Rozner: Lovie Smith the best Illini could find

OK, so, that was a little weird.

It was like running into your ex-girlfriend at the local tavern three years after a bad breakup and finding out she's moved in with your ne'er-do-well cousin.

Right down the block.

Yeah, it was odd seeing Lovie Smith shilling for the Illini on Monday, but maybe more surprising has been the reaction of Illinois fans.

The response I received from a column and my radio and TV appearances — via email and social media — is running about 5-to-1 negative on the hire.

And it really doesn't make much sense.

Look, there's no need to explain your displeasure with Smith as Bears head coach. If you're a regular visitor here, you already know I was not a Smith guy.

His time here was done and his regime had run its course. His arrogance and stubborn behavior was worthy of someone who had been to six Super Bowls and won four.

And, Senator, you're no Bill Belichick.

Smith acted like he invented the game when in truth the NFL had passed him by, going 80 mph in the left lane while Smith crawled along the shoulder at 40.

And as you know, he has a knack for exhausting a fan base by repeating nonsense so frequently that he becomes a parody of himself.

But the Big Ten is not the NFL and Illinois is not the Bears. Honestly, at this point Illinois barely belongs in the Big Ten.

Lovie Smith brings instant credibility and a level of respectability to a football program that has been an embarrassment for most of the last decade.

So what do you have to lose?

It can't possibly worse under Smith, and there's a chance it could be better.

And, um, who did you think would want the job, anyway? Did you think you could get a Jim Harbaugh-type sprinting to Champaign? Did you have some great hope that suddenly Illini football mattered? Do you have a grip on reality?

Illinois football has hit rock bottom. So, again, what do you have to lose?

More money, perhaps? Six years and $21 million is a lot for Smith, who at 57 must prove he's engaged enough and has the energy to recruit, coach and parent young athletes.

But Illinois has flushed so much cash the last few years with disastrous decisions that any argument about wasted salary on Smith is laughable.

Might the team play bad football under Smith? Maybe, but it's hard to call the sport you were watching “football” the last few years.

Could it be even more embarrassing for Illinois if Smith fails? It's hard to imagine it could be any worse.

It's true Smith was an enabler at times — think Tank Johnson and Cedric Benson — but he kept Jameis Winston off the police blotter last year in Tampa, which is something big on his side of the ledger.

If Smith is a disaster, it's still a step up from rock bottom, which is where Illinois football has taken up residence.

If you don't like Smith, or you're still mad about your Bears experience, that's fine. Go ahead and hold a grudge, but if you're an Illinois fan be realistic about what the program is and who was willing to take the job.

Simply put, Lovie Smith is the best you could do — and better than Illinois had a right to expect.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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