Many of you will think I’m being harsh, but when you regularly choke on the biggest stages, one has to question your coaching ability (see Super Bowl and Championship game last season). Smith is horrible with challenges and time outs. While I am not going to use the he looks like he doesn’t care card, he does things to make all of us scratch our heads.

Smith can come across like a jerk. Again, I do not need a head coach to be my friend, but his arrogance is puzzling. Ron Rivera left the Chicago Bears because of Lovie Smith, and that loss hurt the Chicago Bears defense for a long time. Last season, things improved but I think Julius Peppers had a lot to do with that improvement. It should be noted that Peppers came to the Chicago Bears because of Smith, but one player’s decision isn’t exactly what I would call a solid coaching resume.

While I do not think Smith will ever reach the Dave Wannstedt level of crappiness, I do believe that Smith hasn’t delivered despite a load of talent over the years.

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5. Adrian Peterson (Vikings)

Peterson is a freak of nature. He has some amazing runs and blows through defenders. But, he fumbles way too much. In fact, I believe if he didn’t fumble as much he would be one of the all-time greats. I cannot look past a running back that regularly puts the ball on the turf.

4. Eli Manning (Giants)

He’s not Peyton. Considering the hype surrounding this guy, he just isn’t as good as we are led to believe. More excuses are made for Manning’s failures than any other quarterback in football. I would like to see Manning carry the Giants, which doesn’t happen very often.

3. Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears)

I do not question Jay Cutler’s toughness. I do not question Jay Cutler’s committment. I question his talent. While I think he’s talented, I don’t know if he’s as talented as we were once led to believe. Cutler throws way too many interceptions and misses open receivers. While he will make some great throws, he also makes terrible ones too. Something is missing with this guy, and I cannot put my finger on it…

2. Clay Matthews, III (Green Bay Packers)

This shouldn’t be a secret to many of you that read my work regularly, but you should be shocked that he isn’t number one. Matthews thrives in Dom Capers 3/4 defense, but put him in another city, and I am not sure if you’d see the results. Plus, this guy sucks against the run and isn’t strong in pass coverage. He’s a good football player that is helped by a system. Case closed…

1. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles)

He’s exciting to watch. He’s got freakish skills. But he’s overrated as hell. Hit him once and he stops caring. I’m not saying he doesn’t make spectacular plays…he does. But he also is a wuss that hates contact and kills dogs. For Madden and fantasy purposes, he’s a star. But besides that…you can have Vick.

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BRETT FAVRE!!!

NFL players aren’t loyal, they’re not loyal to fans, they’re loyal to their wallets. Do you really think Aaron Rodgers gives two craps about you? Favre acted like you all mattered, and ended his career with the Minnesota Vikings. So stop this charade of defending every Packer like they’re family. They ain’t and you really don’t matter to the million dollar cry babies.

Many of you think I’m bitter and jealous. I’m not bitter about the Chicago Bears. I’ll take a division title and trip to the championship game every year. When your life is more than milking cows and dreaming of Clay Matthews, I’ll take my Yuppy FIB lifestyle any day of the week.

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The 2011 NFL schedule makers did the Chicago Bears no favors. The first three contests will feature the 2010 NFC South Champion Atlanta Falcons at home, the 2010 Super Champion New Orleans Saints on the road and a home contest with the 2011 Super Champion Green Bay Packers. The Chicago Bears could easily start the season 0-3 and dig themselves into a deep hole. Everyone expects these three squads to be top teams in the NFC, so the Chicago Bears will be tested early. We will know a lot about this team after the first three games.

After a home contest with the Panthers, the Chicago Bears travel to Detroit for a Monday night contest. This is historical because it is the first time since October 8, 2001 that the Detroit Lions will be on the Monday night stage (remember, Detroit hosts a Thanksgiving Day game every year). This will be great for Detroit, but problematic for the Chicago Bears. This game could end up being a nightmare. The Lions are a much-improved football team, and playing on Monday night validates it.

Just because the NFL knows how much I love night games, they’ve decided to bless me with the Vikings at home the following Sunday night. Of course, after that, the Chicago Bears will play at noon in London against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (although this could be kabashed if the Collective Bargaining Agreement isn’t completed before the beginning of August). Just like the three beginning games are going to be difficult, the stretch leading into the bye week isn’t exactly a walk-in-the-park either.

Of course, another Monday night contest awaits the Chicago Bears after the bye week. The Bears will play in Philadelphia against the Eagles. A home contest with the Lions will be the last of the NFC we see for four more weeks. The Chargers will visit Soldier Field followed by a trip to Oakland before beginning December at home with the Chiefs and closing out this stretch in a match-up on-the-road with Denver. While the AFC West is a crazy group of teams, playing at Denver isn’t going to be a pretty scene for Jay Cutler. I am sure they’ll be waiting.

After the Chicago Bears close out the home schedule in a playoff rematch with the Seattle Seahawks, they travel to Green Bay for a Sunday Night contest with the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Night (although this can change if the game becomes meaningless). and a New Years’ Day game with the Minnesota Vikings (although this can change too).

I’m not a schedule ranking expert, but according to ESPN, the Chicago Bears have the 11th toughest schedule in the NFC based on the winning percentage of teams from last season. I would rather use the old eye test. This isn’t an easy schedule. There are many factors including start times and travel that make this even more difficult. While I would like to say the Chicago Bears are a good football team and will overcome this, it sets up to be a difficult season for the Chicago Bears. At this point, and I hope I am wrong, I cannot see the Chicago Bears making the playoffs. There are too many factors that will hurt their chances.

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October opens with Cam Newton’s most-likely team Carolina at home (10/2). The Chicago Bears first Monday night contest will be on the road against the much-improved Detroit Lions (10/10) and then home the following Sunday evening against the Vikings (10/16). The Buccaneers contest (10/23) will be played in London the following week unless the lock-out isn’t over by the beginning of August. If not, it’s Tampa. A bye-week will close out October.

The Bears open November in Philadelphia on Monday night (11/7). The following week will feature a home-rematch with the Lions (11/13). In the next four weeks, the Chicago Bears will play the AFC West portion of the schedule. The Chargers will visit Soldier Field (11/20) and the month will close out in Oakland (11/27).

The Chiefs will open December in Chicago (12/4). The following week will be the regular season homecoming for Jay Cutler in Denver (12/11). Think he’ll be booed? The Chicago Bears will close out the home portion of their schedule against in a playoff rematch against the Seahawks (12/18). The final two games give Chicago Bears fans two holiday division contests. Christmas night will be in Green Bay (although this could change) and then the Chicago Bears will close out in Minnesota on New Years Day.

I know one thing…this will not be an easy schedule. But the Chicago Bears will have a lot to prove on whether or not last season was a fluke.

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Throughout the season, no matter how well the Chicago Bears played, there were many doubters and critics of the team’s success. Trent Dilfer and Bill Cowher regularly hated on this team. And yet, the Chicago Bears kept winning.

Of course, after beating heavy favorites Dallas in week two, the Cowboys weren’t any good despite being a Super Bowl contender. When the Chicago Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles and shut down Michael Vick, it was the turf at Soldier Field. A win over the New York Jets was a fluke as well. Might I also remind you that the Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers in week three and damn near knocked them out of the playoffs. The championship game helped prove how incompetent Lovie Smith can be at times.

Now, I take nothing away from the Green Bay Packers, but if the Chicago Bears actually would have had a respectable backup quarterback, perhaps the Super Bowl would have been a different game. In baseball, there’s always the belief that the baseball finds your worst defender when you’d least like it to…so the same thing happened during the championship game. How could Lovie Smith and company not recognize how horrible Todd Collins was? Why in the world wasn’t this addressed? The baseball found Collins, and the Chicago Bears were left holding their private areas.

Brian Urlacher is a beast. He had one of his best seasons and almost won the championship game for the Chicago Bears. Julius Peppers struck fear in offenses. These two really helped the Chicago Bears become a strong defensive unit. Devin Hester scares every opponent. He’s potentialy a big-play whenever the ball is in his hands.

Jay Cutler had his good and not-so-good moments. He’s a talented quarterback that does make mistakes. Matt Forte established himself as a legitimate NFL halfback. Devin Hester scares every opponent. He’s potentialy a big-play whenever the ball is in his hands.

So looking back on this team, what do I think? I believe that every NFL team that’s successful has a little bit of luck (see Detroit game and Calvin Johnson), some talent, catching opponents at the right time and intangibles. The Chicago Bears were guilty of all-of-the-above. And yet, a few bounces here and there may have been the difference of a trip to the championship game or a high draft pick. It’s always been my belief that good teams create their own breaks, and the Chicago Bears are just that…a good football team.

I enjoyed this season. The Chicago Bears made the final four. With a few tweaks here and there, I do not see any reason why this team couldn’t do it again. But this is the NFL, and things can change very quickly.

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But, was it a disappointing season? In a single elimination tournament anything can happen. If Lovie Smith didn’t totally screw things up and played Caleb Hanie the whole second half instead of Todd Collins for a few series, maybe things would have gone differently. The Chicago Bears weren’t dominated but they were outplayed. And certainly outcoached.

The New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints were all teams projected to do better than the Chicago Bears. And yet, they didn’t.

I’m not upset. I’ll take a shot at the Super Bowl every year. Hopefully, Smith doesn’t screw up again.

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Smith did a solid job this season until the Todd Collins fiasco of the Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers. This in my opinion is grounds for near-dismissal or a serious reprimand. The Chicago Bears could have won that game if Smith wasn’t caught with his pants down. Plus, by not shedding light on Jay Cutler’s injury contributed to the public beating suffered by Cutler.

Smith also upgraded his coaching staff this season. By bringing in Mike Martz and Mike Tice to coach the offense and offensive lines respectively as well as promoting Rod Marinelli, he had one of the most experienced and successful staffs in the NFL. Certainly picking a staff is part of a coach’s job, but his staff choices were poor in the past. I believe much of the team’s success came because of his new coaches and less from his decision making skills.

Is there a head coach who’s worse with challenges and timeouts? His decision making in these situations is horrific and has cost his team games.

To be fair, Smith was the key reason why Julius Peppers is wearing a Chicago Bears uniform. His players, free agents and other people around the league respect the hell out of Smith. I’ve met Smith and he’s a classy man. As a person, you couldn’t ask for a better coach.

What happened to the days of former Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda signing a one-year contracts? He did this because either the Dodgers or he could walk away anytime. Smith probably would have been fired last season except his contract was too rich. Now, the Chicago Bears are putting themselves in the same boat. The Vikings extended Brad Childress’ contract after his run in 2009. How did that work out?

I’m not sure there’s a better coach on the market. Everyone wants Bill Cowher, but I think his expectations will be unrealistic and he’s been out of the game for a while. Jeff Fisher frankly isn’t that much better of a coach than Smith. So maybe the Bear’s motivation is to protect themselves. But I don’t see Smith as a sexy hire for other franchises. He’s just doesn’t have that appealing personality.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

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But I’ve got my reasons for not thinking Olsen is very good. He runs poor routes, fails to get open, cannot block and drops/fumbles the football way too often. I know he’s had some solid games, but I can point to numerous occasions where he’s been a non-factor or even a minus.

Brandon Manumaleuna was brought in to be a bad-ass blocking tight end. He was given big money and expected to be an important part of protecting Jay Cutler and opening holes for Matt Forte. While he got better towards the end of the season, he didn’t exactly blow up opposing defenders the way we expected him to do so. He did catch some big passes during the season, but his primary responsibility was to block. Frankly, Manumaleuna didn’t live up to expectations. It was announced today he’s having a procedure done on his right knee. This could be an indication of why he wasn’t as good as expected.

Desmond Clark dropped a touchdown pass in week three against the Packers. From that point forward, he was banished to football Siberia. He became a non-factor the rest of the season and will be taking his talents elsewhere.

I think Kellen Davis may potentially be their best tight end. He got much more involved late in the season and has the size and speed to create match-up problems for opposing teams.

Overall, I give this unit a generous C-. I cannot ignore Olsen’s big games and Manumaleuna did block better in the second half. Davis had some huge catches as well. But, the negatives from this group just made it barely functional.

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After reflecting on all the events of today, I’ve decided how angry I am at Lovie Smith. I’m angry because his monumental mistakes in the NFC Championship game two-weeks earlier denied the Chicago Bears even a shot at this opportunity. I’d go so far as to say he did the franchise, fan base and the NFL a disservice by his mistakes. I just get angrier by the minute towards him and hope the Chicago Bears don’t extend his damn contract.

Two words people…Todd Collins. How could Smith in his right mind think that this piece of crap could ever lead the Chicago Bears to anything? Collins is so bad that he tried his hardest to give the Carolina Panthers a win.

Let’s go back to the preseason where this whole mess started. After Caleb Hanie injured his shoulder against the San Diego Chargers in the first preseason game, the Bears panicked and basically had to beg Collins to come out of retirement and play for the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, Smith and crew played rookie Dan LeFevour a ton during the preseason and eventually cut him. While I grant you LeFevour wasn’t too impressive, he certainly had more upside as a number three quarterback than Collins did as a number two.

Just like the saying goes in baseball, the ball will always find your weakest defender when you least want it to do so. Well, thanks to having that cancer to my eyes Collins as the number two quarterback, it found him in a big way. Meanwhile, Hanie played well enough to almost lead the Bears back in the fourth quarter against the Packers. What could have been wasn’t thanks to Smith.

An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. They got that ounce from the Carolina game and failed to take the damn medicine. Smith is a stubborn jackass that turned a blind eye on how horrible Collins played. There had to be a better alternative out there somewhere and Collins should have been launched immediately after that game. A lot of this also falls on Jerry Angelo, but Angelo isn’t an in-game manager, that falls on Smith.

After the championship game, when Jay Cutler was being treated like a voodoo doll for the national media and idiot fans, Smith didn’t come out and defend his quarterback. We’ve learned that Cutler tried to gut this one out, but Smith wouldn’t discuss the injury.  Instead of shedding light on the situation, his lack of backing his starting quarterback made the situation significantly worse.

Up until the championship game, I ate a lot of crow suggesting Smith should have been fired during the preseason. Now I’m not completely sure I was wrong.

A part of me feels bad unloading on Smith like this; he’s a class act and he just lost his mother. But poor job performance is poor job performance.

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