Lovie Smith

***bigduke18*** · -12-16-2005

Am I the only one to be pissed about the success that the Bears are enjoying, thanks to the Rams losing Lovie Smith from the coaching staff?

**HUbison** · -12-16-2005

The man had a chance to move up in his career and he took it. Just me, but I can't get mad at him for that.

***cowboyhater*** · -12-16-2005

Lovie Smith earned his promotion. How can you expect him to remain a DC when offered a HC job. I live near Chicago, so I know that the local fans had been pulling for an offensively minded coach after years of a sub-anemic performance, and uber-conservative play calling.

The play-calling is still conservative, but fans don't mind when you win. The Bears' fans have no illusions about going to the Super Bowl, but they appreciate the improvement that Lovie Smith helped bring.

If I am mad about anything, it is about replacing Lovie Smith with a Marmie. We should have just brought another Tampa guy or someone who could deal with what we had, personnel built around cover-2.

***txramsfan*** · -12-16-2005

Most DC's and OC's are one step away from HC and always have an escape clause in their contract if a HC job comes open for them. Can't be mad at anyone for Lovie leaving.

***badmoforamfan*** · -12-16-2005

It sure would be awesome if you could demote HC's back to OC's or DC's. Then we could keep Martz.

Wow, I can't believe there is another Ram fan in Austin! I'm not alone anymore.

Lovie was bound to be a HC. Especially after he turned our defense around and got us back to the Super Bowl. Fairchild is ok in my book as an OC, but can we please get our own defensively minded HC!!

Fire Marmie!!!! How in the heck to you hire a DC from Arizona?

***OldRamsfan*** · -12-16-2005

I agree can't get mad at lovie he has to look out for his family and his future ... I do however wished he could have been our H.C.

***general counsel*** · -12-16-2005

Not mad at lovie for leaving. More importantly, i dont agree that him leaving caused our defensive problems. Did anyone watch the playoff game against carolina, in lovies last game as a ram and see us get torched for 250 yards rushing and 500 plus yards total offense. The rams dont have remotely the same type of talent that the bears do on defense. Do you see anyone on the rams defense that remotely reminds you of uhrlacher?

ramming speed to all

general counsel

**Nick** · -12-16-2005

Originally Posted by general counsel

Not mad at lovie for leaving. More importantly, i dont agree that him leaving caused our defensive problems. Did anyone watch the playoff game against carolina, in lovies last game as a ram and see us get torched for 250 yards rushing and 500 plus yards total offense. The rams dont have remotely the same type of talent that the bears do on defense. Do you see anyone on the rams defense that remotely reminds you of uhrlacher?

Thank you. It's easy to look at Lovie now and be jealous or upset because we have Marmie. But I remember the Lovie era coming to an end here, and being glad that it was, because our defense looked pretty pathetic in the second half of 2003.

***letsgoramz*** · -12-17-2005

yea well does anyone have the rams offensive numbers in that playoff game against the panthers and you gotta realize that game went into overtime extra time more chances to score lovie was the best

**Nick** · -12-17-2005

Originally Posted by letsgoramz

yea well does anyone have the rams offensive numbers in that playoff game against the panthers and you gotta realize that game went into overtime extra time more chances to score lovie was the best

It wasn't just the playoff game. It was the whole second half of that season. The Rams run defense was in fact giving up more per game in the second half of 2003 than they have this year.

-2005 w/ Marmie: Rams allowing 136.8 rushing yards per game (4.7 avg) this season

-2003 w/ Lovie: Rams allowed 123.8 rushing yards per game (4.8 avg) for the season

During the final eight regular season games of 2003, the Rams allowed on average 137.8 rushing yards per game and 4.95 yards per carry, which is in fact worse than what we currently allow.

If you factor in the Carolina playoff loss, the average increases to 146.5 rushing yards per game and 5 yards per carry.

The best? Hardly. His defense was on the decline every year since arriving in St. Louis, and was in pretty poor shape when he left after the 2003 season. I give him a lot of credit for what he's doing now, and what he did when he first got here, but people tend to have selective memory when it comes to Lovie Smith.

***general counsel*** · -12-17-2005

Lovie had better personnel with the rams than marmie does, if for no other reason, he had a more dominant leonard little and a stop corner in aeneas. I am not defending marmie, but this is the point i have made 1000 times on this board.

coaching matters at the margain, but at the end of the day, TALENT, not scheme, is what counts. the numbers nick posted say a lot.

I will make another point about the carolina game again. Lovie did NOTHING, and i mean nothing, to adjust during that game to what carolina was doing to kill us. I think lovie is a good defensive coach, but it comes down to tackling and talent and our current defense just doesnt have the horses.

One last thing on the great and sainted lovie. Damione Lewis, the nutcracker himself and an epic bust as the guy we got for trent green was Lovies pick. Lovie wanted the quck fast defensive tackle who was going to be our warren sapp which is why he passed on marcus stroud. Pickett by all accounts, taken 17 spots later, was armeys pick. Granted, others in the organization signed off on the lewis pick for sure, but it was lovies guy and he is an epic bust. that must remain a part of lovies legacy.

ramming speed to all

general counsel