The Chicago Bears are worthless

[hornitosmonster]

Chicago doesn't plan to retain D-coordinator Rivera

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who has interviewed for nine head coach positions in the NFL over the past two years but landed none of them, is poised to become a man without a job.

Ron Rivera
It is believed that Ron Rivera earned $500,000 as the Bears' defensive coordinator in 2006.

Negotiations between Bears officials and Rivera's representatives, aimed at extending the coach's contract, have produced no progress toward a new deal and have broken off. Unless the discussions are suddenly revived, and a new contract is struck before Tuesday, Rivera will become a free agent.

Rivera's contract has technically lapsed. But according to league rules the Bears had an exclusivity period, for three Tuesdays following the Super Bowl, to negotiate a new deal with him. During that three-week window, Rivera could have been hired as a head coach by another franchise, but not as an assistant.

That window expires Tuesday, but sources said Bears officials have no intention now of renewing Rivera's contract. It is believed that Rivera, who played linebacker for the Bears for nine seasons before embarking on a coaching career, earned $500,000 for the 2006 season. If that is the case, it likely put him at about the middle of the NFL's salary range for defensive coordinators.

Given the popularity of Rivera during the NFL's past two firing-and-hiring cycles, when he interviewed for nine vacancies, his entry into the unemployment line would be fraught with irony. Still, team officials indicated to ESPN.com during the week preceding Super Bowl XLI that they would not overpay to retain Rivera.

The feeling then was that Chicago could survive Rivera's departure, since their defense is primarily the design of head coach Lovie Smith. The Bears also felt they had a replacement on staff already in assistant coach Bob Babich. The Bears' linebackers coach, Babich is highly regarded and, assuming Rivera departs, he will be elevated to the coordinator post.

A Chicago official noted before the Super Bowl that the Bears would be in worse shape if another club pursued offensive coordinator Ron Turner, since there was no heir apparent on the current staff.

The Bears have been negotiating new contracts for general manager Jerry Angelo and for Smith, but are not believed to be close to a deal for the latter. Smith was believed to be the NFL's lowest paid head coach in 2006, with a salary of $1.35 million, and has one season remaining on his original contract with the club.

Rivera, 45, played for the Bears 1984-92, then became an assistant coach on the Chicago staff in 1997. He moved to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999, then rejoined the Bears, on Smith's staff, in 2004. Of the seven head coach openings since the end of the 2006 season, the only one for which Rivera did not interview was the Oakland vacancy.

[hornitosmonster]

I guess Lovie Smith will be next (1 year left on his contract). Cheap does not win you championships.

A Chicago official noted before the Super Bowl that the Bears would be in worse shape if another club pursued offensive coordinator Ron Turner, since there was no heir apparent on the current staff.

And don't the Bears officials realize that their offense and the horrible play of Grossman cost them that superbowl?

[VictimSix]

Originally Posted by hornitosmonster

And don't the Bears officials realize that their offense and the horrible play of Grossman cost them that superbowl?

Everyone BUT the Bears understood what happen.

[ScottishSmoker]

Originally Posted by VictimSix

Everyone BUT the Bears understood what happen.

Hell, I am not claiming to understand the game either, but from a casual football viewer, mainly because I was at places that I had no control over what was on, if it weren't for the defensive line I don't think the Bears would have been nearly as successful as they were this season...

[OB1 Stogie]

He was expendible because it's Lovi's defense. Smith is/was a defensive coach. Why wasn't Rivera hired for any of the many open spots....Norv Turner at SD, Wade Phillips at Dallas....why all the recycled coaches, none of whom have had any success???? It's mind boggling. Rivera talked with both SD and Dallas after the Super Bowl and Pittsburgh, Miami, Atlanta and Arizona before. He wasn't offered at all??? There has to be something we dont know.

[ResIpsa]

Originally Posted by hornitosmonster

I guess Lovie Smith will be next (1 year left on his contract). Cheap does not win you championships.



And don't the Bears officials realize that their offense and the horrible play of Grossman cost them that superbowl?

the Colts put up almost 500 yards of offense on the "vaunted" Bears defense, in a driving rainstorm, and basically steamrolled them into the turf with 200 rushing yards.


Cost/benefit analysis: The defense, on your watch, just got embarrassed in the SuperBowl, now is not the time to be greedy. You bargain from a position of strength, not weakness, and if he wants to stay with the team he should lower his sights a little bit.

[glovepuppy]

Just saw Rivera made a "football decision" and took the LB's coach job with the Chargers. WTF!! Bears brass must have really pissed him off for him to take a demotion, but he probably got more money out of the deal.

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by ResIpsa

the Colts put up almost 500 yards of offense on the "vaunted" Bears defense, in a driving rainstorm, and basically steamrolled them into the turf with 200 rushing yards.


Cost/benefit analysis: The defense, on your watch, just got embarrassed in the SuperBowl, now is not the time to be greedy. You bargain from a position of strength, not weakness, and if he wants to stay with the team he should lower his sights a little bit.

[riverdawg]

The offense didnt help them any. 3 and Out every time you get the ball never lets the D rest. That whole Defensive side of the ball was dog ass tired by the end of the game. If the Bears could have established any type of running game they might have had a better chance, but those Colts looked great boy

[MTUCache]

Man... I wish the Detroit Lions were even half as "worthless" as the Bears are.

I love people complaining about their team and how it's run when they were in the Superbowl less than a month ago.

The word "worthless" should probably be reserved for those teams who have never even made it to a Superbowl... shouldn't it?

I'll trade you Matt Millen for anyone in your front office, including the pimply-faced IT guy. I'm sure he could do a hell of a lot better job than Millen has so far.

[hornitosmonster]

Man... I wish the Detroit Lions were even half as "worthless" as the Bears are.

I love people complaining about their team and how it's run when they were in the Superbowl less than a month ago.

Don't get it wrong, the Bears are not my team
<-----------------------------

I'm such a great Cowboys fan that someone thought it would be funny to change my user title...

Besides the cowboys, I'm a football fan and I just hate seeing dumb football moves. As someone said above, the Bears got zero help from their offense...and any defense will wilt from being out on the field that long.

Some owners just don't get it. The Cowboys owner included (he once was a Maverick and set the pace but he has gotten just plain bad...sorta like Al Davis and Daniel Snyder)

[Darb85]

Originally Posted by MTUCache

Man... I wish the Detroit Lions were even half as "worthless" as the Bears are.

I love people complaining about their team and how it's run when they were in the Superbowl less than a month ago.

The word "worthless" should probably be reserved for those teams who have never even made it to a Superbowl... shouldn't it?

I'll trade you Matt Millen for anyone in your front office, including the pimply-faced IT guy. I'm sure he could do a hell of a lot better job than Millen has so far.

YES!!! GOD YES!!! FIRE MILLIAN!!!! Bastard needs to be shot. If he Drafts another WR. Ill hunt his ass down myself

[icehog3]

Rivera was badmouthing the Bears organization and Smith to teams he interviewed with. It got back to the Bears, and they let him go, as they should. Did Rivera not think something would get back to the Bears? Ever wondered why he has interviewed for 9 head coaching gigs, and gotten zero offers?

The Bears are NOT the bad guys in this one....read between the lines.

[MTUCache]

Originally Posted by Darb85

YES!!! GOD YES!!! FIRE MILLIAN!!!! Bastard needs to be shot. If he Drafts another WR. Ill hunt his ass down myself

lol.

Actually I was listening to a discussion with John Clayton on sports radio last week, and he said it might actually be their best option at this point. Because it's painfully obvious that the Raiders are going to screw up their pick and take JaMarcus Russell (QB LSU), he's thinking that Calvin Johnson (WR GT) will probably be on the board for the Lions... meaning that if they subscribe to the "best athlete available" they'll probably end up taking Johnson over Joe Thomas (OT Wis), which is a position they probably should draft.

In any case, like every year, I would love it if they could trade down for multiple picks and address some needs, but it seems that there's not a whole lot of teams that are able to do that, or are stupid enough to... everybody knows that the first day of the draft is a crapshoot now, so nobody bothers trading up. The Lions pick is next to useless, as always, because they're not going to get any impact guys right out of college anyway.