NEWSLETTER
You know the story of the 2006 Chicago Bears by now.
But if you don’t, here’s what you need to know: The Bears won 13 games en route to a second consecutive NFC North championship. From there, they knocked off the Seahawks and Saints to win the George S. Halas Trophy for the first time since their Super Bowl XX winning campaign. They lost to the Super Bowl against the Colts in a game I don’t have much interest in re-hashing.
HOWEVER, what we didn’t know is that Lovie Smith was a hype man in disguise.
Check out this locker room video of Smith, Kreutz, and Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera rallying the troops when the Bears were facing a 20-0 halftime deficit against the the 1-4 Cardinals on Monday Night Football from October 16, 2006:
WELP, if you don’t want to run through a wall for these guys, then nothing is ever going to motivate you.
Lovie Smith probably wasn’t the first person you think of when searching for someone to give a half-time pep talk. But much like a father figure who isn’t mad, but disappointed in your early efforts, Smith found the right words and tone to lift spirits in a time of need.
Smith was never like this in front of cameras or when mic’d up, but this glimpse inside the locker room presents Exhibit A as to what made him a player’s coach. Whether you liked or disliked Smith’s style was irrelevant. What mattered is that you respect it. And on October 16, 2006, the Bears are who we thought they were — thanks in part to their leader.
