Pay The Man
“Cheap is small and not too steep;
But best of all cheap is cheap.
Circumstance has forced my hand
To be a cut price person in a low budget land.
Times are hard but well all survive;
I just got to learn to economize
I’m on a low budget
I’m on a low budget
I’m not cheap, you understand
I’m just a cut price person in a low budget land.”
--Ray Davies of The Kinks from Low Budget, 1977.
Why are we even discussing, writing about (in my case), or even thinking about paying Lovie Smith a top-notch coaching salary in the NFL?
He led his team (two years ago 5 and 11) to the Super Bowl. Three years after Jerry Angelo hires Smith, and four years after Angelo joins the Bears—the team has certainly improved.
This is simple; a no-brainer; and common sense. Pay the man. Whatever he wants—pay him. My brother will disagree, but there is something to his style that turns merit out of mediocrity.
Let us take a look at a few accomplishments:
I am a fan of Hunter Hillenmeyer, and as such, I admit bias. I met Hunter a few years ago as he spoke at our United Way Breakfast. I had the honor of introducing him and chatting with him. He is a nice, intelligent, decent guy. Noting that as Keith tells me I have a crush on the guy every game we watch together; he was a walk-on reserve player in Green Bay. Smith turned Hillenmeyer into a legit starter.
He has stuck with Grossman—which could not be easy. Note, however, that Grossman was NFC player of the Month in September. Two drives against New Orleans in the Championship game were nothing less than spectacular. Further, he had a great game against San Francisco after being much maligned. He played well this season and, folks, please note that he is essentially a rookie. He started every game and was their best chance.
Mark Anderson was considered an unmotivated player in college—that was why this dynamo slipped to the fifth round. Look what he has done this season—12 sacks. He was a factor in the Post-Season, much more so than any other defensive line player. He was coached well by Lovie.
Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Chris Harris are decent enough, but hardly household names. Lovie, especially in the case of Harris, turned them into a fairly consistent group of players who take pride in winning. I am the most critical person of “Peanut” Tillman, but no one can doubt his play in the post-season.
The infusion of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson is a great idea—considering that both are different styles of runners. Imagine having to deal with Jones’ attitude and Benson’s wimpiness and creating a one-two punch in the running game. Whereas Jones probably did not deserve the “demotion” he seemed to take two seasons ago, Lovie lit a fire under him to play tough.
I would also note that the same fire was lit for Grossman by the hiring of Brian Griese.
The franchise tag on Briggs is a smart move. One thing the Bears have been slammed for was letting two quality linebackers go—Roosevelt Colvin one of them. Whereas I agree Colvin can still play, I would rather have the corps of linebackers the Bears currently have than what they had four years ago.
The most important positions in the Bears unit/team are found in the offensive line. The inclusion of Miller and Tait with the rising star status of Garza and the reliability of Brown and the pure talent of Kruetz shows that Lovie knows which ingredients to add and which ingredients to take away.
So, why the hesitation to pay him?
Well, here is the worst kept secret in the NFL—the McCaskeys who own the Bears, are the cheapest bastards in the universe. That has been the complaint from the Ditka and McMahon years to the present. Noting that, the McCaskeys have let some quality players slip through their hands over the years and have hired some sub-par guys because they were cheaper. Have any fans forgotten the Dave Kreig "solution?" Noting that, to really make money—a team need be in contention for the Super Bowl (thanks Mr. Angelo for reminding the owners such) the Bears have tried to remedy that situation.
They have the team back for the most part—now give them their head coach!
But best of all cheap is cheap.
Circumstance has forced my hand
To be a cut price person in a low budget land.
Times are hard but well all survive;
I just got to learn to economize
I’m on a low budget
I’m on a low budget
I’m not cheap, you understand
I’m just a cut price person in a low budget land.”
--Ray Davies of The Kinks from Low Budget, 1977.
Why are we even discussing, writing about (in my case), or even thinking about paying Lovie Smith a top-notch coaching salary in the NFL?
He led his team (two years ago 5 and 11) to the Super Bowl. Three years after Jerry Angelo hires Smith, and four years after Angelo joins the Bears—the team has certainly improved.
This is simple; a no-brainer; and common sense. Pay the man. Whatever he wants—pay him. My brother will disagree, but there is something to his style that turns merit out of mediocrity.
Let us take a look at a few accomplishments:
I am a fan of Hunter Hillenmeyer, and as such, I admit bias. I met Hunter a few years ago as he spoke at our United Way Breakfast. I had the honor of introducing him and chatting with him. He is a nice, intelligent, decent guy. Noting that as Keith tells me I have a crush on the guy every game we watch together; he was a walk-on reserve player in Green Bay. Smith turned Hillenmeyer into a legit starter.
He has stuck with Grossman—which could not be easy. Note, however, that Grossman was NFC player of the Month in September. Two drives against New Orleans in the Championship game were nothing less than spectacular. Further, he had a great game against San Francisco after being much maligned. He played well this season and, folks, please note that he is essentially a rookie. He started every game and was their best chance.
Mark Anderson was considered an unmotivated player in college—that was why this dynamo slipped to the fifth round. Look what he has done this season—12 sacks. He was a factor in the Post-Season, much more so than any other defensive line player. He was coached well by Lovie.
Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Chris Harris are decent enough, but hardly household names. Lovie, especially in the case of Harris, turned them into a fairly consistent group of players who take pride in winning. I am the most critical person of “Peanut” Tillman, but no one can doubt his play in the post-season.
The infusion of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson is a great idea—considering that both are different styles of runners. Imagine having to deal with Jones’ attitude and Benson’s wimpiness and creating a one-two punch in the running game. Whereas Jones probably did not deserve the “demotion” he seemed to take two seasons ago, Lovie lit a fire under him to play tough.
I would also note that the same fire was lit for Grossman by the hiring of Brian Griese.
The franchise tag on Briggs is a smart move. One thing the Bears have been slammed for was letting two quality linebackers go—Roosevelt Colvin one of them. Whereas I agree Colvin can still play, I would rather have the corps of linebackers the Bears currently have than what they had four years ago.
The most important positions in the Bears unit/team are found in the offensive line. The inclusion of Miller and Tait with the rising star status of Garza and the reliability of Brown and the pure talent of Kruetz shows that Lovie knows which ingredients to add and which ingredients to take away.
So, why the hesitation to pay him?
Well, here is the worst kept secret in the NFL—the McCaskeys who own the Bears, are the cheapest bastards in the universe. That has been the complaint from the Ditka and McMahon years to the present. Noting that, the McCaskeys have let some quality players slip through their hands over the years and have hired some sub-par guys because they were cheaper. Have any fans forgotten the Dave Kreig "solution?" Noting that, to really make money—a team need be in contention for the Super Bowl (thanks Mr. Angelo for reminding the owners such) the Bears have tried to remedy that situation.
They have the team back for the most part—now give them their head coach!
posted by Eric Sweetwood at 5:37 PM
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