Chicago Bears Coach Lovie Smith signs three-year contract extension
Lovie Smith will continue coaching the Chicago Bears until 2013. On Friday the Chicago Bears head coach signed a three-year extension on his contract. The contract extension is a recognition of Smith’s contributions to the team.
Under Smith, the Bears won their first division title and went on to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship. They were defeated in the conference championship game by division rivals the Green Bay Packers, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
Smith joined the Bears in 2004 as head coach after spending two years as the defensive coordinator for the Saint Luis Rams. In seven years as the Bears head coach, the team have won their division title three times and were in the conference championship
twice.
They won the 2006 NFC title and faced off against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. They lost that game 29-17. Before Smith started coaching the Bears, Chicago had not won the conference title since 1985; the same year they won their only Super Bowl.
“I feel great about the extension,” Smith said Friday at the NFL scouting combine. He added, “We're excited about this next step.” Smith has faced a great deal of criticism from Chicago fans. After earning a Super Bowl Berth in 2006, the Bears have failed
to make it to the playoffs in the following three season.
Even in the 2010-11 season, in which the Bears had a winning record of 11-5 and were undefeated in the playoffs until the conference championship, Chicago looked like a team hurriedly put together. Their exit from the tournament at the hands of their division
rivals further infuriated fans who have asked for Smith’s removal.
The contract extension reaffirms Chicago’s faith in Lovie Smith. Smith said, “Every day I've been on the job, the goal has been to do the best possible job that I could, and I could live with the results. With three years on my contract, I feel pretty good
about that.”
All aspects of the 2011 season, even coaching contracts, are marred by the ongoing labour dispute and the threat of work stoppage. NFL teams need stability this year because unless a new deal is signed soon, there might be no minicamps or training camps.
A new NFL coach might not have even have enough time to set up new defensive or offensive schemes.
The 2010-11 season ended for the Bears following a poor performance in the NFC championship. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was sidelined in the game due to a sprained knee and was widely criticised for it. Smith took the time to defend cutler at the combine.
He said, “Just to kind of hit Jay one last time, no, there's no question about Jay's toughness or anything like that. For guys to even challenge that or question that don't know what they're talking about, don't know him. He's as tough as any quarterback
in the league.”
Smith confirmed that Cutler would continue to lead the Bears as the starting quarterback. He said that he was excited to see the improvement in the offence with Cutler and offensive coordinator Mike Martz working together.
Martz was appointed the offensive coordinator after the 2009 season. The Bears ranked 30th in offensive yards and 21st in points scored with Mike on board but Smith still had nothing but praise for him. Smith said, “Mike is a great
offensive coach."
He also credited the offence with helping the team win 12 games last season and making it to the NFC championship.
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