Coffee Warlord
01-04-2005, 03:51 PM
And the hunt for Yet Another Offensive Coordinator begins. I only wish they shitcanned Angelo while they were at it. Frankly, I'm not really convinced Shea was the problem here.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/cs-050104bears,1,4079546.story?coll=cs-bears-headlines
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Terry Shea Tuesday after a season in which the team had the NFL's worst offense.
The Bears, who finished 5-11, also ranked last in six major statistical categories, including scoring and total yards. Shea had been with the Bears for one season.
"It was a tough decision," said Lovie Smith, who just finished his first season as Bears head coach. "He's a good man, a good coach, but I felt like this was the direction that we had to go to."
Smith said the team is in the process of looking for a replacement.
The Bears lost six of its last seven games. The Bears had more lost fumbles (21) than offensive touchdowns (19).
"Every coach had all of my full support really as were going through the season, but as you look at things after the season and we're 5-11 and that isn't good enough," Smith said.
Shea was previously the quarterbacks coach of the high-scoring Kansas City Chiefs. His hiring last January had been applauded by Bears fans and players alike, who hoped he would bring excitement to an offense that was characterized as boring under the man he replaced, John Shoop.
Also, none other than the father of the "West Coast" offense, Bill Walsh, praised Shea as an innovator when Shea was being considered for the Bears job.
Shea came aboard promising a major makeover featuring a version of the offense style that calls on the quarterback to make accurate throws and get the ball to receivers and backs, who are counted on to get yardage after the catch and make adjustments depending on the defense. It's predicated on first-down production, protecting the football and reeling off sizable plays.
But the Bears were unable to pull it off.
And in fairness, Shea's offense didn't have all of its working parts. Quarterback Rex Grossman was lost in the third game of the season with a knee injury, and the Bears went through three more starters.
Shea had been Walsh's offensive coordinator at Stanford from 1992-94, and he joined the Chiefs in 2001 after five years as head coach at Rutgers, where he compiled an 11-44 record.
Following his three-year stint with Walsh at Stanford, he was with the CFL's British Columbia Lions in 1995. Shea joined Stanford after a two-year head coaching stint at San Jose State (1990-91) where he compiled a 15-6-2 record and led the school to a pair of Big West titles.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/cs-050104bears,1,4079546.story?coll=cs-bears-headlines
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Terry Shea Tuesday after a season in which the team had the NFL's worst offense.
The Bears, who finished 5-11, also ranked last in six major statistical categories, including scoring and total yards. Shea had been with the Bears for one season.
"It was a tough decision," said Lovie Smith, who just finished his first season as Bears head coach. "He's a good man, a good coach, but I felt like this was the direction that we had to go to."
Smith said the team is in the process of looking for a replacement.
The Bears lost six of its last seven games. The Bears had more lost fumbles (21) than offensive touchdowns (19).
"Every coach had all of my full support really as were going through the season, but as you look at things after the season and we're 5-11 and that isn't good enough," Smith said.
Shea was previously the quarterbacks coach of the high-scoring Kansas City Chiefs. His hiring last January had been applauded by Bears fans and players alike, who hoped he would bring excitement to an offense that was characterized as boring under the man he replaced, John Shoop.
Also, none other than the father of the "West Coast" offense, Bill Walsh, praised Shea as an innovator when Shea was being considered for the Bears job.
Shea came aboard promising a major makeover featuring a version of the offense style that calls on the quarterback to make accurate throws and get the ball to receivers and backs, who are counted on to get yardage after the catch and make adjustments depending on the defense. It's predicated on first-down production, protecting the football and reeling off sizable plays.
But the Bears were unable to pull it off.
And in fairness, Shea's offense didn't have all of its working parts. Quarterback Rex Grossman was lost in the third game of the season with a knee injury, and the Bears went through three more starters.
Shea had been Walsh's offensive coordinator at Stanford from 1992-94, and he joined the Chiefs in 2001 after five years as head coach at Rutgers, where he compiled an 11-44 record.
Following his three-year stint with Walsh at Stanford, he was with the CFL's British Columbia Lions in 1995. Shea joined Stanford after a two-year head coaching stint at San Jose State (1990-91) where he compiled a 15-6-2 record and led the school to a pair of Big West titles.