Chicago Bears: Revisiting the career of Lovie Smith, why he was fired
By Ryan Fedrau
On January 14th, 2004, Lovie Smith signed a four-year deal with the Bears. During his first four seasons, the Bears made the playoffs twice. In 2006, the team went to the Super Bowl to face off against Peyton Manning and the Colts. Even though the Bears didn’t win the Super Bowl, there had to be a lot of confidence and belief they’d be competitive for the next few seasons.
On March 31st, the Bears traded for a key asset to help their team for the future. That asset was quarterback Jay Cutler. The trade included multiple draft picks and trading away their current quarterback Kyle Orton. That upcoming season saw growth on the offensive side of the ball but still, the team failed to make the playoffs.
After three straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the 2010 Bears went 11-5 and won the NFC North. This was the third time under Smith the Bears made the playoffs. That was the season Smith’s former head coach Mike Martz came in and helped the offense. Just like 2006, many people felt that the Bears would be competitive for the next few seasons and have a shot at winning the Super Bowl. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
After saving his job in 2010, Smith and the Bears started 7-3. With the defense playing lights out and Cutler having another solid season, everything fell apart when Cutler broke his right thumb. That injury would require surgery and kept him out for the next six weeks.
During those six weeks, the team went 1-5 and missed the playoffs. 2011 was very disappointing but also didn’t feel like a losing season. Yes, the collapsed at 7-3 but their starting quarterback got hurt. Other injuries on the offensive side of the ball included Matt Forte and Johnny Knox. It was a complete mess. A healthy Bears’ team would have made the playoffs that season. Unfortunately, they weren’t a healthy team.