Smith to Make Defensive Play Calls

Lovie Smith came to Chicago with a load of defensive experience, and he has now decided to use that experience more during games. In 2007, Lovie Smith dropped defensive coordinator Ron Rivera in favor of Bob Babich, a decision that has been questioned frequently by analysts and fans after the defense hasn’t put up expected stats. Instead of replacing Babich, Smith decided to take matters into his own hands and recently named himself as the defensive play caller.

He said, “There are a lot of offensive coaches in the league that call plays, that do a little bit more on their side of the ball where their expertise is. For some reason, a lot of defensive coaches haven’t done it. It’s time to change some of that.”

The decision has been criticized because it will cut into his time of making key calls on offense. With Smith taking his new role, Babich, although still technically the defensive coordinator, will be back to working mostly with the linebackers. The choice will put more pressure on offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who may have to make more game-time decisions that were previously left up to Smith.  See how it all works out with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

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