Since the Chicago Bears were major players in the NFC in the 1980s, they have been a average to below average team. The team was very inconsistent under Dave Wannstedt who, I believe, is a very bad coach anyway. Dick Juron was an average coach who did lead them to the playoffs once. And now Lovie Smith, who took the team to the Super Bowl a few years ago, is leading the Bears to what most likely will become a very sub par season.
I think the Organization as a whole needs to be fixed either by new ownership or a change in philosophy. I am not going to say they are cheap because they have spent a lot of money on players over they last few years. I feel it is on how they spent the money on the players, the coaches and the stadium itself that has gotten them into the predicament that they are in.
This reminds me of how the Blackhawks became irrelevant in this city for many years until the Bill Wirtz passed away and they changed they way they did business. What the Bears have on their side is a solid base around them in terms of their sport. The NFL is far more popular in the United States than the NHL and is still growing. The fact that they will remain on TV every week while the Blackhawks were practically invisible helps the Bears.
The Bears need to get better leadership at the top whether it be someone in the McCaskey family takes control and organizes the team better or the family sells the team and the new owners reorganize how the team does business.
Whatever happens with the Bears organization, the team needs to scout new players better and coach existing players better. This falls under the parameters of Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith and his staff. Angelo has proven a sub par GM who does not know how to scout players. He takes too many risks on players from small schools and "projects" who do not turn out.
Lovie Smith has become very arrogant and does not think he can do wrong. He and Angelo continue to bring in players who he used in the past and many have failed. Smith continues to use the cover 2 defensive scheme when he does not have the proper players for that defensive scheme. The team has not upgraded their offensive line to a point where they are good enough to protect Jay Cutler on a regular basis.
On top of that, the team and the city did not build a stadium that is conducive to the area where it is located. The new stadium should have been built with a retractable roof. This would allow the the city to compete for a super bowl. In addition the playing conditions on the field i.e the grass is usually in poor condition. The team and the city are unwilling invest in turf real or artificial that is safe and better to play on.
The fans of the Bears will eventually tire of the dysfunctional way the team is run off the field and the lack of success on the field. Chicago fans are loyal, but with the reemergence of the Blackhawks, the improvements to the Bulls, and the competitive Baseball teams, the Bears will have to start fixing their organization from the top to the bottom or they will be in trouble.
