The TRAGIC DOWNFALL of Lovie Smith

[@ScottFisherCFB]

What coach should I do next?

[@adamduncan8822]

Chip kelly

[@RJ-qs6nm]

Not a coach but you should do Justin Thomas from Georgia tech or tre Mason from auburn

[@theoffballer7612]

Scott frost if you already haven’t done him

[@sanforddennis9793]

How about this for a topic? The long list of coaches under Bill Belichick and none have yet to be good head coaches. It's too soon to make a call about Brian Flores. You already have: Charlie Weiss, Romeo Crenell, Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, and Bill O'brien. Im probably missing a few.

[@theoffballer7612]

You could also do Bobby patrino

[@whiplash8277]

I love Lovie Smith. He’s a great guy and decent coach and no, not a Bearsfan or Illini fan... I just like Coach Smith

[@ryanr9299]

U can have him then...

[@r.williamcomm7693]

Agree. The Bears deserve their current fate for dumping Smith after going 10-6.

[@jjelds]

I’m gonna miss Lovie for how much he hyped up and appreciated the marching band 😔

[@dinogaming4419]

Theoretically Illinois should be good. It’s a top tier public university in the middle of a huge recruiting state. But for some reason none of the coaches can get anything right.

[@justinalley3399]

no illnois isnt a good retruiting state

[@marcvslicinivscrassvs7536]

Most of the good kids probably can't wait to get out of the state, especially the ones from Chicago.

[@dragonboy141]

It looked like a home run when Illinois hired him. Boy how things have changed.

[@spartacusthebringerofrain3007]

Nobody wants to play for Illinois. It's a nowhere program and cold. I don't follow the team but I don't ever remember a good Illinois team that had 2 or more good season's in a row. I maybe wrong about that

[@mattnaka6437]

@@spartacusthebringerofrain3007 bruh dont talk if you don’t know what you’re talking about the university of illinois is farther south than 9 other big ten teams

[@AlejandroSanchez-pl6jw]

It was never home run even then

[@AlejandroSanchez-pl6jw]

@@mattnaka6437 he’s still right about them being trash

[@Bearsfan131]

@@mattnaka6437 he's not wrong about it being cold there. It most definitely is. But the bigger reason is illinois is the doormat of the big10 and will always be there. There is no one who can save this program.

[@2blessed2bestressed5]

My daughter is graduating in a few days & informed me of this. I remember her calling me all hyped up thinking hey were going to “finally” be on top, well, unfortunately it didn’t happen. I pray the best for The fighting Illini & Lovie. 💯

[@billbiron8047]

Lovie's downfall was having Jerry Angelo as a general manager in Chicago.

[@grizchicago]

Nah, dude didn't know how to pick an OC

[@willcarey3001]

@@grizchicago this was it

[@blakejohnson7373]

Incorrect. Love was fully in charge of personnel decisions in Tampa bay and completely destroyed the team. His downfall was becoming an arrogant clown resistant to change.

[@Tenormic3]

2:12 Actually the Bears would play in NFC Championship games not AFC Championship games

[@Bormannator]

2:13 should be NFC championship not AFC.

[@anthonyandrews5685]

His run with the Illini came to end for the same reason the Bears job came to an end he never figured out the Offensive side of the ball

[@blakejohnson7373]

Wrong. His defensive scheme is now just as bad as his offense. He has 2 of the worst defenses in NFL history during his time in Tampa bay.

[@anthonyandrews5685]

@@blakejohnson7373 I said Bears I'm a bears fan I give 2 fukks about Tampa 🤷🏿‍♂️ ijs

[@blakejohnson7373]

@@anthonyandrews5685 you said his job with Illinois ended for the same reason as it did with the Bears. Which is factually incorrect. Because his defenses have been as bad as they come since he got fired by Chicago. So you were just flat out wrong saying what you said.

[@anthonyandrews5685]

@@blakejohnson7373 ok are u an Illini fan🤔 cuz if not u wud Kno his offense finished either dead last or next to dead last & in college football where an decent Offense can save a bad D or avg his didn't so I repeat offense is why he failed

[@blakejohnson7373]

@@anthonyandrews5685 if you were an Illini fan you'd know that his defenses have been equally as bad if not worse than his offense. And he is a defensive head coach, that is supposed to be his specialty and he still sucks at it. He is just an all around awful coach and evaluator of talent. That's why he got fired you dingus.

[@ethanworkman8828]

Was hoping you’d make this. One of my fav coaches.

[@ryansaunders65]

Dude went 11-5 with Rex Grossman... Should have a lifetime job for that alone

[@henrys5291]

13-3 actually. Blew out Brees and Payton in the nfc title game that year too. As a lifelong Bears fan, I'll always love Lovie. I think he deserved another year at Illinois too. He got us to a bowl game last year and I think he deserved another shot in a non-covid season

[@gradystanley1685]

@@henrys5291 hope he can bring some structure to the Texans defense

[@johnvallery5539]

He is black they don’t get that privilege. If it was Kyle Shanahan they would’ve considered him an genius

[@poisonoak2719]

Been waiting for a video like this, Lovie intrigued me for a long time

[@carsonbounds7297]

Illini fans, drop a like for Lovie.

[@josep9599]

I was a junior there when he got hired it was so hype!

[@benbaranko3400]

Ima bears fan so I’ll drop a like

[@cornhuskerfever]

I to will drop a like for Lovie

[@chrishansen9731]

Bears fan and U of I fan here. If I could drop a million likes for Lovie I would.

[@skipr6346]

Nah he's an arrogant clown

[@paddle_shift]

My only whine about Lovey was his mostly defensive focus, but that was a minor whine. I was stunned he was fired by Chicago. When he went to TB and was given only 1 year, that was a travesty. Probably racist. The comment about him "not making it in the NFL" is BS. He made it big time. A winner in my book.

[@edgarcasiano1219]

As a HC in the NFL in 12 years, he had only 3 winning seasons. Last years with the Texans his defense was Rank in the 20. He is definitely a players coach, but numbers don't lie.

[@paddle_shift]

@@edgarcasiano1219 Don't know where you got your numbers. For example; with Chicago he had a 56% W/L record, had 5 winning seasons out of 9 (only 3 losing seasons, 1 went 8 and 8), won his division 3 times, went to the Super Bowl. At Tampa he took over an abysmal team that only won 15 games out of 48 the previous 3 years. His first year was bad at 2 and 14, but his second year he went 6 and 10 when he was fired. Smith had a far better record with Chicago than Gruden did at Tampa Bay. Gruden w/l was .509 to Smith's .563. Add in the fact that Gruden took over for Tony Dungy who really built that Tampa team. Houston will be a team on the rise.

[@edgarcasiano1219]

@@paddle_shift if you want to give him 5 winning season, including the 8-8 season? A 8-8 record don't get you into wildcard and you know that. Now 56% is horrible as a Head Coach in any sport. Now if you want to use excuse with the two years in Tampa, look what Sean Mcvay did with Rams. Or Andy Reid with Chief, or Bill with the Pats, Joe Gibbsor even Mike Tomlin.. To me he is another Jeff Fisher, great coordinator but don't have it as a HC. I am a Rams fan and I know lovie Smith was our defensive coach in 2001. But we won games because of the offense

[@paddle_shift]

@@edgarcasiano1219 I never claimed he was the best all time. I claimed he was a winner. With Chicago his winning seasons were 11-5, 13-3, 9-7, 11-5, 10-6. He also had an 8-8 season. He had 3 losing seasons 5-11 (his first season), 7-9 & 7-9. He was only given 2 seasons with Tampa where he improved from his first year to the second just like he did in Chicago. They replaced him with a spare "head coach" Dirk Koeter who had a W/L percentage of .396.

[@edgarcasiano1219]

@@paddle_shift if you think he's a winning coach with them number, you can keep him. Jeff Fisher number, please don't tell me you think Jeff Fisher was a winning coach

[@jongthedasher]

Big Illini fan here. He helped raise the standards of our culture on campus but could never put together that team we hoped to see on the field. I had dreams of maybe a bigger bowl game when we signed him, I mean a SB head coach coaching us should give a lot of weight to the program. I also get that Illinois isn't exactly a top program or anything, but we should be capable of making a bowl game most years.

[@mensahtalk2367]

Lovie Smith was 81-63 as the bears head coach in 9 seasons (. 563) including three division titles, two NFC Championship Game appearances (2006, 2010) and a berth in Super Bowl XLI. the man should still be coaching the bears, but lets face it racism makes it so, you have to be absolutely perfect if your a African American, we can fight for the country, but don't you dare lose a game, similar to coach Herman Boone from remember the titans which was a true story

[@isaacstewart2979]

That's a load of horse shit, mediocre HC's get fired all the time regardless of race. For instance, Mike Zimmer had a 74-59-1 record over his 8 year tenure with the Vikings. Want more examples? Fine. Jason Garrett had an 85-67 record with the Cowboys over a 10 year tenure. Mike Shanahan was 138-86 with the Broncos before getting fired. Mike Mccarthy was 125-77-2 before he was canned by the Packers. I can go on and on, there is absolutely no shortage of white nfl coaches being fired for being mediocre. Prolongued mediocrity leads to a coach losing their job, no matter their race. Want to know something interesting? Marvin Lewis, an African American coach, coached the Bengals for SIXTEEN YEARS with a dismally average 131-122 record! You have zero basis for your claim that African American coaches have to be absolutely perfect and white coaches do not.

[@justinedse8435]

Oh bullshit

[@gutrench9489]

Well us Bears fans still appreciate what he did for us, hope good things are on the horizon for him.

[@warlockish8362]

I'm a Packers fan and I loved dude. "Our number 1 goal is to beat Green Bay." Dudes one of the only coaches that understands how fucking important our rivalry is to us, the fans. And he acknowledged it on DAY FUCKING 1!!! I bleed Green and Gold, but Lovie will always have my respect. Much love from the north.

[@oldironsides4107]

Day one at Illinois he was talking about some many ways to win a game as there is 20 different ways to skin a cat. He brings in a duffel bag full of cats and skinned about 2 dozen cats each in a different way. Really odd way to get his point across but he spoke the truth and proved it. What a sick and brilliant man

[@adamduncan8822]

He seems so nice

[@peterhull8020]

Bears fan and Illinois native, was always a fan and it’s too bad about lovie. Live in Tulsa now and you will never hear anything but good things about him.

[@graythaprince]

Lovie Smith somehow coached Rex Grossman to a Super Bowl.

[@Stranger_In_The_Alps]

That defense and special teams carried Rex all the way to the SB

[@flyguy7825]

@@Stranger_In_The_Alps excactly

[@michaelschaefer1904]

@@Stranger_In_The_Alps But somehow it couldn't stop the Colts running game in the Super Bowl in the rain. Overrated D. The Bears had the 2nd most improved offense in the NFL that year, Rex's first full one as a starter. The team ahead of them was with a guy named Brees, the Saints.

[@Omerta_GD]

Thats because he had drafted FUTURE HOF Devin Hester 💪🏿...

[@paulspecht3667]

He started to gain traction last year too. They made a bowl game...COVID just crushed all of his momentum

[@rds990]

There is a HUGE difference between a successful Coordinator, and a successful Head Coach. Many administrators do not realize that.

[@oldironsides4107]

Yeah you know everyone just starts as a successful head coach and skips all stages before that. You have one of the dumbest statements I’ve read about football

[@ScottFisherCFB]

My Other Videos About The Rise & Fall of Coaches kzbin.info/aero/PLCwDMhVtyOHgcJd8WGlc4EfUu6EimnvrI

[@tomasstacy1597]

Class act all the way !! Good Luck Coach Smith !!

[@tommywebbjr6898]

I have lived in Champaign for years, when Illinois hired him, I remember everyone being excited. I felt like the only one who had a wait and see attitude. Illinois really doesn't have a program that is rich in tradition, and it takes years to build that. Maybe if he would have came here after he was done with the bears things might have been different.

[@warrenm1741]

My dad was a UI alumni and I have followed the program since about 1970. John Mackovic is the last coach to have a winning record while at Illinois. He left in 1991. It is hard to win there.

[@raulduke6105]

Uh Red Grange, Dick Butkus, Dave Wilson , Jeff George

[@slickwill7469]

Lovie Smith’s son was arrested on pimping charges around the time he got fired by Illinois State. Hopefully he brings his best to the Texans.

[@royalnpoison1547]

This Illini team had talent and was really experienced, no reason for them to be as bad as they were, other than Coaching. Just didn’t work out

[@troykester3820]

coronavirus and injuries. Only as good as your personal. The Nebraska game was huge.

[@adamwilke88]

Go bears my man, let's make the playoffs. You should have way more subs

[@AdvaithKumar]

Idk we’ll see

[@1brotherlove829]

Lovie Smith's down fall was hanging on to Jay Cutler to long as Chicago Bears head Coach.

[@ryanr9299]

Rex is our Quarter back!

[@anwnerd1762]

Lovie just gave Chicago the number 1 pick, it's clear he still cares about them. Imagine if he goes back to the team this off-season

[@patrickmckeever2378]

Well it is great timing Bama just had a spot open up! 😂, Saban will get him back on his feet!

[@myronbedner5163]

He's still a pretty good NFL coach he can coach in the NFL! A NFL team that needs a new head coach should hire him.

[@peterhendricks5173]

You definitely hit 25k subs and then some, congratulations!

[@jacobproctor8645]

Love the content you just earned a new subscriber

[@AdvaithKumar]

Welcome to the squad

[@Danger____]

Lovie smith should have never been fired by the bears

[@mdsmith1019]

I disagree. He was here for like 9 years or something. The big failure of Lovie was never being able to find an offensive coordinator and I doubt he ever would, as evidenced by his post-Chicago career. I was happy when he left as it was just time. He's a good guy but his time has passed IMO.

[@Danger____]

@@mdsmith1019 in a way I agree but he had past success and rather than go to Jim Fox should have seen were it went for a year or two more

[@blackurustrikes2328]

@@mdsmith1019 - Yeah. And the Bears have done so much better without Lovie.

[@ronedward3660]

Not a fan, but it was odd when they let him go after a winning season. Yes, they missed the playoffs, but still.

[@arthurcaron9271]

Lovie always had great defense in the NFL, but he kept switching offense staffs and never really focused on that side of the ball. The defense basically resented the lack of offensive production in his later years.

[@GusbusGaming]

I wish Illinois could be good at football. They can never put multiple decent years together.

[@sreal1]

Same here 😕 I honestly thought by them hiring Lovie Smith, it would begin to change the program for the better. Guess not 👎🏼👎🏼

[@ronedward3660]

Not like Illinois has ever been a football powerhouse. He might be happy to be out of there. But I did think that Smith's history with the Bears would help him get top recruits.

[@alfonsom8286]

Smith was not a college guy/recruiting guru, he's was Damn good NFL Coach who should still be an NFL Head coach

[@edgarcasiano1219]

Defensive coordinator maybe, but as s head coach "NO". I looked at his number as a Head Coach and it's pretty bad. In 12 years in the league he only had 3 wining season.

[@alfonsom8286]

@@edgarcasiano1219, and "only" made to the super bowl once....yeah, pretty bad.

[@johnnyutah1983]

He was so good with the Bears who were loaded with talent…it always surprised me he didn’t repeat that success somewhere else…Lovie will always be loved in Chicago.

[@WISHBONEL7]

All he had to do , was to put Brian Griese in the game .

[@Wrangler59]

The problem is kids don't want to play in cold weather anymore. And the best ones that do go to Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame.

[@tracethompson6152]

Third best coach in bear's history. Halas, ditka, smith. In that order

[@CRYPTORC]

Very good content @Scott Fisher...

[@TheWaitingRoomTWR]

the man made millions coaching so tragic

[@lordrayden3045]

Bears are in the NFC

[@oldironsides4107]

So tragic. Worth 10s of millions. Never been out of a coaching job and is in the nfl today. Tragic. Failure of a man.

[@mrmajikjr]

What's the song at 3:02? You use it in every video but the only one you put in the description is Blue Boi

[@MichaelPerez-rv6kt]

we started out the year like 7-1 and ending up going 10-6 the year he was fired. Still think it was a mistake but at the time we were frustrated as our defense had played so well that season forcing a ridiculous amount of turnovers and we had brandon marshall who turned the offense around.

[@dabund2]

This was 2012. I remember them losing three games to the Vikings, Seahawks and Packers going late into the season. Games they should've won. That was his ultimate demise as Bears head coach.

[@Cubanb3]

OLD SCHOOL....Lovie Smith will always be a great leader of men....He was a founder of the Tampa 2 which was considered the best defensive scheme created until the mid 2000’s....He was ahead of his time with the Tampa 2 but ironically time has passed him by....He is old school and is definitely a “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” type...The younger coaches have changed the game with technology and ingenuity....He has certainly impacted MANY young men off of the field....His demeanor never changed which is as old school as it gets...

[@AlwaysHopeful87]

Hard to say, but recruiting is the number one priority for college football success. He seems like an honest person, maybe that was the cause.

[@blatantfoul8836]

NFL is completely different than NCAA. Lovie is Respected by both. Great Roll Model for all Student Athletes any Sport, you pick it. Hope Lovie goes to another Underdog School playing in a Tough Conference.

[@oe542]

Once he grew the beard you knew it was over for him. He just looked like your favorite uncle now.

[@Loyard777]

I feel like he can rise again with a smaller program, maybe in the mac or fcs

[@CertifiedForkLiftOperator69420]

Illinois is in a tough market you look at the schools he was competing against for recruits. plus i once read that that area isnt good for defensive players.

[@thunderbird1921]

Their defense definitely has some talent issues. Iowa pretty recently beat them 63-0 AT HOME, and they're not exactly a high powered offensive team.

[@timn8285]

From someone who born and raised right between Champaign and Chicago, I liked lovie smith and always will. He was only let go in Chicago Bc of a new GM who wanted to start fresh. The team didn’t want him to go, which is why several players called it quits or went to another team shortly after...urlacher, Briggs, Tillman, hester. It would take years to bring up the defense again Bc the GM wanted to go offensive minded, yet got rid of Olsen, metellous, Marshall, no offensive line. Which, lovie didn’t have really either besides the one year they were ranked in the top 5. It would become a rotating door at every position on offense. After the Super Bowl, with Rex, no qb could stay healthy or even start a full season until Jay cutler-which the only season he was healthy he sprained his mcl in the conference championship. What I’m getting at is he had the pieces when he got here to be, at least, solid. In Tampa, he was given two years to bring up one the the worst franchises ever(winning percentage wise) from basically nothing. Told to tank, for a qb. Then was given one year with jameis and shown the door. Wasn’t given a shot at all. Then becomes Illinois coach. As you said, his first team was filled with low level freshman. No qb, no offense, no defense. Nothing. He tried to recruit, TMZ has caught up to him several times in the off season while he was going all over the country to recruit. He couldn’t get one 5 star recruit his entire time here Bc they all want to go to bigger school. The 4 star ones he did get his hands on were mostly kids that were upset they couldn’t get into bigger schools and looking to transfer as quickly as they got to Champaign. So, he was stuck with a bunch of 2-3 star recruits, revolving door or bad qb play, and a team who a lot didnt want to even be playing here. Last year, we saw growth and a team having fun, mostly seniors. Then with Covid this year, didn’t really have a lot of time to practice. No one was even sure there was going to be a college season for awhile. Top all of this off with being in the big ten where nearly every other school gets a couple or more 5 star recruits a year. I’m sure it’s probably a little bit of how lovie is trying to recruit, but it’s hard to develop players who aren’t here or just aren’t good.

[@blacklite911]

He couldn't recruit and his patented Tampa 2 defense was played out by then. Get's eaten up by modern offenses

[@edman813]

Alongside he can't scheme for shit and doesn't try to make any adjustments, his time with the Texans proved he's washed, it doesn't matter if the roster sucked even with talent he won't be the factor to their success.

[@paullindstrom7635]

It is a challenge for any coach to recruit at Illinois partially because the school is located 150 miles away from where most of the states population lives. Youngsters do not grow up with the state university in a familiar locale, as a general rule. As big 10 schools go either Northwestern or Wisconsin are closer to the greater Chicagoland area, also Notre Dame. I believe that they have made the best choice they could in Bret Beilema who is a native and will have a better understanding of what needs to be done.

[@justinalley3399]

good luck with that bret beilema sucks

[@mikebahn]

Lovie was a great defensive coordinator. Running the Tampa 2 with urlacher in the middle was really a perfect match for his system. He never hit on his saftey picks in the NFL after Mike Brown retired. His offensive coordinators he choose were sub par(mike martz, mike tice, ron turner). Overall a good leader and a good coach, if he has the players for his system.

[@RB3Gibson]

The Illinois Fighting illini have had two great seasons in the last 40 years. One was in 1983 culminating in the Rose bowl appearance and being the first team to ever win against all the other nine teams in the big ten at that point in time. The other season was during Ron Turner's tenure when they went to the Rose bowl and got beaten by USC. Other than that it's been down in the dumps for years and unless they make significant cultural and paradigm changes, and are able to recruit a winning head coach, they're never going to be a winning program again.

[@rodneyprill4618]

Sugar Bowl with Turner, Rose Bowl with White and Zook

[@RB3Gibson]

@@rodneyprill4618 Thank you Rodney! I forgot about the sugar bowl! And some of the details!

[@Tejano_Sports]

Onward to H-Town let’s go🔥

[@phillipmurphy8116]

As a current student, the main reason that I can see for lovie’s firing is that he really had a bad mentality about recruiting. He seemed to have a strong “if you don’t want to come here, we don’t need you” thing going on. No persistence. For example, there was a big virtual Illinois quarterbacks recruiting event going on last week that no Illinois recruiter went to. Examples of the coaches there included the Indiana, Iowa, tOSU, Purdue, Wisconsin, MSU, and Michigan’s coaching squads. The recruiting has been so abysmal. In the class of 2021, we only have 1 recruit from the state of Illinois in the top 44. If we’re going to be competitive in the big ten, we have to funnel some of the chicago talent down to Champaign

[@yeildo1492]

Let's see: He coached at Tulsa, Wisconsin, Arizona St, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio St. 3:00 Lovie went to try something completely unknown to him, going to Illinois.... WTH? He knew a lot about coaching in college. He just was not able to recruit well enough, like most college coaches who don't win enough. He is 62. He can coach again if he wants to. Lots of NFL and colleges would love to have him be the DC.

[@SammyBoy818]

This man deserves a job. If Robert Daley is a coach he definitely should be. He helped the bears be a constant playoff team and lead them to a Super Bowl

[@anondescriptobserver6774]

Illinois is a tough job that gets tougher by the year. The alumni community is becoming more international, and they have no attachment to football. Their historic fan base comes from downstate towns and cities that are rapidly depopulating. Champaign might as well be on Mars for any Chicago resident that didn't attend the university. Any sports culture that exists at UIUC seems more northeastern to me. There have been recent pushes to start a scholarship hockey team. Basketball is the priority program there. Football is "a" sport to them.

[@bobertjones2300]

Excellent insight and back story. It answered some questions for this outsider looking in during this transition. Is Pat Fitzgerald a viable candidate?

[@anondescriptobserver6774]

​@@bobertjones2300 Fitzgerald is a Northwestern lifer that would not take the job at their arch rival. Further, I would argue Northwestern is the better job. Northwestern opened a practice facility that cost over $200 million to build a couple of years ago. Their elite academic reputation can be used as a selling point for recruiting nationally. Fitzgerald has been head coach at Northwestern for 15ish years. I don't know the exact number. Depending on when he was hired, Illinois has had 4 or 5 head coaches in that time (if Ron Turner was still there when Fitzgerald got the job), and are now about to hire their fifth or sixth.

[@bobertjones2300]

Ok thanks. I'm a Big 12 fan so this is a bit far away. Would Bob Stoops consider it? He'd be very competitive.

[@anondescriptobserver6774]

@@bobertjones2300 You're welcome. I don't know if Bob Stoops would consider it.

[@warrenm1741]

Very good points made. U of I has most of its fan base downstate. Chicago area follows NU, ND, NIU as much if not more than UI.

[@AdamHammer69]

"The season doesn't even start until November" a real quote from Lovie Smith when he was coach of the Buccaneers

[@eliwhaley4804]

I think it's clear what is meant there no? That the games don't start becoming important until the midway point of the season. They say the same about all sports.

[@Nuclear_CxNT_Potato]

I used to LOVE juice Williams for no reason...

[@Donnell91]

What about Mendenhall and a few others they caught you by name LOL

[@jacobgedde7164]

I like how he uploads consistently.

[@ThugShakers4Christ]

Same problem he had at Chicago: he couldn't develop a qb and he hired bad coordinators. In retrospect, you have to wonder how much of his success was due to his one great coordinator, Ron Rivera. That all said, the Bears screwed up after firing him after going 10 and 6.

[@edman813]

2022 Texans same story, Pep Hamilton managed to outdo himself in being a terrible oc despite that Lovie didn't do much to fix his lousy scheme.

[@GameTimeKnox]

Hes better than what Chicago got now

[@BobGenghisKahn]

I loved him when he was with the Rams and thought he should've taken over for Vermeil instead of Martz.

[@BobGenghisKahn]

@Maxima Not sure why you object so strongly. Lovie went on to lead a previously mediocre Bears team to an 81-63 record over 9 seasons and took them to a Superbowl. Then coached another 2 seasons. Martz took a Superbowl champion to a 53-32 record and 1 Superbowl appearance over 6 seasons and never received another head coaching gig.

[@luckyrocks1]

I think it’s Illinois, so it doesn’t really matter who you hire as a head coach, it’s always going to be Illinois. Enjoy the one or two upsets and appreciate a team that puts in great effort and doesn’t quit.

[@marcvslicinivscrassvs7536]

One thing Saban has done is built a track record of putting successful players in the NFL while winning big. You want to be the next Julio Jones? Come to me. Next Derrick Henry? Come to me. Schools like Illinois just don't have that tradition. Also with NIL and transfer portal it's going to get even harder for middle tier schools.

[@matthultman8515]

Lovie got fired by the Bears because Phil Emery went on a power trip and wanted his own head coach. Lovie could’ve made the playoffs and he probably still would’ve been fired. As for Illinois, I am really surprised it didn’t work there. I feel like his allure from being the Bears head coach would’ve helped his recruiting but I feel like he wasn’t really dedicated to the recruiting grind like some coaches (Mel Tucker). Hopefully he gets another shot somewhere. I still believe he can be a good head coach and at worst a great defensive coordinator. Las Vegas or Dallas would make a ton of sense for him as a DC.

[@raulduke6105]

Had high hopes for Lovie and recruiting in Chicago . Never happened . Lovie is way overrated. He lost his job with da bears refusing to fix a dodgy OL. I live 10 blocks from the stadium. All we can hope for is hiring a Buffalo/Coastal Carolina type and hope for the best. No big coach will come here

[@AdvaithKumar]

Idk about that man, you never know! I’m a bears fan too would love if you subbed to my channel

[@AlejandroSanchez-pl6jw]

Lovie was far from overrated.

[@randomreplays]

Do a video on my Mom and why I came out in the world as a failure

[@Somethingwrongwiththepeople]

He is a not a recruiter period and in college you gotta be able to recruit players.

[@12thmanrailfans26]

I saw the guy at a basketball game in St. Louis, I got heated super quick

[@thomassouza6858]

The problem with most football HCs is they force their players into adopting their way of playing offense and defense...I.E. Dick Shula...a great coach but he had blinders on when it came to his teams ability to play defense...He was a myopic offensive coach after having been successful early in his career. What worked for one team doesn't necessarily mean that the next generation of players will be proficient nor except your philosophy; remember every college player has matriculated thru a different football philosophy and as the general football philosophy of both offense and defense changes with trends and innovation it has evident that 90% of all HC have been hired on rental terms where success and or failure are measured by wins/losses, playoff and Super Bowl appearances...Successful coaches adapt to their player's capabilities and measurable value to the team's character and not the coach's myopic vision of who the might become under their tutelage...Corporations hire to fill positions which have proven tract records and share the same foresight into the Corp's future as it changes internationally with the demand for their products and services...Love's philosophy fell short in many ways as he was the product of an antiquated football scheme: where as KC's Andy Reid has adapted to his offensive philosophy to that of his teams abilities and physical attributes ...but has yet to redefine his defensive schemes to match other teams dynamic offenses. The KC playing field will be leveled as his team ages and players leave for greener pastures....

[@Moondoggy]

He did NOTHING at ILLINOIS a total failure in all aspects. Many thought this hire was a miss to begin with. One aspect was that he didn't recruit, it was he wouldn't recruit. This was a lame hire and it proved out to be worse than that.......he never won at any place he coached at. The Bears team he took to the super bowl was NOT his team. He just inherited it. He was supposed to be a defensive specialist and the defense was ALWAYS the weak spot on the ILLINI FB team. A waste of 5- 6 years and here we go again.....

[@williamsanders5117]

I think it was a big mistake to not allow Ron Rivera to come back after Rivera applied for several head coaching jobs. The Bears defense was never the same, even with quite a few players still there from the Super bowl season.

[@msully76]

Illini fan of 30 years yea its been tough.......Reason number 1 and 1a Recruiting! he needed to get at least 7 or 8 top 25 players in the state of illinois he got in his best year 5 kids. His strategy of making up for it in the transfer market never was going to work long term. Illinois high school coaches said by year 3 of his tenure he stopped even trying to build relationships with them.

[@squidparty2000]

We shouldn’t have fired Lovie after that 10-6 season. Can’t blame Lovie for QB injuries because we looked almost unstoppable that year.

[@pglover2010]

Herm Edwards, HC at ASU is a former NFL player & coach, has used this opportunity to re-invent himself and bring the NFL to college. His staff is primarily all NFL players and coaches, with ex-Bengals HC Marvin Lewis his DC. He has a easier way of getting recruits who want an NFL career. Love never was able to change.

[@nicolastimlin1019]

Maybe Howard Griffin or Mendenhall or Lehman or Jeff George. Illini need to build some Illini tradition, something they have NEVER HAD. Wishing Illini all the best.

[@dreadful2]

His problem always seemed to be bad QB play; sometimes an achilles heel of a defensive coach. Also, I don't think he ever really got a chance to turn TB around. He went from Glennon at QB to rookie Winston, improved wins by 4 games from previous season, but still let go.

[@markenglish50]

He went from 2 and 14 in his 1st season at TB to 10 and 6 the next season and they Fired him???? He won 4 more games than the previous year with a(Winston)Rookie QB and they let him go for his OC...SMH

[@sgtelias2258]

Bears fans really liked Lovie. A real stoic on the sideline. Compare Lovie's reaction to a Bears TD vs Seahawk coach Pete Carroll.

[@kbholla]

I feel bad for him, I always liked him.

[@tristanthomas7974]

The problem with Lovie was the lack of effort on the recruiting trail. He pretty clearly didn’t try hard enough to recruit the state. He also refused to adjust his Tampa 2 defensive scheme that is VERY reliant on turnovers, that’s how they went on the 4 game win streak last year. It’s a good move letting him go. Illinois can compete for Big ten west titles with the right coach at the helm.

[@edwardsmith8814]

I heard a rumor that he didn’t recruit well or hard enough. He also had a very poor relationship with high school football coaches across the state.

[@tristanthomas7974]

@@edwardsmith8814 Rarely got a top 30 in state recruit after his first class. Obviously didn’t try hard enough in recruiting as we were always near the bottom of the league in high school recruiting. The transfers saved his time here from being a complete failure.

[@jonny_2_gnar]

I need you to do RichRod, because I still to this day think Michigan fired him too soon into building HIS team... and Arizona was a decent landing place for him until, well...

[@BGD.2980]

I'm sad to see him go. Hopeful Illinois doesn't get anyone that can recruit worth a darn. I love going over to E. StL and "stealing" a player or two for Mizzou :-)

[@edwardsmith8814]

U of I almost never recruits from East St. Louis Sr. High. This school has won more football games than any school in Illinois history.

[@johnathon6860]

Big ten is not one of the worst conferences in college football lmao

[@francescovalenti7595]

Tampa Bay didn’t wanna lose Dirk Koetter, the OC, cause they felt he was perfect for Winston. They fired Lovie to keep Dirk. They shouldn’t have done that. I would love to see Lovie Smith back in the NFL, even if he’s a coordinator

[@mvonch15]

The reason Lovie has not been a great coach since he got fired from the Bears is because of his unwillingness to change schemes and he doesn't realize that Tampa 2 doesn't work anymore in today's modern football game.

[@edgarcasiano1219]

Thank you! I agree

[@martyc2637]

Coaching for the illini is one step forward and two steps back. Tough job recruiting with their track record.

[@briandaly6868]

Anyone else notice that Lovie now looks like Louis Gossip jr?

[@georgesouthwick7000]

I know what Lou Gossett Jr. looks like. I never heard of Lou Gossip Jr.....lol

[@DeShard64]

Who wants to play at illinois 🤦🏿‍♂️ this man is already a part of history regardless of your perspective

[@bigptm1364]

I wish they hadn't fired him this yr. Im a WI fan but no hater. Illinois beat a. Good WI team & more, just over a yr ago. This season shouldn't really count. WI will prob have losing record, cuz like Ill, Covid has em playin w/out #1,2 or 3's at some positions each game. Teams like WI, Ill, Iowa ect, just can't recruit like Ohio St, Penn St, MI,(?-they got other issues.) Teams with majority of 4&5 stars don't lose much when they play #3,4,or 5 on their depth chart. Ill, WI, Iowa depend on #1&2s, thru development to get there.

[@gradyshields66]

Welcome to Houston!