Let's Just Blow This Thing Up

I didn't get to watch the Bears game yesterday because I was too busy digging through Bob Stoops' garbage cans looking for any indication he's coming to Notre Dame at work all night. I can't say I'm disappointed I didn't get to see it.

I'm more relieved, actually.

I was spared three plus hours of stab-myself-in-the-face-with-a-fork football, and when you're as pretty as I am, you don't want to go stabbing your meal ticket like that. I did DVR the game, though, and gave it a quick look-see, which isn't nearly as painful when you already know what to expect.

All I saw was further confirmation that this Bears team is horrible, and that there is no easy fix. They just need to blow that thing up.



From the head coach on down to the offensive line. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're in a firing mood these days. Charlie Weis will be fired in a few hours, and maybe Lovie Smith should be too.

Much like all of you, I was a huge Lovie fan following the Bears trip to Super Bowl XLI. When they missed the playoffs the following year, I wasn't happy, but they weren't the first Super Bowl loser to miss the playoffs the following season. Just about all of them do that. If the Arizona Cardinals didn't play in a division with three high school football teams, they'd be missing the playoffs this year too.

My problem has been the team's 13-14 record since then. 9-7 was unacceptable last season, and 9-7 is the best-case scenario this season.

Now normally in the NFL, you're always just the next year away from being good again, but that's not possible with this team. They gave away all their draft picks to get Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams -- how is that trade working out? -- and I'm not complaining about that. I'm still fine with the Cutler trade.

It hasn't made things better by any means, but it was still the right move. Even if Brian Urlacher doesn't agree with me.

“Look, I love Jay, and I understand he’s a great player who can take us a long way, and I still have faith in him,” Urlacher said. “But I hate the way our identity has changed. We used to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes, and we’d rely on our defense to keep us in the game and make big plays to put us in position to win. Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I hate to say it, but that’s the truth.”

Actually, Brian, that formula got you to 9-7 last season and not in the playoffs. If that works for you, well, then we have more problems here than I thought.

Since the team has no draft picks in the first two rounds that means there won't be any immediate help coming in next season through any mode but free agency. Considering the work the Bears have done in that department lately, do you still want Jerry Angelo in charge of finding the players to fix this mess?

I don't.

So go out there and get the Bill Cowher, the Mike Holmgren, or the Mike Shanahan. Let them build something here. Now I'm fully aware that telling the McCaskey family to spend the amount of money it will take to get one of those coaches is like telling Palestinians and Israelis to forget about everything and just give each other a hug, but just because it's not going to happen doesn't mean that it shouldn't.

The truth is that Chicago Bears fans need to accept the fact we're in for some bad seasons coming up. There is no easy fix to this problem. It's going to take time, money and smart decisions to mend this team, and it's not going to happen with Angelo and Smith running the ship.

I'll gladly take a 3-13 season in 2010 if it's Bill Cowher running the team because I know he can turn things around.

I won't when it's some coordinator getting his first head coaching opportunity, which it will be.