Smith knows this is final chance

A lot of questions still remain now that the Bears have made the changes they believe will make them a winning organization next season.

Q. Do the Bears have to make the playoffs next season for Lovie Smith to keep his job, even though he's under contract through 2011?A. Yes (the short answer).Team president and CEO Ted Phillips provided the longer answer. "We all know what we need to do," Phillips said. "We're not happy with the season we had; we're not happy with the last three years, and the expectation is we'll turn it around in 2010. At the end of 2010, obviously we'll go through another evaluation process and see where we land."Smith will land somewhere else if the Bears don't land in the playoffs next season. He knows it."Ted doesn't have to tell me that," Smith said. "No one has to tell me that."Q. Won't it be difficult to get quality assistants, especially coordinators to work for a lame-duck head coach, who could be fired after next year?A. "I don't think that in the least," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "I know there will be that perception. I'm not naive to think that there won't be."But I do not foresee us having problems in getting coaches. I don't really see us going out to recruit coaches. I think we are going to have a bevy of coaches wanting to be here."Q. Who are the favorites for the coordinator spots?A. Perry Fewell for defensive coordinator, Mike Martz for offensive coordinator. Lovie Smith knows both very well.Fewell was his defensive backs coach in 2005 before he went to the Buffalo Bills to become their defensive coordinator. He's a proponent of the Cover 2 defense, which Smith still believes in.Smith was defensive coordinator with the Rams from 2001-03 under Martz, the mastermind of The Greatest Show on Turf. He would bring instant credibility, and even Jay Cutler would respect his credentials.Q. Did Bears ownership consider wooing any of the big-name head coaches/GMs who were available?A. Angelo said he asked team owner Virginia McCaskey and chairman of the board Michael McCaskey that question."We lost," Angelo said. "We did not meet expectations. That comes with the territory. (But) they chose to retain me, gave me the vote of confidence, and I in turn then gave Lovie the vote of confidence."Angelo said he did not personally speak to any of the big-name coaching candidates.Q. Were the offensive coaches who were fired surprised when they learned their fate?A. Not at all. Most seemed resigned to it for weeks, although offensive coordinator Ron Turner was right on when he said: "We had a lot of young guys that had to fit together. We had three receivers playing a lot that have never really played until this year."You don't just throw them out there and learn from the (chalk) board. They're with a new quarterback, they've got three new linemen in there; it's not surprising the way they developed as the season went along. You could see the physical development but also see the confidence grow as the season went on."