Make Lovie, Not War: Bears Risk Losing Smith in Contract Fight

I think I speak for all Chicago sports fans when I say enough is enough.

Chicago is the third largest media market in the country, trailing only New York and Los Angeles. Chicago fans come out in droves to see their teams play. And yet, as has always been the case, Chicago owners ply their trade with the kind of frugality that only Ebeneezer Scrooge could love.

Don't believe me? Just ask Lovie Smith.

According to one source, recent contract talks between Smith’s agent Frank Bauer and Bears team president Ted Phillips have left the two parties "miles apart." For penny-pinching Chicago owners, it's just another chapter in a long, shameful history.

Take the Tribune Company, which bought the Cubs in 1981 for the unbelievably low sum of $21 million. Only recently has the Tribune started to reinvest its profits on the field. For twenty years, company brass had no problem pocketing the money of dedicated fans who were willing to support mediocre teams—and even stooped to a price-raising ticket-brokerage scam along the way.

Jerry Reinsdorf, majority owner of the Bulls and White Sox, gets a free pass because of his seven championship rings. But let's not forget that he was one of the primary architects of the 1994 MLB strike—even though his team had the best record in the majors and was the odds-on favorite to win the World Series.

Reinsdorf also signed off on former GM Jerry Krause's decision to dismantle the Bulls after they won their sixth title in 1998. And the owner's current cost-cutting plan to purge the White Sox of nearly every pitcher from the 2005 World Series team is sickening to anyone who cares about baseball on the South Side.

But none of it compares to the exploits of Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz. Known around the NHL as “Dollar Bill," Wirtz has brought stinginess and selfishness to entirely new levels. ESPN recently ranked the Blackhawks as the worst franchise in sports, and named Wirtz the third greediest owner. His worst sin: He refuses to televise Blackhawks’ home games in Chicago. Add in a complete disregard for basic business ethics—the 1999 Illinois Wine and Spirits Fair Dealings Act is also known as the “Wirtz Law”, and was inspired by the owner's power-abusing liquor company—and you have the worst person to ever run a professional sports team.

And trust me, it's not even close.

Now, Ted Phillips and the McCaskey family (majority owners of the Bears) can't hold a candle to Wirtz's money-grubbing, but their handling of the Smith negotiations makes you wonder if they've been taking deal-making advice from ol' Dollar Bill.

Smith was paid $1.3 million in 2006, which garnered him the inglorious title of Lowest Paid Head Coach in the NFL. He is set to hold that position again with a contract worth $1.45 million in 2007—unless the current talks take a drastic turn in the coming months.

“We’re not close,” says Bauer. “We’re not encouraged and based on where talks have gone recently, Lovie will be a free agent after next season.”

The new contracts handed to Brian Billick (five years for $28.5 million, from the Ravens) and first-time head coach Bobby Petrino (four years and $24 million, from the Falcons) prove that teams around the NFL put a premium on the men wearing the headsets.

So what are the Bears thinking? Take your pick:

“Anybody can win Coach of the Year in only his second NFL season.”

“It’s not that hard to get to the Super Bowl...we just did it 21 years ago.”

"Coaches of character and class are a dime a dozen in this league. (Someone get Nick Saban on the phone.)"

“We know what we’re doing. Look at our track record before Smith showed up...”

The bottom line here is an economic one. The supply of talented head coaches in the NFL is at a record low (just ask the Raiders). With so many teams scrambling to hire anyone with even a semblance of competence, it's understandable that contracts for coaches are more lucrative than ever. The market demands it. And what the market wants, the market gets—no matter what the cost.

“When we signed Lovie Smith, it was a market-value contract for coaches who had never been a head coach in the NFL," said Ted Phillips before the Super Bowl. “He received a fair deal.”

No one can blame the Bears for defending Lovie’s current contract—it was, at the time it was signed, a “fair deal." But that was three seasons ago, and the current market value for a young head coach with Super Bowl credentials is somewhere in the range of $4-6 million per season. If Phillips wants to fall back on the “market value” argument, he's digging himself a hole.

In any event, facts are still facts. As of this week, only a month after the Super Bowl, talks between Smith and the Bears are all but dead. And Chicago fans, once again, have been left to wonder whether management will let money come before the good of their team.

“Lovie Smith has indicated to me he wants to be head coach of the Bears for a long time,” Phillips said. “That’s my goal. That’s the organization’s goal.”

If this is true—and forgive me, as a Chicago sports fan, if I tend to question the integrity of such statements—then why balk at paying Smith what the market states he should be paid?

The answer, of course, has to do with profits, and with the fact that the McCaskeys don't want to open their wallets any more than they absolutely have to. It's the same old story in the Windy City, where at least one fan can't keep it any longer:

PAY THE MAN WHAT HE'S WORTH AND STOP BEING GREEDY FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIVES!

After all: Enough is enough, right?

Chicago Bears in Review for 2006

It is a moment I would like to forget.

With just twelve minutes remaining in the 4th quarter of Super Bowl XLI, the Chicago Bears, down 22-17 to the Indianapolis Colts, lined up for a first down play on their own 38-yard line.

Quarterback Rex Grossman took a step back from the line, pump-faked to his right, and then threw a wobbly ball off his back foot into the waiting hands of Colts’ cornerback Kelvin Hayden.

Hayden, who had just intercepted his first pass of the season, proceeded to weave his way through the Bears offense on his way to the game-clinching touchdown.

At that moment, Chicago’s inhabitants fell eerily silent, as the dreams of winning our first Super Bowl in 21 years were shattered.

“The whole year our thing has been to finish (games),” linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said after the game, “And that’s exactly what we didn’t do.”

For most Bears’ fans, the shock and depression of losing the Super Bowl has mostly worn off. However many are still haunted by the visions of that dreadful fourth quarter. It is that visualization that has some Chicago fans lying awake at night. I’ll admit, for the week following the Super Bowl, I was one of the sleepless.

Nevertheless one can only pout for so long, and I eventually began pondering over the amazing season of the 2006 Chicago Bears.

Has there ever been a quarterback who has undergone as much intense media scrutiny in one season as Rex Grossman did in 2006?

Most quarterbacks in their first full year of starting would have crumbled under that type of pressure. Yet Grossman stood firm, never made excuses for himself, and went about his business in a professional manner. Imagine how Ryan Leaf would have reacted after fielding the 478th question about Brian Griese.

Whether you think he’s the next Brett Favre or the next Elvis Grbac, there is no denying Grossman played a big part in the development of the Bears’ offense this season. Chicago ended the 2005 season ranked 29th in total offense, 31st in passing offense, and 26th in points scored. This season, the Bears ranked 15th in total offense, 14th in passing offense, and 2nd in points scored. That is a marked improvement over the span of only one season and much of that had to do with the play of Rex Grossman.

I’ll admit he was awful at times, but his 23 touchdown passes were the most by any Bears’ quarterback since Erik Kramer threw 29 in 1995. Grossman’s inconsistency is maddening but one can only hope that he continues to develop and push this offense in the right direction.

An enhanced receiving corps, led by the speedy Bernard Berrian, also contributed to Chicago’s strong offensive output. Berrian caught 51 passes for 775 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first season as a starter. His 15.2 receiving average was 20th best in the NFL. The Bears utilized his blazing speed to stretch opposing defenses and open up underneath routes for possession receiver Muhsin Muhammad (60 catches, 863 yards, 5 touchdowns) and resurgent tight end Desmond Clark (45 catches, 626 yards, 6 touchdowns). It was a downfield passing attack, that when clicking, was one of the best in the league.

The running game was just what you would expect from a Chicago Bears team: relentless. Thomas Jones was their bread and butter, carrying the ball 296 times and gaining over 1,200 yards for the second straight season. Former 1st round pick Cedric Benson played a much bigger role this year, gaining 647 yards and scoring 6 touchdowns. His bruising, downhill running style complemented the shifty Jones nicely.

Chicago’s newfound offensive balance was augmented by the great field position given to them by return man Devin Hester. Hester ranked 2nd in the NFL in punt returns average and set a single-season record with 6 kicks returned for a touchdown – none more important than his game-winner on Monday Night Football against the Arizona Cardinals. He then added one more return touchdown on the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl. For those reasons, Devin Hester is my pick for the 2006 MVP of the Chicago Bears.

Just like last season, the Bears’ defense was the key to the team’s success. Brian Urlacher and company were absolutely dominant in the first half of the season, ranking 1st in nearly every defensive category. Their amazing team speed and hunger for turnovers has become a staple of the cover 2 system Lovie Smith has installed in Chicago.

However, losing two Pro Bowl players to season ending injuries – safety Mike Brown in Week 6 and tackle Tommie Harris in Week 13 –severely crippled the defense heading into the playoffs. One can only wonder how their presence on the field might have affected the outcome of the Super Bowl.

The biggest issue for the defense moving forward is the unrestricted free agent status of weak-side middle linebacker Lance Briggs. The Bears are $16.3 million under the salary cap heading into next season. This should give them enough money to sign Briggs to a long-term contract. If the two sides cannot reach a contract agreement, the Bears still have the option of placing the franchise tag on their second leading tackler. Either way, the Bears need to do whatever it takes to keep Briggs on the team. He has the ability to hit the gaps and stop runners in their tracks. Obviously this is a key element to this defense’s success.

Heading into the draft, it is imperative that the Bears select an offensive tackle early. John Tait and Fred Miller are savvy veterans who still have a good year or two left in them. Although they are 32 and 34 years old respectively, and no one behind them on the depth chart is ready to step in and produce.

Two offensive tackles in this year’s draft stand out as great fits for Chicago’s system. Joe Staley of Central Michigan is a converted tight end that runs the 40-yard dash in 4.81 seconds – outrageously fast for a 6’5”, 296-pound offensive lineman. His speed and range would work well in Chicago’s pull and trap-heavy rushing attack.

Tony Ugoh of Arkansas would also be a nice pick for the Bears. He has good size (6’5”, 301 lbs.) and a powerful upper body that he uses to drive defenders off the ball. His athleticism at left tackle would provide some much-needed backside protection for the lead-footed Grossman.

The final off-season concern for the Bears' front office is to upgrade the salary of their egregiously under-paid head coach Lovie Smith. Smith is in the final year of a four-year contract that pays him $1.3 million a year – the lowest salary of any head coach in the NFL. He was named Coach of the Year last season and brought this franchise back to the Super Bowl – a place they had not been in 21 years. He is a class act and one of the best football minds in the game. It is time the Bears' front office stepped up and paid the man what he is worth. They’ve waited too long as it is.

Overall, don’t expect many changes for the Chicago Bears next season; their schemes and personnel will remain pretty similar to that of this year. As was proven this season, the Bears have a winning formula in place, so don’t be surprised if you see them playing in Super Bowl XLII.

Memphis Tigers: Powerhouse Program or Product of Relocation?

It all started two years ago.

In 2004, the ACC began pulling high-visibility basketball programs away from the Big East, who then responded by grabbing four of the top teams from Conference USA.

C-USA then lost three more squads to the A-10 and Mountain West and was left scrambling for replacements. They recruited seven teams from the MAC and WAC in an effort to restore their depleted talent pool -- with little success.

In the wake of this conference jumble, C-USA, a once proud basketball conference that many put on par with the Big 10 and SEC, is now left with a group of low-tier mid-major squads -- and Memphis.

Memphis University, currently ranked No. 8 in the AP poll, is the only team left in C-USA worth talking about for longer than it takes Bruce Pearl to take his shirt off. Replacing top-tier programs like Louisville, Cincinnati and DePaul with Central Florida, Rice and Tulsa has made C-USA no more powerful than the Colonial Athletic Association or the Big West Conference -- perennially among the worst conferences in the country. That leaves many wondering whether or not Memphis is worthy of such a lofty No. 8 ranking.

On paper, the 19-3 Tigers look to be a team that can make it deep into the NCCA Tournament. They are 9-0 in C-USA and are beating their conference foes by an average margin of 16.3 points. In addition, they have not lost a game since 2006 and are currently in the hunt for a No. 2 seed in this year's tournament.

However, look closer and you'll see a team made of smoke and mirrors, a team that has everyone fooled, and it all began last season.

Using their No. 1 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Memphis advanced to the Elite 8 by defeating Oral Roberts, Bucknell and Bradley -- three mid-major squads. When it came time to face an opponent from one of the six major conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, Big East, and Pac-10) though, the Tigers crumbled, losing to UCLA 50-45.

Their dreams of a Final Four berth were destroyed by one of the best teams in the country, but look at how Memphis made it to that position in the first place: they beat up on a weak, mid-major conference during the regular season and then beat three more mid-majors in the first rounds of the tournament. Not exactly a "stocked" resume.

That brings us to the current Memphis squad.

In week eight of this season, the Tigers, coming off a road loss to Arizona, were ranked No. 22 in the country. With losses to Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and the aforementioned Wildcats, Memphis' record stood at 8-3.

Since then, the Tigers have won 11 straight, rising steadily up the rankings along the way. But 9 of those 11 wins have come in conference play (the other two wins were against Middle Tennessee State and Lamar) -- thus the conundrum.

After having its member teams mixed up like a cage of bingo balls, C-USA's current average RPI ranking (sans Memphis) is 160.8. In simpler terms, the measurement system employed by the NCAA to determine the merit of all 336 Division I teams states that the 11 other schools of C-USA are better than only half of the programs in the entire country.

To further the point, here is a brief list of teams currently ranked higher than 160 on the RPI scale: San Francisco (8-15), Western Michigan (9-13), Charlotte (9-12), Utah (8-14) and Temple (9-12).

Yet Memphis, a team that is afforded the luxury of beating up on this lack of competition and is only 1-2 versus teams ranked in the top 25, is able to climb 14 spots in the rankings to No. 8.

How is this possible?

Yes, Memphis sits at No. 9 on the RPI scale, but their strength of schedule is ranked 48th in the country -- the worst of any top 10 RPI team. They may be 19-3, but what would their record be if they played in the ACC or Big 12?

Even their coach, the venerable John Calipari, knows his team is far and above the rest of the competition in C-USA. After a 72-59 win against Tulsa, Calipari said, "To get guys to understand to play harder than the guys they are playing against, especially if they think they are better, is a tough challenge. My thing is we need to compete against us and not the other team."

I'm not implying that Memphis is a mediocre squad, but should a top 10 ranking be distributed to a team whose coach openly admits that the competition within the division doesn't stack up -- to the point where he has to challenge his team to get better internally because their opponents are so over-matched?

I say "no."

Everyone was impressed when Seinfeld character Cosmo Kramer bragged of his dominance over his karate class… until they found out he was punching and kicking his way past a group of 10-year-olds.

So why should we take Memphis seriously, when it is clear they are grown men beating up on children?

What About Bob Knight?

Among the stories-of-the-moment in college basketball—the watered-down mid-majors, the fall of the Big East, the overabundance of star freshmen—Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight is little more than an afterthought.

Sure he’s won more games than anyone else in the history of the game—but as soon as he broke the record, the country stopped paying attention. Had he won his 880th game at Indiana, we may have taken a little more time to honor arguably the greatest coach to ever bark orders in front of the scorer’s table.

But Bob Knight doesn’t coach the Hoosiers any more. He’s down in Lubbock, Texas, trying his best to get back to the tournament he once dominated.

Texas Tech basketball doesn’t garner a fraction of the attention that Indiana hoops do. There are no candy-striped warmup pants and time-tested traditions; no championship expectations from deep-pocketed boosters; no blue-chip recruits lining up for scholarship offers; and certainly no movies named after the school’s mascot starring Gene Hackman.

At Texas Tech there is Bob Knight—and not much more.

And that's precisely why coach Knight deserves to be recognized for the job he's doing with the Red Raiders.

There’s no questioning Knight’s body of work (three national championships and an Olympic gold medal), but we live in a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately?” society. Truth be told, it’s been awhile since coach Knight has done anything of significance—unless you consider his constant theatrics and opprobrious penchant for groping his players around the neck "significant."

But forget for one second the yelling, the chair throwing, the choking incidents, and the whip. Forget the contentious press conferences and the plaid sports blazers. Forget the inglorious dismissal from Indiana and the subsequent war of words in the media...and focus, for one moment, on the current Red Raiders team.

At 15-7, and having lost two straight games, Tech isn't a frontrunner for the national championship, or even a likely candidate to crack the Top 25. But look closer and you’ll find a squad with a dearth of top-line talent that has recently beaten then #5 Kansas and #6 Texas A&M back-to-back. Tech has won road games against Arkansas and an underrated Kansas State team, and they are 4-2 in the Big 12—arguably the toughest conference in the country. They've accomplished all that with only one big-name player (Jarrius Jackson) and a host of kids who will never sniff the NBA.

So how are they doing it?

With sound fundamentals—the staple of any Knight-coached team.

Knight has instilled in his group of upperclassmen the sort of discipline and skills with which talent-starved teams upset powerhouse programs. Tech runs his motion offense to perfection, wearing down opponents by forcing them to chase Red Raiders all over the floor.

“We haven’t seen a motion offense as well organized,” said Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie after his team’s 70-68 loss to the Raiders. “It is the master offense and the master does a great job of doing it.”

Kansas coach Bill Self also had high praise for Tech’s offense.

“We knew we were going to have to defend the entire shot clock,” he said. “That’s who they are. Their patience was certainly much, much better than our impatience.”

Self added, “We didn’t play our best but I think Texas Tech had a lot to do with that. They executed well for about a 10-minute stretch there in the second half superbly.”

Execution when it counts has been a winning recipe for Knight for the past 40 years. His team may not be as exciting as, say, North Carolina—but you will be hard-pressed to find a more prepared and motivated group of athletes, night-in and night-out, than the one under Coach Knight’s watch.

It is these often-overlooked intangibles that Bob Knight brings to every team he coaches. For that reason, even though you may not like him, he deserves your respect. He's done too much for college basketball to merit anything less.

Before Tech’s most recent game against the Texas Longhorns, Knight presented a plaque to Texas coach Rick Barnes as a token of gratitude for the kind words Barnes expressed after Knight’s 880th win. It was an emotional scene, one Barnes will not soon forget.

“I'm just overwhelmed by it,” he said. “When it comes from a man that is the best coach in what we do, it just means the world to me.”

The best coach in what he does? Yeah, Rick, that sounds about right.