Jay Mariotti Was On To Lovie Smith From The Beginning

We haven't made fun of Jay Mariotti for a while, so it's probably time. Good to shake off the rust sometimes.

Mariotti's "where the wind takes me" viewpoint on writing columns — change your mind whenever it's convenient — has been well-documented, but it's never more evident than his constant revisions on Bears quarterback coach Lovie Smith. When he started, because Mariotti can't be expected to actually know any of this stuff, he just made fun of the name "Lovie." And then he just kept getting everything wrong, all documented right here. Some highlights:

January 13, 2004: January 13 - Given a choice between Grimm and Lovie Smith, the other announced finalist and featured interviewee today, I wonder if Craig T. Nelson is available. If Smith at least has experience as an NFL defensive coordinator, he arrives with the baggage of the St.Louis Rams' season- ending collapse, which includes not only the 29 points and 485 yards allowed to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, but also a defensive letdown against the lowly Detroit Lions last month. Can you see the Bears, franchise of Butkus and the '85 defense, hiring a coach named Lovie? October 26, 2004: That would be Lovie Smith, the unlucky but increasingly clueless rookie head coach, who will start Krenzel in the Halloween spookfest against the 1- 5 San Francisco 49ers just to create some buzz. November 17, 2005: The coach doesn't understand, like his bosses, that the Bears are part of a public trust dating back to the 1920s in this city. If the Soldier Field renovation was partially funded by public money and if the franchise insists on charging pricey Personal Seat License fees, the least the Bears can do is be forthright about a brawl that sidelined Miller for a game. All we get, pathetically, are hazy answers and a plea that we focus on the big game ahead. Again, Smith insults our intelligence. December 4, 2006: Let me give it to you real, Lovie Smith, as you stand up there in your "NFC North Champions" T-shirt and wonder snippily why the media aren't trading high-fives with you. If Rex Grossman remains your quarterback, your season goes splat in January. You won't see a contract extension, the city will call for a full-blown probe of your pedigree and years of Bears disgust will plummet lower than Lower Wacker Drive.

We suggest reading the whole thing; it's fun gruesome entertainment.

Jay Mariotti Always Has Lovie Smith's Back [Boise Wants Jay]