Chicago Bears: 3 Reasons to bring Lovie Smith back as DC
By Ryan Heckman
1. Takeaways, takeaways, takeaways
Currently, the Bears have just 14 takeaways in their 13 games on the year. That’s good for fifth to last in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, the Bears have finished the season in the bottom half of the league in terms of total takeaways. Last year, they had just 19 all year long.
With the talent level in this group, that’s unacceptable. A defense featuring the likes of Eddie Jackson, Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, Kyle Fuller, among others, should be in the top five in this category. These guys have proven they can do it. Maybe they just need a defensive coordinator who preaches this as his number one priority.
When Smith was head coach a while back, his defenses typically finished inside the top 10 in overall turnovers. There were a few ridiculous seasons like the 2006 Bears which led the league with an astronomical 44 takeaways. Smith’s Bears were usually no lower than 28 takeaways, finishing with over 30 on several occasions.
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Just take from 2006-2010, for example. Under Smith, the Bears compiled a whopping 170 takeaways over those five seasons, by far the number one spot in the league and good for 34 takeaways per game.
This current Bears defense should easily be surpassing 30 takeaways per season, but again, have combined for just 33 over the last 29 games. Bringing Smith back, the Bears would at least know one thing was for certain: Taking the ball away is the defense’s top priority. It’s a must.