Bears' Smith in exclusive company
Aside from a few quips about public panic over a meaningless, winless preseason, Bears coach Lovie Smith gloated very little following his team's division-clinching victory Monday in Minneapolis.
Considering where the Bears and the coaching staff had been after last season — battling to keep their jobs — few could have begrudged him a few shots at detractors after the third division title in his seven years as coach.
Instead, Smith used post-victory moments to dole out praise to players while leaving it to key members of his defense to remind everyone that since the days of Bud Grant's dominance, only Mike Ditka (6) and Dennis Green (4) have coached more NFC North/Central Division champions than Smith.
“A special group of guys, great leadership from guys like Olin Kreutz, who has been around a few times, and know what it takes,” Smith said. “A mixture of some of the guys like Julius Peppers coming in and we've just had guys go in to work every day.
“They don't listen to a lot of the (media) stuff that's going on around them. They do everything we ask them to do as coaches and we haven't peaked yet.”
Linebacker Lance Briggs took Smith's detractors to task.
“The coaching staff has been great,” Briggs said. “Chicago, the city, is very lucky to have Lovie Smith.
“I know that people are more concerned about him being animated or wanting to hear him yell or stuff like that. But I think that wins are more important than anything else.”
Briggs pointed out Smith is no less animated than some other coaches — Bill Belichick, for one.
Smith and players alike admitted winning a division title now carries more significance than when they won the first one in 2005.
“After you make it there the first time, you assume you'll be back there every year,” Smith said. “It doesn't work like that. So that's why this is special.
“The (third) time around we realize how hard it is to get there.”
Linebacker Brian Urlacher called parity a big reason the Bears hadn't been back to the playoffs since reaching Super Bowl XLI after the 2006 season.
“The teams are so good now that it's just year to year,” Urlacher said. “You never know who's going to be good.
“I know we were picked to be at the bottom of our division this year and Green Bay and Minnesota were going to be at the top. But you never know who's going to be at the top. You just never know what's going to happen in a season.”
Urlacher's point is an easy one to grasp considering where the coach of the 2008 and 2009 NFC champion Vikings is now. Brad Childress is no longer in the league less than a year after making the NFC title game.
With that kind of parity, it's easy to see one off-season move or a hot player turning a division race. In the Bears' case, it may have been the signing of defensive end Peppers that saved this Bears coaching regime.
“I didn't come here to lose,” Peppers said. “This is what I came here for, to win games, win the division and ultimately win the whole thing. So far, so good.”
The next obvious step in the Lovie Smith journey will be talk about another contract extension, considering his current deal runs out after 2011. The labor situation between the league and players may complicate that, but players and Smith alike have a more pressing concern.
“It would be nice to get that (first-round playoff) bye if we could,” Urlacher said. “I know it's going to be tough. I don't know how tiebreakers work or anything like that, but we need to win out. That's all there is to it. We need to win out and whatever happens, happens.”
NFC North/Central coaching titles
(Since 1982)
Mike Ditka 6
Dennis Green 4
Lovie Smith 3
Mike Holmgren 3
Mike Sherman 3
Brad Childress 2
Source: NFL records and facts book.