Top Ten Reasons Why the Bears Should Fire Lovie Smith

We're going to change things up here today.

The Bears are coming off their worst loss of the season against the Packers and now, more than ever, it's clear something needs to change with the Chicago Bears.

Lovie Smith won't be fired because the Bears still owe him a ridiculous amount of money and aren't the type to just pay off a coach or player to get rid of them.

But for the day that they ultimately decide to give him the pink slip, here are the Top Ten Reasons Why the Bears Should Fire Lovie Smith.

Players Have Given Up

Whether Lovie cares to admit it, this defense has stopped believing in the system and every week players are finding new ways to blame Lovie and defensive coordinator Bob Babich for their overall failures without actually saying it.

Their frustration shows in the locker room and have to physically stop themselves from continuing an interview in fear of saying something they’d regret.

Just say it . We already know.

Clueless at Halftime

Under Lovie, the Bears have become embarrassingly inept at making adjustments at the half that would help counter what opposing teams are having success with against us.

The most glaringly obvious changes that need attention go unnoticed by Lovie and his band of misfits each and every week.

Lovie is more than content to just sit back and watch his gimpy QB become the league’s most popular tackling dummy, while his defense is picked apart by an opposing offensive coordinator who realized that the middle of the field is, and always will be, wide open.

No Accountability

On more than a few occasions this season, there's been a need for Lovie Smith to call out his players for their lack of production on Sundays. From Charles Tillman's unnecessary personal foul call against the Bucs, to the most embarassing game in years against the Packers just this past week.

Yet in just about every postgame interview, Lovie refuses to acknowledge these failures individually and gives us the same old tired speech every week: "Sometimes there are games like this, give the other team credit and move on".

I'm not saying that he should be throwing his players under the bus every chance he gets. But by putting the fear of being cut because of inexcusable lapses in judgment and performance, Smith could make these players realize that accountability on this team is paramount and not an afterthought.

No Imagination

In a league where imaginative plays have started to truly pay dividends for teams who are bold enough to try them, Smith resists to follow suit and instead prides himself on being the head coach of the most predictable offense in football.

But that also extends to the defensive side of the game.

We're coming up on Week 12 and yet the Bears are still bringing Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs up the line before the snap in an effort to confuse opposing quarterbacks. By now teams have figured out this little wrinkle in the Bears game plan and know exactly how to read what's coming before the Bears even do.

We don't blitz nearly enough and for a team that can't get to the quarterback unless it's handed to them on a silver platter, you'd figure Smith would be doing anything humanly possible to get pressure. Instead, Smith is content to allow even the most mediocre of quarterbacks all the time in the world as they post career numbers nearly every week.

No Fire

One of the most disturbing qualities Smith possesses as a head coach is the lack of emotion he displays on the sidelines and in front of the media. Granted, this is one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't type of things.

Too much fire and brimstone and the players tune you out.

Not enough and you're taken for a weak mind who players can take advantage of.

What Smith needs to do is find a happy medium in which he is calm enough to deal with adversity and fiery enough to get his players ready to go on Sundays.

But we know what he is and this team needs more of what he's not.

Player Development

How many players can you say have truly taken their game to a new level under the tutelage of Lovie Smith and his crew?

More have actually regressed since his tenure began in Chicago and we're left wondering what happened to players with such promising talent. Mark Anderson sets the league on fire in his rookie season and has since disappeared.

Mark Bradley can't even get on the field with the Bears and after being released, signs with the Kansas City Chiefs and quickly becomes their number two receiver.

Devin Hester is converted to a wide receiver and promptly loses his ability to return punts and kicks anywhere near the level we've become accustomed to seeing.

A large part of this certainly can be attributed to the players themselves and Smith cannot be held solely responsible. But there's been nothing to show that Smith is capable of taking raw talent and molding it what's needed to excel in the NFL.

Terrible Game Management

Last week the Bears walked into the locker room at half time without using a single timeout.

On the surface that may seem insignificant compared to the gang of mistakes made against the Packers last week.

But it underlines a deeper issue with Lovie's capabilities as a game manager. Very simply put, he's terrible at it.

The most glaring example that comes to mind is the squib kick he called for against the Falcons in Week 6 that allowed rookie quarterback to drive down the field for the winning touchdown.

Decisions like these are impossible to ignore and it's cost the Bears dearly in the most crucial of situations.

Media Mismanagement

There are a handful of players in the Bears locker room who are, to put it nicely, extremely standoff-ish towards the media in Chicago.

Many of them have their reasons and that frosty relationship is seemingly understandable.

But that attitude towards the media has festered within the locker room and Smith has done absolutely nothing to stop it. The media is the gateway for fans into the inner workings of the team and by refusing to fully cooperate, the fans are paying dearly for it.

They want to know why the fans boo on Sundays and call talk radio shows to bash them?

It's because they don't give us answers anymore and respond to questions in as few words as possible.

The average Joe down the street may not pay your entire salary, but the millions of people who reside in this city do and it's Smith's responsibility to ensure they understand that.

Too Stubborn

There's nothing wrong with a man having convictions. But there is something wrong with those who cannot acknowledge said convictions are incorrect and need changing.

Lovie Smith may be the most stubborn man in Chicago.

There are so many things broken on this team that could be fixed or at least slightly improved if Lovie would choose to make some changes.

The defense is a sieve and the offense is that of a D-II college team.

Yet, no changes are being made and Smith stubbornly insists that the scheme is not the problem.

Lovie, we'd like to politely disagree with you on that stance and to back up our claim we'd like to offer your 19th ranked defense and 22nd ranked offense as evidence.

Refusing to Accept Reality

The Bears may be in first place, but it's truly more by default than anything.

But that's Lovie's mantra: Why spend time looking at what needs to be done to fix this team when we can hang our hats on being 5-5 and in a three-way tie for first place in the only division in the NFL without a winning record?

The reality, Lovie, is that your team is hanging precariously by a thread and with games against the Vikings, Jaguars, Saints and Packers in the weeks ahead it very well may snap.

Get ready for the free fall.