Dec. 23, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA: Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith turned to the dark side, becoming what he hated – a member of the media – when he made is ESPN debut as an analyst.  He couldn’t hep (that’s help in Lovie-speak) but play favorites when discussing a couple of his former players, Jay Cutler and Brian Urlacher.

Before we get into that, we got to hear from Lovie for the first time since Phil Emery dismissed him at the end of last season:

“It was tough,” Smith said. “But that is the NFL. You are disappointed. You mention 7-1, but it’s hard to win in the NFL. For us to finish 3-5 and finish up with a 10-6, it’s hard. But my nine years in Chicago were great. Met a lot of great people. My family loved it. It was just time for them to go in a different direction. I’m going to do the same.”

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The NFL Network’s Deion Sanders disputed the idea that Super Bowl XLVII, set to be coached by brothers Jim and John Harbaugh, be called the Bro Bowl.  He said it should be called Bro Bowl II, since the first such bowl game coached by “brothers” was Super Bowl XLI, when our own Chicago Bears coached by Lovie Smith matched up with the Tony Dungy led Indianapolis Colts.  I’m not making it up.  Check out this clip from YouTube (click refresh if you don’t see the video box below):

The funniest part is watching host Rich Eisen squirm as Prime and Co. pour it on.  ”Am I lyin’?”

What a difference a year makes.  A year ago, Ted Phillips announced the Bears had parted ways with Jerry Angelo and the search was on to find a new GM.  The Bears brought in Phil Emery under the stipulation that he was to keep Lovie Smith for the 2012 season.  The 2012 season came and went and another season without a trip to the postseason left Phil Emery no choice but to fire Lovie Smith.  (more…)

As we end 2012 and prepare to turn the calendars to 2013, it’s time to wind back the clock and take a look back at the year 2012 for the Chicago Bears.  It was an interesting and eventful year with changes in the front office, a huge trade that could change the face of the franchise for years to come, injuries, win streaks, losing streaks, ups and downs and ultimately the head coach of nine seasons finally getting fired.  You know, a typical season.

January 1, 2012 – Bears defeat the Vikings 17-13 to snap a 5 game losing streak and finish their 2011 campaign at 8-8.  Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher suffers a knee injury late in 4th quarter of the meaningless game.

January 3, 2012 – Jerry Angelo out as Bears GM.

January 6, 2012 – Mike Tice promoted to Bears Offensive Coordinator.  He shared his vision for the Bears offense.  Did it really turn out that way?

March 16, 2012; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery speaks at a press conference introducing new signings wide receiver Brandon Marshall (not pictured) and quarterback Jason Campbell (not pictured) at Halas Hall . Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

January 28, 2012 – Phil Emery is hired as the next General Manager of the Chicago Bears.

February 7, 2012 – Chicago Bears hire Jay Cutler’s buddy Jeremy Bates as QB coach.

March 2, 2012 – Bears put Franchise Tag on Matt Forte

March 16, 2012; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery (center) poses for a photo after a press conference introducing wide receiver Brandon Marshall (left) and quarterback Jason Campbell at Halas Hall . Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

March 13, 2012 – at the start of the NFL Free Agency period, new GM Phil Emery makes his first big move, sending a pair of third round draft picks to Miami for wide receiver and longtime Jay Cutler buddy Brandon Marshall.   Emery also brings back Tim Jennings, which proved to be brilliant as he developed into a Pro Bowl performer.  The Bears also signed Jason Campbell to back up Jay Cutler.

March 14, 2012 – more free agent signings including bringing back Kellen Davis (BAD!) and Josh McCown, and signing special teams guys Blake Costanzo and Eric Weems.

March 22, 2012 – Bears add free agent running back Michael Bush.  Matt Forte gets mad.

March 24, 2012 – Marion Barber retires from football.  About 9 months too late.

April 4, 2012 – Brian Urlacher proclaims he’ll ‘end his career as a Chicago Bear.’  Prescient?  We’ll see how this plays out in 2013.

April 11, 2012 – Lance Briggs agrees to a 1-year contract extension.

April 17, 2012 – with NFL schedule released, I predicted the outcome of all the Bears games.  I had them at 11-5.  What could possibly go wrong? Oops.

Dec. 23, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA: Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Network is reporting that the Chicago Bears have fired head coach Lovie Smith after 9 seasons with the Chicago Bears.

We have our first surprising name to be fired on Black Monday. Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smithwas fired Monday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Smith met with upper management this morning. Bears assistants were very nervous, according to Rapoport.

Smith had a few things working against him, starting with the reality that he hasn’t made the playoffs for five of the last six years. An even bigger factor: GM Phil Emery was just hired last year. New decision makers usually want to bring in their own head coaches.

It’s a little surprising considering Lovie led the Bears to a 10-6 record but the Bears and Phil Emery had no choice but to make the move after Lovie’s teams failed to make the playoffs in five of the last six seasons.

Lovie’s record in his nine years with the Bears ends up at 81-63, a very respectable .563 winning percentage, but in today’s NFL, you can’t consistently miss the postseason and stay employed.  In nine years, Lovie led the Bears to the postseason just three times, amassing a 3-3 record en route to a Super Bowl appearance and an NFC Championship game appearance.

Stay tuned as more official word comes out of Halas Hall.  The coaching search is on!   Here are a few of my early candidates.

If you had the champagne on ice for a New Year’s Eve celebration, pop the corks a few hours early.   Today is a good day for the Chicago Bears and their fans.   Post your thoughts on Lovie in the Comments.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

OK Bears fans, you can resume hating the Green Bay Packers.  Those scumbags from north of the Cheddar Curtain failed to beat the Minnesota Vikings, leaving the Bears on the outside looking in of the NFC playoffs.

Dec 30, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) kicks a field goal as time expires to defeat the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome. The Vikings win 37-34. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings jumped out to a 10-0 lead while on a mission to get comeback player of the year and MVP candidate Adrian Peterson the single season rushing record.  AD needed 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s longstanding record.  At the end of the day filled with back-and-forth scoring, Peterson fell 9 yards short, but his last run, a 26 yard run in the closing moments of the 4th quarter, set the Vikings up for the decisive score to pull off a 37-34 win. (more…)

Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears did their part in Detroit, holding on to win 26-24 over the Lions to get the win they needed.  They were left to watch and wait for the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings to duke it out to find out their playoff fate.  A win by the Vikings would knock the Bears out of playoff contention.  Even though I’m writing this post a little behind schedule and know how this all turned out, I’ll try to stick to the game and get to the aftermath in another post. (more…)

January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during their game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

In case you had visions of local boy Sean Payton coming home to Chicago to save the Bears offense in the event that Phil Emery launches Lovie Smith following the season, guess again.  Jay Glazer is reporting that Payton and the Saints have “agreed in principle” to a contract extension.

I’m reporting the Saints and Sean Payton have “agreed in principle” to a new contract extension to remain head coach of the Saints

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) December 29, 2012

Payton sat out the season following the Saints bounty scandal and many thought that with 2012 being the last year of his contract, that he might be finished in New Orleans.  Some folks speculated that he might be heading to Dallas but Bears fans yearned for an offensive mind like Payton’s to take over the Bears.

After signing a reported 5 year deal, Payton will be off the market for some time.  It will be interesting to see what the contract turns out to be, as it will set the standard for new contracts as “black Monday” looms when a bunch of coaching jobs are expected to be open.