The Chicago Bears are five days away from playing a football game and Roquan Smith still hasn’t reported to training camp.
Smith’s absence has generated some negative push-back, including Dave Wannstedt, who hasn’t coached the team since 1998:
Dave Wannstedt visiting Bourbonnais for the first time today. Seems flummoxed by Roquan Smith’s absence. Called it “pretty selfish from an agent standpoint.”
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) July 27, 2018
Naturally, Wannstedt received some serious backlash for calling out “selfish” behavior:
https://twitter.com/randymac81/status/1022935862131281922
Randy McMichael was a tight end on the 2004 Dolphins when Wannstedt resigned midseason, a move that allowed him to take the University of Pittsburgh head coaching position before the NFL season even ended. Even though the team was 1-8 at the time of Wannstedt’s resignation, it’s understandable for players to feel abandoned when their coach leaves them and takes another job in-season.
The hits didn’t stop there, as retired All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas weighed in on the ex-Bears coach:
https://twitter.com/joethomas73/status/1022880044618788865
Wannstedt, he coached the Bears to a 40-56 record from 1993-98 and knows first hand of what kind of negative impact a holdout can have on a team. Wannstedt’s final year in Chicago started poorly when first-round running back Curtis Enis missed 25 days of practice as a holdout in 1998. The high-profile holdout was a non-factor as a rookie and never gained solid footing in Chicago, gaining 1,497 yards and scoring just four touchdowns on 456 carries from 1998-2000.
Now, Wannstedt serves as a football analyst on several platforms. And because of his profile (and his past), any criticism he dishes out is probably going to be met by a counter-punch. That’s life in the NFL, even after you’ve turned in your head-set and playbook for a mic and a script.
As for Smith, he is simply trying to do what is best for him. Even the best NFL careers are short-lived, so Smith is totally within his rights to secure the best deal possible for himself while he can.
There is no denying that the University of Georgia product is missing valuable practice time during his holdout, but the Bears got a head-start to their practice season and have an extra preseason game to play. So it’s not that big of a deal if he misses Thursday’s Hall of Fame game. There is still plenty of time for Smith to play catch-up should a deal come together between now and the team’s second preseason game gets underway.