Umm wrong...this is from an article earlier this season....
>>Normally I begin these bi-weekly diaries with observations regarding a youngster or two making waves or a veteran player trying to right his career wrongs. But with the Bears, something much different stood out to me during my camp stop. The story here is: this team is giving head coach Lovie Smith the shaft.
Smith, who never publicly lashes out on contract matters, wanted a new deal this off-season. He is currently the NFL's lowest-paid head coach. In fact, Smith now makes less than a couple of coordinators out there.
It's little secret that I have a very good relationship with Smith. However, I've got a very good relationship with a lot of coaches I believe aren't very good, some of which shouldn't be in their current positions. Relationship aside, I pen this story because I believe the Bears have the right guy long term and because during and after my visit players reached out to me grumbling about the team's treatment of their head coach.
It's not the first time since the end of last year I've heard from Smith's players about his status and their shock at the franchise for refusing to reward him.
"I think it's wrong," said All-Pro MLB Brian Urlacher. "Coach Smith has done a lot more with this team than anyone could have expected, especially when you consider all the injuries we've had. He's the lowest-paid head coach in the league. We want him here. The players love him, but we also think he should be rewarded like everyone else.
"You've got coordinators making more than him! That's just not right, and I think it's not too late for the team to do the right thing. All the other coaches who made the playoffs got new deals, so I hope they still get something done with him because he deserves it."
Others who have made the playoffs just once such as Jack Del Rio, Jim Mora and Marvin Lewis all got significant pay raises this year. Yet Smith was told by upper, upper, upper brass that no such deal would be thrown his way because they were burned by Dick Jauron prior to Smith. So? Different times, different staff, different men.
If Smith's Bears can repeat next year and Smith has one year left on his deal, his price is going to be a heck of a lot more expensive than it would have been had they gotten him done after last year. There is also no guarantee Smith will even agree to a deal after this year considering the Bears' treatment of him. If I'm the owner and have an extremely popular head coach and have to pay $1 million per year extra because my management didn't want to follow today's current standards, I'd be mighty ticked at what I could have paid.
I'd be even angrier if he bolted. The fans think it's bogus. The players think it's bogus. Even Smith's peers think it's bogus.
"You better be careful with what you gamble on in this league," said another NFC head coach. "Why would they do that with Lovie? It doesn't make much sense to me, but I'm sure they must have a reason. You just hope it doesn't come back to bite them."
With coordinators now beginning to get $2 million-plus per year, the Bears should have done right by Smith. They still may, but it appears that won't happen this year. He'll have to make that money up in the future, but the problem now for Smith is that even if his team duplicates the success it had last season, management can say it wasn't as good a job coaching as a year ago when Smith had to get it done with a rookie third-string QB. Plus, the division has gotten much improved with the Vikings and Lions both expected to be much more competitive than a year ago.
Smith will have no problem finding another head coaching job if he plays this deal out, but the Bears' management will have a hard time explaining to their fans and players why they lost out on such a strong coach. Or they'll have to explain to ownership why they had to pay out the nose in a year from now.
Even if the Bears falter, did they really win out on this gamble? The players and city love the guy, so would a bad year or two really warrant trying to find an upgrade? Good luck rolling the dice.<<
I am pleasantly surprised to hear this happened.
