National Football League

Bears trying to summon 'Monsters'

Published Aug. 5, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Alex Marvez

With gray T-shirts depicting angry cartoon grizzlies mauling a football, Lovie Smith reintroduced the “Monsters of the Midway” nickname as an inspirational theme for the 2010 Chicago Bears.

For his sake, they’d better play like them.

Smith is hoping his squad can channel the spirit of NFL legends who played on the hallowed Bears teams of yesteryear and were given the “Monsters” moniker. Brian Urlacher must once again invoke memories of the ferocious Dick Butkus. Julius Peppers has to provide a pass rush like Richard Dent. And the new Mike Martz offense needs to put some fright into opponents like Bronko Nagurski once did.

Otherwise, this will be a scary — and final — season for Smith in Chicago.

There’s no reason to think otherwise. The Bears haven’t reached the playoffs since losing in Super Bowl XLI three seasons ago. That’s an eternity by NFL standards for a head coach to still have his job.

But anyone expecting Smith to change his methodology under these circumstances will be sorely disappointed. Smith remains the anti-Ditka with a soft-spoken approach to the media about his team and refusal to publically call out players for their failings.

In this case, it’s a good thing. Players easily see through coaches trying to be something they’re not. Even under intense pressure, Lovie Lee Smith has stayed true to himself.

“I would never be anyone else or try to be anyone else,” Smith recently said when I broached the subject at Bears training camp. “I’m comfortable with who I am. The players know who I am as a coach. We’ve won a lot of games and we’re going to win more.

“As far as me being on the hot seat, you need to win each year. That’s what we plan on doing.”

The plan, though, is far different than in past seasons. To start, Chicago surprisingly made the NFL’s biggest splash in free agency. Peppers, the top defensive end on the market, running back Chester Taylor and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna all were inked to a big-money contracts on the first day of the signing period. The front-office scouting staff was overhauled along with some of Smith’s assistants.

“Sometimes, you get stale,” Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. “Status quo isn’t good for business. It might have been a few years ago, but it isn’t now.”

The most radical departure was the hiring of Martz, whose offensive philosophy stands in direct contrast to Smith’s “run the football/play defense” coaching mantra. Smith insists the Bears will still focus on the ground game, which is a late-season must when Chicago’s weather turns miserably cold. But in a league becoming increasingly pass-happy, the Bears want more punch from a unit that averaged a pedestrian 21.6 points the past three seasons.

“We’re going to be much more aggressive on offense; more attacking,” Angelo said. “That’s something we need to do. You’ve got to score points in this league.”

Jay Cutler did his part last year, passing for a career-high 27 touchdowns. The problem? He also threw 26 interceptions — the NFL’s highest total by far — and was sacked 35 times. Cutler received little support from a leaky offensive line, shaky play calling and banged-up running back Matt Forte, whose production slumped after a standout rookie campaign.

Martz wasn’t atop Chicago’s wish list to replace deposed offensive coordinator Ron Turner. In fact Martz wasn’t even among the first six names on the team’s interview list. Smith’s potential lame-duck status as head coach likely scared away some potential candidates.

But based upon how much praise is being given by players, you’d think Martz was back on top of his game like when orchestrating the “Greatest Show on Turf” attack in St. Louis almost a decade ago.

“Our offense will make defenses go through different adjustments before the ball is snapped,” said Smith, who was on Martz’s Rams staff from 2001 to 2003 before coming to Chicago. “From there, Mike knows weaknesses. He knows exactly who you need to attack. He’s big about trying to get the playmakers in position to make plays.”

Cutler did his part by immersing himself in Chicago’s offseason program, something he didn’t have the luxury of doing last spring while lobbying for a trade out of Denver. Cutler still shows signs of immaturity both behind the scenes and on the field — he threw the football into a tent out of frustration earlier this week after an offensive lineman committed a false start. But players and executives sense a Cutler different from the one who arrived in Chicago with a swagger and sky-high hype.

“Very few people live up to those expectations that he had going into the season,” said Angelo, who orchestrated the blockbuster acquisition. “But he learned a lot. He probably got a little humility along the way. That’s not a bad thing.”

Said Devin Hester, who is Cutler’s top receiving target: “Last year, he was kind of in the back seat watching everybody and easing into everything. This year, he’s really taking a step up. He’s more vocal to the receivers. That right there builds a strong relationship with us and will really help out in the long run.”

How long that run is with Smith depends entirely upon this season’s results. The Bears have four potential all-pro players in their defensive front seven between Peppers, Lance Briggs, Tommie Harris and Urlacher, who missed almost all of last season with a dislocated wrist. Special teams play under coach Dave Toub is consistently among the league’s best. If the roster comes together as Smith and Angelo envision, Chicago could disprove the majority of critics who project the Bears as a third-place NFC North team behind Minnesota and Green Bay.

“I’m glad they’re not talking about us,” Forte said. “Usually when they’re not talking about you, they don’t expect what’s coming.”

In Chicago, everyone knows what’s coming for Smith without a monstrous effort.

“We’re not going to have some built-in excuses if things don’t go well,” said Angelo, who also faces an uncertain future. “‘Oh, we played a tough schedule. We had injuries’ … We hear that crap all the time. Excuses are a loser’s way of telling the truth. You don’t get that here in Chicago.

“We feel real good about the season. We’re going to do business as usual and good things are going to happen.”

Alex Marvez and co-host Jim Miller interviewed Smith, Angelo, Hester and Forte on Sirius NFL Radio.

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League