Lovie Smith does the Bears a franchise-altering favor
The Chicago Bears are on the clock. With Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, coupled with an improbable Houston Texans comeback victory, Chicago secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bears made losing look easy down the stretch, finishing the season on a 10-game losing streak. However, they still needed […]
The Chicago Bears are on the clock.
With Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, coupled with an improbable Houston Texans comeback victory, Chicago secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Bears made losing look easy down the stretch, finishing the season on a 10-game losing streak. However, they still needed help from a familiar face heading into Week 18.
Long Live Lovie
Former Bears head coach Lovie Smith was at the helm for the Texans’ miraculous win over the Indianapolis Colts. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that Smith met with Texans brass prior to the game in an attempt to persuade owner Cal McNair for a second season in Houston.
It’s unclear what resulted from that conversation, but, if McNair told Smith he would not be back it sure makes for a great story. After the Texans scored a 28-yard touchdown on 4th & 20 to pull within one with less than a minute remaining, Smith opted to go for the two-point conversion and the win.
Needless to say, the Texans converted.
There is a possibility that Smith offered a helping hand to his former team after being told he would not return as the Texans’ head coach. Continuing with this assumption, in order to stick it to Houston, Smith pulled out a win in what most around the league would have considered to be a must-lose game.
With the loss and the Bears win, the Texans now hold the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft. But with Chicago likely to shop the pick, it opens up the door for a quarterback-needy team to leap frog Houston and get their guy. Thus making Chicago’s selection even more valuable, especially considering the Texans are in the quarterback market.
Things didn’t end well with Smith in Chicago, but this is a prime example of how time does heal all wounds.
Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
