at offensive coordinator is outrageous. I would welcome a change there and I feel comfortable enough that
Jerry Angelo and
Lovie Smith can bring in someone because having
Jay Cutler as the quarterback of the Chicago Bears will attract the best offensive minds in the game. Something
Kyle Orton and
Rex Grossman could not do.
Keep in mind, the Bears were 9-7 last season without the rash of injuries they have experienced this season. Injuries, a super bowl appearance, and the addition of Cutler allow Lovie and Jerry a second chance.
However with Chicago sport fans it's the same thing with the other teams in town.
The Cubs ran into the same injury bug that has bitten the Bears and finished well below expectations with a 83-78 record in 2009. Even with a winning record, Cubs fans demanded the heads of
Jim Hendry and
Lou Piniella throughout the season even after the organization has had its most success under the reign of those same two people. Maybe the Cubs history of losing makes fans a little edgy when there is some struggle, but demanding Hendry and Piniella be let go because of one bad year is preposterous.
Same thing with White Sox fans like me.
Ozzie Guillen led a 2007 White Sox team to a 72-90 record two years outside winning a World Series title. Sox fans demanded answers and the jobs of General Manager
Kenny Williams and Manager
Ozzie Guillen because they turned the beautiful carriage into a pumpkin. The Sox decided to think it through unlike their fans and went to the postseason the following year.
Bulls fans have not been happy with anything since the days of
Michael Jordan. The day after
Vinny Del Negro got hired some fans were already calling for him to be fired. Even a first year playoff run against the Celtics and a budding superstar guard cannot hide the bitterness of Bulls fans demanding a new head coach not even a full year and a half into Del Negro's Chicago coaching career.
Maybe thinking things through is not in the vernacular of Chicago sports fans. Maybe we are naturally impatient people when it comes to our sports teams. However to demand firings every time there is a sign of weakness gets you nowhere.
Fans complain all the time that organizations never listen to the concerns of their paying public....do you blame them?
-RoCk
Rock Mamola is the Associate Producer of the Mully And Hanley Morning Show and co-host of the Joe O And Rock Show on WSCR 670AM The Score
You can follow the MUlly and Hanley Morning show at twitter.com/mullyhanley
You can follow the Joe O And Rock Show at twitter.com/joeoandrockshow
13 Comments
Shady said:
You're fired.
Rock Mamola said:
Thanks Shady
Love your work
Dmband said:
Um, pretty sure that's the case in any city...and hence the reason we are merely 'fans' and NOT actually running team. This is the equivalent of saying, "Chicago Sports fans could never make the Pro Bowl".
Dude, Im not gonna lie, this is like the 2nd or 3rd post I've read where you are telling people what they are thinking...instead of asking people what they think...not every single fan thinks people should be canned...
Regarding Lovie, I respected the fact that he took the defensive play calling on himself, but guess what, he's failed miserably...im sorry, but he needs to be held accountable. The fact that you are saying is ridiculous to entertain the idea of firing him, particularly with the coaching talent in the market this year, is just wrong.
Rock Mamola said:
DMBand
In the age of fantasy sports and whatnot....It's now the fans want to be the GM/Owner as opposed to the head coach. My opinion. Therefore I think fans sometimes think that because they spend their time/money on the team, they think that there is a part of that team that they own.
I'm not telling people what they're thinking because it is what they're thinking. Read newspapers/other ChicagoNow.com blogs. Listen to sportsradio and the callers/texters....it's about 99% to 1% Lovie needs to go.
Maybe not every single fan, but most of em do.
This blog is an outlet for me to speak what's on my mind....the conversation is created off my thought. If I wanted to do a question and answer segment, I'd write a mailbag column like other guys do.
I'm telling people I don't agree with what they think as opposed to what do they think. I already know what they think.
I just think it's insane to think firing Lovie solves anything....cause it doesn't. He deserves a shot to build around Cutler.
Thanks again..
-RoCk
Rock Mamola said:
btw....
is that a record for amount of times the word "think" has been used in a response?
lol
-RoCk
Alex Quigley said:
Think so.
Rock Mamola said:
I thought so
Thanks AQ!
Dmband said:
Rock-
So do you disagree that he should not be held accountable for the defensive play calling? And you dont think we should take advantage of the interesting timing with the amount of Super Bowl winning coaches available..
The Bears have long had the mantra in the draft, "take the best player available" and I "think" that the same should apply to coaches..bottom line, there are better coaches then Lovie Smith out there and available, that apparently have expressed interest in the job. Now, had we gone 10-6 and made the playoffs, different story. I liken this to the free agent class of 2010 in the NBA, you've got to get the guys when they are around, 'cause that doesnt happen all the time..
Rock Mamola said:
DMBand
Held accountable doesn't mean fire. Of course he's held accountable on a game by game basis, but he's not fired on a game by game basis.
The coaches you speak of I believe are Gruden/Cowher/Holmgren/Dungy/Shannahan.
Gruden - Good defensive mind, signs deal with TV, fire and passion but is he better than Lovie?
Last 6 seasons he coached in Tampa: record 45-51
Holmgren: Offensive minded coach, wants GM job as well, he'll be 62 in June. Not sure if he likes the grind of being an NFL head coach anymore. Great record, proven winner.
Dungy - Family guy, wants to stay retired I believe.
Shanahan - Local guy (dad went to high school with him). Last 3 seasons in Denver (record 24-24). Always has strong running games, but even though Cutler liked Shanahan....don't think it mutual.
So....that leaves Cowher.
He's gonna go to the highest bidder and plus he says he doesn't want to talk to teams with a head coach already in place. Bears have a head coach already in place.
Proven winner, east coast guy....wouldn't be surprised if he sticks to an east coast team.
It'll cost the McCaskey's a fortune to pay off Lovie and his staff and bring in someone new.
Plus...I stand by my opinion that no top name head coach wants to come here because they'll always be in the shadow of Ditka. Bears fans put him on a throne like Bulls fans do with Jordan.
The iron may be hot with big names, but none of them make sense to come here.
Stick with what you got, and let's make the best of it.
-RoCk
Dmband said:
Both Shannahan and Cowher have 2 Superbowl victories. Cowher has said he would consider coming here already, and according to Hub, the Bears have contacted someone in his camp regarding what it would take to get here.
IMO, both would be significant upgrades...and I dont think 11 million is a "fortune" in the NFL, considering they waste money on players all the time (see Orlando Pace).
I understand where you're coming from, and I used to be a fan of Lovie, but this season has been an absolute train wreck and is compounded by the stubborness of the staff to not admit mistakes (see Devin Hester converted to WR). That coupled with the prospect of getting a better head coach, means they have to at least entertain the possibility.
souleater7 said:
wtf?
Murph said:
Rock, have to make one correction on you. Gruden is NOT a defensice coach, never has been. His forte is offense and is known for requiring perfect play from his QB's.Let them make a mistake and Chuckie appeared. http://tam.scout.com/3/gruden.html
modai said:
So, you want to give Lovie 4 or 5 moe years to turn things around? That, my friend, boggles the mind.
Lovie fire Ron Rivera, and the Bears D has never been the same. Lovie is a reputed defensive genius, but under him the defense has not only gotten progressively worse, but often seems to be disinterested.
Injuries you say? Sure, but everyone has them. The Bears have more of them, possibly because Lovie doesn't run a camp that is tough enough to prepare men to play pro football.
The Bears are one of the worst tackling teams around. Of course, Lovie doesn't preach tackling, and he sure doesn't practice it.
Lovie has decided to blitz a lot the last two seasons, but he keeps only good "cover" LBs on the team, and they cannot blitz worth squat.
Angelo has been a disaster, too. Credit him for the Cutler trade, but he traded his 2nd for Gilbert and Melton - neither of whom has done squat, instead of taking Phil Loadholt, who would start for us a Tackle. He trade a 2nd for Gaines Adams, who likewise has done squat, and probably should have been worth no more than a 4th round pick. He trade Thomas Jones for Squat, Chris Harris for squat. He extended Tommie Harris, Nathan Vasher, and Devin Hester for big money. Result? Squat, squat, and mostly squat...
Sorry, a couple of Packer fans couldn't be much worse than what is going on right now.
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