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WK 3: BULLS & bears

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
Hi guys!

First of all, I am obviously never on this board since I am a Bears fan from Chicago.

Now, I want to make this plain and simple, I really hope the Texans' hiring of Lovie Smith is being seen as a real chance, not just one-and-done that they have done with the previous coach and the clown before him.

I just wanted to share what you are getting with Lovie Smith.

I (and many Bears fans) truly wish he was still our coach. He was fired by the new GM who wanted to have his fingerprints on the coach. He went 10-6 and still missed playoffs. It sucked, but wow, it was a shock. Really, his only issue was the offense position. For a long time, he was saddled with a lot of crappy QBs (Hutchinson, Krenzel, Quinn, Grossman, Orton, etc). With Cutler, he really should've made this a collaborative process with him and together (or even get Jay's feedback) to figure out the OC part. But what happened, happened. Hell, Trestman should've been the OC, if anything, but moving on...

Back to the original topic - what you're getting in Lovie.

You're getting a coach who gets 200% from his players. They all loved playing for him, period. Even in Tampa too. Some of our players followed him in Tampa. You're getting a true players' coach. Someone the players will play hard and die for. That's huge. I don't hear anyone saying that about Bill Belichich. Hell, people HATE playing for him, regardless of the outcome. So, thats HUGE for your team and the rebuild.

Not really familiar with Davis Mills and his connection with Pep Hamilton, so I'm not going to comment on that.

Defensively, I'm sure you saw the team do well with takeaways despite having sub-par talent. That's Lovie. Takeaways are his game. So expect a big emphasis on that.

Regarding Watson, if he's back, cool, good for Lovie. But I doubt it (you guys probably know more than I do). With that being said, he will probably bring in a big haul of nice draft picks.

If Caserio follows what Lovie believes in (strong defense, strong trenches) and use the FA to fill in some roster holes (for example, receivers?), you guys should see an 5-6 game improvement in Year 1 under Lovie. Hopefully there's a Year 2 and Year 3, but I don't understand what is going on with this team.

Just wanted to congratulate you on getting a fantastic coach who the players love playing for. They will play hard and make every game as competitive as possible, which means a good season of football for you, even though you probably won't make playoffs in Year 1.

As for the press conferences, I will admit Lovie can be a stubborn guy. For a year or so, it seemed like he was saying "Rex is our Quarterback". We had Good Rex and Bad Rex during that run to the Super Bowl season.

It is too bad that Caserio doesn't have former GM Jerry Angelo in the house as an advisor or scout or even assistant GM. Lovie and Angelo were truly a match made in heaven. Angelo and Lovie were able to find so much talent in the late rounds. Some examples are Lance Briggs (3rd), Alex Brown (4th). There were other home-run hits on early picks too like Peanut Tillman, Tommie Harris, Matt Forte and so on.

So overall, be excited for what Lovie is bringing to this team. You're in good hands with Lovie Smith as your HC. Have a solid draft (I won't be shocked if you guys end up with like, 12 picks because of a Watson trade), give him the guys he needs on defense and Pep on offense. Use the FA to plug some holes here and there. So yeah, you're in good hands if Lovie is truly given a real chance and the team is built to his vision.

Not sure if you're in good hands with Caserio or Easterby, though.

If you have any other questions about Lovie, I'll check in here occasionally over the next couple of days.
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
Also, just wanted to add...

Don't judge that he got fired after two seasons in Tampa. They basically used the end of Year 1 to tank for Jameis Winston. He got him. He improved the team in Year 2. Then they decided the OC was too hot to let him leave. His name was Dirk Koetter. He fizzled as fast as they come. Lovie shouldn't have been fired for a crappy ass OC...
 
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The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
Welcome to the board and thanks for your input.

As a group, we're kind of torn. A lot of us wanted to get one of the new and upcoming coaching prospects, so Lovie seems like a consolation prize.

Right now, we're not--as a group--happy with our ownership and we don't trust our front office, although lots of us think Caserio might be pretty good, you can find plenty of people here who do not.

The whole Deshaun Watson situation along with a couple of bad seasons (and a HC/GM who made a lot of head scratching moves) has soured us.

I've got some friends from Chicago, and they are still big Lovie fans. So I'm hoping he'll be able to heal this fanbase and win a lot of games.

Thanks again for stopping by.
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
No problem, @The Pencil Neck.

1) Lovie is a GREAT consolation prize. Honestly, I was befuddled why your team/ownership weren't seeking out the hottest names. I don't think you guys interviewed Leftwich, did you? I mean, the whole process was crazy. And giving McCown the HC gig without any kind of experience? That's even crazier. He might be a great HC someday, but I'd be uncomfortable handing the reigns over to a guy with zero experience. Hopefully he joins Lovie's staff so he can get some experience under his belt.
2) Having watched the Texans situation from afar, especially with the crazy deal for Brock Osweiler to all the draft picks for Laremy Tunsil for essentially trading DeAndre Hopkins for a washed up David Johnson - holy ****! I can't even pull that off in Madden! So yeah, I wouldn't trust ownership at all. And I have read that Easterby is the one pulling all the strings and puppets. So with that being said, get Caserio away from Easterby and ownership. Let Caserio do his own thing, 100%, no interference. He's learned a lot in New England, I have no doubt. And I can definitely tell that Easterby and/or ownership is interfering with the hiring process and Caserio himself. This is unfortunate.
3) Watson - hopefully that situation becomes more clear. I really enjoyed watching Lovie with an amazing defense and a hot Jay Cutler (before he got hurt, unfortunately). I really wished he would just essentially let Jay pick his own OC and call it a day, but whatever. I know he's learned from this, though, as he kept Pep Hamilton (an up and coming hot name) on the staff. Good move. Will it work out? No clue, but good move for continuity purposes.
 

House of Pain

Wild Speculator
Thanks for the post. The majority of us really appreciate when other fan bases stop by and give us their first hand experiences with players or staff.

From the outside looking in, I've always felt like Lovie didn't get a fair shake in Chicago. Anyone that can make it to the SB while minimizing the flaws of Rex Grossman as their QB definitely can coach.

As the Pencil Neck said, no one has any trust in the FO or ownership, so until they prove they know what their doing, most of the day one/diehards are going to be on the sidelines. I hope that Lovie truly is the coach you say he is.
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
Thanks for the post. The majority of us really appreciate when other fan bases stop by and give us their first hand experiences with players or staff.

From the outside looking in, I've always felt like Lovie didn't get a fair shake in Chicago. Anyone that can make it to the SB while minimizing the flaws of Rex Grossman as their QB definitely can coach.

As the Pencil Neck said, no one has any trust in the FO or ownership, so until they prove they know what their doing, most of the day one/diehards are going to be on the sidelines. I hope that Lovie truly is the coach you say he is.
He truly is! Just gotta hope he isn't a lame duck coach for something "bigger". He will get the job done, W or L. I won't be surprised if you have 30+ takeaways next year!
 

Texansphan

Football connoisseur
He truly is! Just gotta hope he isn't a lame duck coach for something "bigger". He will get the job done, W or L. I won't be surprised if you have 30+ takeaways next year!
We definitely saw the emphasis on takeaways - from memory, we got three when we beat the Tits late in the season.
I am glad the players like him too - I think they liked David Culley too but Lovie has some big time experience so most of us are quietly confident Lovie can get this team back over .500 in short order.
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
We definitely saw the emphasis on takeaways - from memory, we got three when we beat the Tits late in the season.
I am glad the players like him too - I think they liked David Culley too but Lovie has some big time experience so most of us are quietly confident Lovie can get this team back over .500 in short order.
Lovie's defense was always my favorite defense to watch. Especially when it is a scoring defense! You just need your own Peanut Tillman!
 

OptimisticTexan

2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
Lovie's defense was always my favorite defense to watch. Especially when it is a scoring defense! You just need your own Peanut Tillman!
Good reason why I’m wanting to see Caserio pick SS- Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame) with the #3 pick. I just got a real good feeling as to the ways Lovie will deploy this absurd new weapon in his defense.
 

OptimisticTexan

2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
One of the top picks in the draft.
….as well as, “generational type of player” to describe Hamilton. Was Andrew Luck the last CFB who got that description before the draft? Been overseas the past 13 drafts, so I’m not sure how many players may have gotten that description on air versus print.
 

Texansphan

Football connoisseur
….as well as, “generational type of player” to describe Hamilton. Was Andrew Luck the last CFB who got that description before the draft? Been overseas the past 13 drafts, so I’m not sure how many players may have gotten that description on air versus print.
Trevor Lawrence had big wraps on him too but not quite generations type but best since Luck.
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
Kyle Hamilton? 😉
Kyle Hamilton
Ah, ****. I didn't realize that was his name (I occasionally watch ND games).

He is exactly the type of player Lovie wants. In order to make him (and the secondary) even more successful, you need pass rushers. I'm not sure if you have any, but Lovie wants the QB to panic and throw - which leads to his favorite: takeaways. That's why we traded the best WR we had at the time (Marty Booker) to Miami for an up and coming DE (Adewale Ogunleye).
 

Texansphan

Football connoisseur
Ah, ****. I didn't realize that was his name (I occasionally watch ND games).

He is exactly the type of player Lovie wants. In order to make him (and the secondary) even more successful, you need pass rushers. I'm not sure if you have any, but Lovie wants the QB to panic and throw - which leads to his favorite: takeaways. That's why we traded the best WR we had at the time (Marty Booker) to Miami for an up and coming DE (Adewale Ogunleye).
Derek Stingley is also a very highly touted CB. Not quite sure if he is known for pass rushing?
 

Hookem Horns

Texans Talk Bartender
Staff member
Hopefully your Bears version of Lovie is what the Texans get. I had season tickets for both of Lovie’s seasons here in Tampa and I’ll just say that it wasn’t good. As for tanking the Bucs only tanked the last game of the season when they saw they had a chance at that pick. Lovie basically pulled the starters in the second half.

There is truth to the Dirk Koetter thing but I think Lovie was going to get fired anyway. His defenses were struggling which was supposed to be his strength and he just came off defeated here. For whatever reason it didn’t work for him here. I initially thought he would do well and was excited when they hired him because of his history here with Dungy.

I watched some of his press conference today and like how he came off. Maybe him returning to his home state will be good for him and something can be conjured up. The fans in Houston definitely need something to get excited about. Houston hasn’t had that spark since the Luv Ya Blue and Warren Moon era of the Oilers.

I’ll be pulling for the guy. He’s a good dude and the fans that have stuck with the Texans deserve it.
 

Jack Burton

Veteran
I've always respected Lovie for being a player's coach and maintaining a good record in Chicago without a good QB. Despite the befuddling hiring process, I'm glad he's our guy now.
I actually like how this played out as it allows a 2 year window with Lovie to groom Pep as the next HC.

Stop searching for HCs in Easterbys Bible study classes, when you have a guy on staff with plenty of experience to take the reins in 2 years.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I actually like how this played out as it allows a 2 year window with Lovie to groom Pep as the next HC.

Stop searching for HCs in Easterbys Bible study classes, when you have a guy on staff with plenty of experience to take the reins in 2 years.
It never works out that way.

I know the Texans have been off book for a while, but what you're talking about doesn't happen.

If Lovie doesn't turn this thing around, he's out & no one will be comfortable with anyone on this staff going forward.

Actually, it has happened before. It happened with Lovie in Tampa. They promoted Koetter. The Giants fired Coughlin & promoted McAdoo.

So who knows. But neither of those situations worked out for either organization.
 

Jack Burton

Veteran
It never works out that way.

I know the Texans have been off book for a while, but what you're talking about doesn't happen.

If Lovie doesn't turn this thing around, he's out & no one will be comfortable with anyone on this staff going forward.

Actually, it has happened before. It happened with Lovie in Tampa. They promoted Koetter. The Giants fired Coughlin & promoted McAdoo.

So who knows. But neither of those situations worked out for either organization.
So your saying there’s a chance….
 

maverick512000

Hall of Fame
It never works out that way.

I know the Texans have been off book for a while, but what you're talking about doesn't happen.

If Lovie doesn't turn this thing around, he's out & no one will be comfortable with anyone on this staff going forward.

Actually, it has happened before. It happened with Lovie in Tampa. They promoted Koetter. The Giants fired Coughlin & promoted McAdoo.

So who knows. But neither of those situations worked out for either organization.
Technically didn't it just happen. I mean Lovie was part of Culley's staff. :kitten:
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
It never works out that way.

I know the Texans have been off book for a while, but what you're talking about doesn't happen.

If Lovie doesn't turn this thing around, he's out & no one will be comfortable with anyone on this staff going forward.

Actually, it has happened before. It happened with Lovie in Tampa. They promoted Koetter. The Giants fired Coughlin & promoted McAdoo.

So who knows. But neither of those situations worked out for either organization.
And both were botched moves.
 

Texan Asylum

Hall of Fame
Hi guys!

First of all, I am obviously never on this board since I am a Bears fan from Chicago.

Now, I want to make this plain and simple, I really hope the Texans' hiring of Lovie Smith is being seen as a real chance, not just one-and-done that they have done with the previous coach and the clown before him.

I just wanted to share what you are getting with Lovie Smith.

I (and many Bears fans) truly wish he was still our coach. He was fired by the new GM who wanted to have his fingerprints on the coach. He went 10-6 and still missed playoffs. It sucked, but wow, it was a shock. Really, his only issue was the offense position. For a long time, he was saddled with a lot of crappy QBs (Hutchinson, Krenzel, Quinn, Grossman, Orton, etc). With Cutler, he really should've made this a collaborative process with him and together (or even get Jay's feedback) to figure out the OC part. But what happened, happened. Hell, Trestman should've been the OC, if anything, but moving on...

Back to the original topic - what you're getting in Lovie.

You're getting a coach who gets 200% from his players. They all loved playing for him, period. Even in Tampa too. Some of our players followed him in Tampa. You're getting a true players' coach. Someone the players will play hard and die for. That's huge. I don't hear anyone saying that about Bill Belichich. Hell, people HATE playing for him, regardless of the outcome. So, thats HUGE for your team and the rebuild.

Not really familiar with Davis Mills and his connection with Pep Hamilton, so I'm not going to comment on that.

Defensively, I'm sure you saw the team do well with takeaways despite having sub-par talent. That's Lovie. Takeaways are his game. So expect a big emphasis on that.

Regarding Watson, if he's back, cool, good for Lovie. But I doubt it (you guys probably know more than I do). With that being said, he will probably bring in a big haul of nice draft picks.

If Caserio follows what Lovie believes in (strong defense, strong trenches) and use the FA to fill in some roster holes (for example, receivers?), you guys should see an 5-6 game improvement in Year 1 under Lovie. Hopefully there's a Year 2 and Year 3, but I don't understand what is going on with this team.

Just wanted to congratulate you on getting a fantastic coach who the players love playing for. They will play hard and make every game as competitive as possible, which means a good season of football for you, even though you probably won't make playoffs in Year 1.

As for the press conferences, I will admit Lovie can be a stubborn guy. For a year or so, it seemed like he was saying "Rex is our Quarterback". We had Good Rex and Bad Rex during that run to the Super Bowl season.

It is too bad that Caserio doesn't have former GM Jerry Angelo in the house as an advisor or scout or even assistant GM. Lovie and Angelo were truly a match made in heaven. Angelo and Lovie were able to find so much talent in the late rounds. Some examples are Lance Briggs (3rd), Alex Brown (4th). There were other home-run hits on early picks too like Peanut Tillman, Tommie Harris, Matt Forte and so on.

So overall, be excited for what Lovie is bringing to this team. You're in good hands with Lovie Smith as your HC. Have a solid draft (I won't be shocked if you guys end up with like, 12 picks because of a Watson trade), give him the guys he needs on defense and Pep on offense. Use the FA to plug some holes here and there. So yeah, you're in good hands if Lovie is truly given a real chance and the team is built to his vision.

Not sure if you're in good hands with Caserio or Easterby, though.

If you have any other questions about Lovie, I'll check in here occasionally over the next couple of days.
Great post from an obviously classy fan…welcome aboard and thank you for the insights.
 

Texansphan

Football connoisseur
"If you subtract Smith’s first year with the Bears, he was 24 games over .500, including a Super Bowl appearance and being honored as NFL Coach of the Year. His teams won the division three times and had records of 13-3, 11-5, 11-5 and 10-6. He was fired after a 10-6 season. That’s not too shabby." ~ John McClain
If he gets us back over .500 his first season that will be a great start.
 

Speedy

Former Yeller Dweller
With Lovie, anything is possible. He can turn average players into a playmaker with the right scheme and fit. Just look at Nate Vasher. Couple huge years from him before injuries took their toll on him. The players play 200% for Lovie and nobody else.
You're talking about things that happened 12-15 years ago or so. I mean, Lovie's Super Bowl run was Kubiak's 1st year here. A LOT has happened since then.
In the what have you done for me lately category, he led a defense that was near the bottom in almost every statistic that matters, except turnovers, which he's been top 10 in in 10 of his 15 years as DC/HC.

Look, I'm not saying Lovie isn't a good coach or anything like that, but he doesn't have much to work with here. At least not at this exact moment. And until Caserio improves the talent level, Belichick wrapped in Landry wrapped in Lombardi wouldn't make much difference.
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
Hello guys. Not to bump an old thread, but just popping in.

1) I hope you guys are enjoying Lovie Smith. He is a really good coach and the players (at least, in Chicago) love playing for him. I'm a bit behind on the NFL in general since I have been busy with work.
2) Wishing you all a good game for Sunday. I feel like it will be a hard fought battle. I am obviously rooting for the Bears, but I am cool with Lovie getting one over Chicago too (much like how I didn't mind Robbie Gould as a 49er beating Chicago all by himself that one game).

Have a great one!
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
Hello guys. Not to bump an old thread, but just popping in.

1) I hope you guys are enjoying Lovie Smith. He is a really good coach and the players (at least, in Chicago) love playing for him. I'm a bit behind on the NFL in general since I have been busy with work.
2) Wishing you all a good game for Sunday. I feel like it will be a hard fought battle. I am obviously rooting for the Bears, but I am cool with Lovie getting one over Chicago too (much like how I didn't mind Robbie Gould as a 49er beating Chicago all by himself that one game).

Have a great one!
1) I think most of us like Lovie, but many of us are concerned with his conservative approach.
2) Yeah, it could be a battle. It's going to be interesting to watch.

Best of luck the rest of the year!
 

Texansballer74

The Marine
Hello guys. Not to bump an old thread, but just popping in.

1) I hope you guys are enjoying Lovie Smith. He is a really good coach and the players (at least, in Chicago) love playing for him. I'm a bit behind on the NFL in general since I have been busy with work.
2) Wishing you all a good game for Sunday. I feel like it will be a hard fought battle. I am obviously rooting for the Bears, but I am cool with Lovie getting one over Chicago too (much like how I didn't mind Robbie Gould as a 49er beating Chicago all by himself that one game).

Have a great one!
As of right now Lovie is not getting the job done. He’s too conservative, and it’s costing us in the win department. This team should be 2-0 right now. I’ve been pulling for him once he was named the head coach, but dang his coaching philosophy is out of date. If he wants this team to compete with the big boys. He better get on Pep/offense and tell him to rev it a lot more. And better stop that weak cover two crap in crunch time. Or they will be getting blown out a lot this season.
 

BearsFan1984

Practice Squad
I will admit he does tend to get too conservative at times. Even when we had Cutler. Cutler should be airing it out like a true gunslinger, but at times, it felt like he was being held back too. Way too many coordinator changes.

I've always said if we had Lovie as the HC and Marc Trestman as the O-coordinator, we would have a Super Bowl or two. Who knows, Jay could still be around playing into his late 30's/early 40's like Rodgers. But it is what it is.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I think he has the defense headed in the right direction. The offense on the other hand :wacko:
The defense is in year two of their system, returning 3/4ths of the defensive line, 2/3rds of the LBs, & 1/4th of the DBs. So they're not "learning" from scratch.

The offense is learning a new system. Completely new. With Britt out, we're starting 2/5ths of the OL, 4/6ths of the WRs, 2/3rds of the TEs, 1/3rd of the RBs, & our QB. But again, all completely new system. They're going to be a bit behind.
 
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