Bears’ GM search? Even Tice is dicey
The Bears are taking their time messing up the hiring of a general manager, which gives us some time to express our fears over Mike Tice becoming the offensive coordinator.
Fear is a harsh characterization, but the Bears get no benefit of the doubt. Whatever they do is perceived as wrong because they are so wrong so often.
It’s up to club chairman George McCaskey, president/CEO Ted Phillips and head coach Lovie Smith to prove the public and media wrong about the Bears not getting much right.
Now, about Smith promoting Tice from offensive line coach to offensive coordinator.
Smith and Tice are on the same page in the offense’s playbook. Unfortunately for the Bears the page is old, yellowed and wrinkled.
The Bears were headed in the right direction when Mike Martz brought his passing expertise to Halas Hall two years ago. The marriage didn’t work out for a variety of reasons, and the masses tend to blame Martz.
But while quarterback Jay Cutler is pitied because the Bears declined to surround him with an adequate supporting cast, few point out that Martz wasn’t given what he needed either.
Any hope that a franchise QB and passing-fancy OC would lift the Bears to new heights ended ignominiously with Martz being dismissed.
Smith proceeded to hand the ball to Tice, so he would to hand it to Cutler, so he would to hand it to whatever running back is healthy.
“We want to be a strong running team with a big-play pass attack,” Smith said.
What’s wrong with that? Well, mostly that the NFL has shifted from strong running teams that can pass to nifty passing teams that can run.
“We are going to be a powerful team and we’re going to be able to mix in explosive pass plays,” Tice added.
What’s wrong with that? Well, mostly that the NFL has shifted from using the run to set up the pass and now use the pass to set up the run.
Five of the six NFC teams that qualified for the playoffs — the Packers, Saints, Lions, Giants and Falcons — rank as passing offenses in NFL stats.
San Francisco is the exception. Bears fans better hope that Saturday the ground-pounding 49ers don’t beat the pass-happy Saints or Smith will use it to justify his philosophy.
Nearly everybody outside of Lake Forest acknowledges that the NFL has evolved into a passing league.
Not long ago the saying was you run the ball to control the clock and pass it to score; now it’s more like you pass the ball to do both and blend in some runs for comedy relief.
Ah, but here the Bears named their offensive line coach, who loves pushing opponents around with a power running game, as offensive coordinator.
Yes, the Vikings did have an NFL-quality passing attack when Tice was their head coach. But he didn’t call the plays like he will here in 2012.
Even if Tice came here in 2010 expecting to be involved in a passing-dominated offense, Bears tradition likely brainwashed him into their cult.
For generations this franchise anchored itself to the running game and allowed the rest of the NFL to pass it by, so to speak.
Current events sure make it look like Smith will have Tice have the Bears get off the bus running instead of board a spacecraft throwing.
OK enough of that, and now let’s monitor how the Bears mess up the simple task of hiring a general manager.
mimrem@dailyherald.com