Why is Lovie Smith driving me nuts?

How come Lovie Smith does not know how to challenge? Lovie Smith has been the head coach for five and a half seasons with the Bears, and still does not know how to throw a red flag. Most recently, when the Bears hosted the over-achieving Packers, Lovie spent a timeout to have his coordinators review a possible Greg Olsen catch. Unfortunately for the Bears, Lovie decided to throw the challenge flag right after the timeout was over, and risk losing another timeout to challenge the incomplete pass. In doing so, which was obvious to I think most fans watching the game (including Thom Brenhaman and Brian Billick, the two annoucers) that it was indeed an incomplete pass.

If I were the head coach, which won't happen in the near future, I would have thrown the red flag too. The difference would be that I would have thrown it right away. I can understand when coaches throw the challenge flag knowing full well that it will probably get denied, but in the small chance that it goes your way, it pays off well.

Although, when you have already spent a timeout, and then are willing to risk another within seconds, you're playing with some fire. For those who did not see the game, (whether it was out of pure disguest for watching our "B" football team, or you found something better to do, like watching a Paully Shore movie), you're lucky.

As a lifelong Bear fan, it drove me absolutely insane. As a head coach, along with your coordinaters in the box, you're expected to know the rules. When a player makes a catch but loses the ball before he hits the ground, it's an incomplete pass! I still can't figure out why the Bears coaching staff cannot figure this out. Two weeks ago, Johnny Know fumbled a ball on a kick-off return. Everyone who saw the fumble knew that it was a fumble, yet Lovie still decided to throw a red flag. Even a novice football fan knew that it was a ligitamate fumble, yet the flag was still thrown.

I think that Sunday's game might have been the final dagger for Lovie. If it isn't, we are going to have to go through a tough lame duck season of bad play-calling, bad challenges, and a gross mismanagement of player personnel. Bear Down!

Notre Dame refusing to go to a bowl game?

I have just recently read an article in the Chicago Tribune about how Notre Dame is essentially refusing to play in a bowl game. Since the departure of coach Charlie Wies, the players have had the choice of playing in a minor bowl game, or not playing at all. Apparently, playing in the Dec. 26 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit or the Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl in Mobile is not good enough for Notre Dame standards.

I am not a Notre Dame fan, but I do enjoy when they put up a good record. I also like watching players like Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen. It makes it fun to root against them, even though I respect their program.

I did though have a problem with the players coming to an agreement that they are going to refuse to go to a bowl game. Who do these players think they are? They are not in a position to be denying a bowl game that they think they are too good for.

The Irish are 6-6, not a good record, but technically it allows them to be eligible for a bowl game. Which in my opinion is already a sham. Other than their win against Hawaii in the Hawaii bowl last year, they had not won a bowl game since 1994 in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame is an elite organization, they always will be, but they are hardly an elite team now.

I do hope that when they do find a new coach, he teaches his players not to be above the game. Knowing Notre Dame, I'm sure that's not going to happen.