Bob Babich

by mjw54 on Jan 5, 2009 12:30 PM CST Comment 20 comments

Why is everyone on this guy's ass?

It all starts with the D-Line and the talent there is absolutely miserable.

Only Alex Brown was worth a damn. Tommie Harris might just be the most overrated football player since Jim McMahon. Adams and Harrison were complete non factors; Ogunleye showed up once in a while; and you don't hear much anymore about the Bears' draft day brilliance that allowed them to get Mark Anderson with a 5th round selection. Oh, almost forgot: Dusty Dvoracek ... 10 games of irrelevant performance, then another season ending injury. Get rid of this guy.

Consequently, Babich had to load the box with 8 guys and blitz more than any other NFL team. NO ONE could have coached this unit to even a passable grade. Not Buddy Ryan, not Marinelli - NO ONE.

If the standard is to contend for the SB, then their D-Line grade is D-.

Is Babich the right guy? A good or bad coach? No one knows. But if they think a minor tweak here and there and a new coach will get them back to prominence, they're kidding themselves. A complete overhaul of personnel is needed on the D-Line.

But unfortunately, they have so many other needs (Ahem ... Offense), that might not be possible.

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Really?

You do realize that this Defense is almost the exact same as the one in 2006 that was Top 5 in the league? That they started to play like shit immediately after Babich took over? This defense, aside from Briggs and Alex Brown, wasn’t very good as a whole. The secondary played 5-10 yard cushions leaving slants open all day which teams took advantage of. It’s hard to blame the D-line for not getting pressure on a 3 step drop.

by McRipper on Jan 5, 2009 1:07 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Same as 2006? So what?

I’m trying to understand the relevance of that statement. First, it’s not true. Everyone is 2 years older. That’a a lifetime in the NFL
Second, again, so what? I don’t know where they finished in D in 2006 (Yes, I know they were in the SB) but they were 24th this year. 24TH!
Lastly, go back and look at the last few reg. season games of 2006, the Playoffs and the SB. Tell me what you see in the way of a pass rush. If you answered “None” you’d be right. My lasting image of the SB is Manning sitting back there with absolutely zero pressure, taking all day to go through his reads.

by mjw54 on Jan 5, 2009 6:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Our corners are not even 30

Harris is in his 4th season.
Briggs is in his prime.

Urlacher, Ogunleye and Brown are old, everyone else should be better than ever!

Kick it to me... I'm open!

by #23 on Jan 5, 2009 7:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

WTF?

First, it’s not true? Are you serious? You just agreed with me. You tell me it’s not true that they don’t have the same defense then you spend the last part of your post telling me that they didn’t even get pressure back in 2006? “I don’t know where they finished in D in 2006 (Yes, I know they were in the SB) but they were 24th this year. 24TH!” is what you wrote. You said it’s not Babich’s fault and I just pointed out that they went from a Top 5 defense to 24th in 2 years. You really think 2 years is that much of a difference? Look at the Ravens. They have an old MLB, old corners, and they are still the best defense in the league. Since 2000, they have been the best. Don’t tell me that 2 years makes that big a difference. I’ll tell you what does though, a suck ass Bob Babich.

by McRipper on Jan 5, 2009 8:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I did not say Babich isn't to blame

I said we don’t really know because the D-Line play is so bad. My theory is this: They have a miserable D-Line and pass rush. Actually, “miserable is the wrong word; "none” in terms of a pass rush is more appropriate.
Given that lack of talent and heart (Hello Tommie Harris), Babich did what any D-Coordinator would have done: He loaded the box with 8 guys and blitzed his ass off. He was trying to compensate for a world class terrible D-Line.
It didn’t work. They stunk anyway.
The knee jerk reaction on everyone’s part is “Babich stinks; get rid of him”.
Does Babich bear some responsibility? Absolutely.
Does the D-Line coach bear some? Unquestionably, and he’s now the ex-Coach.
Do the players bear some? Huge.
Do Angelo and Smith bear responsibility for not recognizing this problem that goes back 2 years and doing nothing? Absolutely.
So my point is simple: It’s not as simple as blaming Babich. Lots of people to blame. Maybe he does need to go; maybe he’s a lousy coach who can’t adjust. But he was dealt a lousy hand and THAT can’t be denied.

by mjw54 on Jan 6, 2009 7:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Here's my problem with Babich

Lovie is his keeper.

Lovie, Babich, and Marinelli are all good buddies. THAT is not good. We already had a country club atmosphere on defense this year; how would it be if Marinelli showed up? (Aside: I think Marinelli is an overall good guy and I think he’s a good defensive coach. However, the last thing I want the Bears to pick up is another country club member)

Lovie enables Babich to run the same defense. Rivera didn’t want to do what Lovie wanted, and he got fired after a Super Bowl season. Think about that. Our D-Coordinator got fired. After we went to the Super Bowl. Does that make any sense? I was infuriated when that happened.

You have some valid points, I’m not denying that. But I hate this nonchalant attitude that Lovie gives off about the defense. If Lovie does that, you better believe Babich does too.

I'M A MAN! I'M 22!

by ChiFan13 on Jan 6, 2009 9:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh,

and he was dealt an amazing defense. He was not dealt a bad hand. He magically turned pocket aces into a 5-2.

I'M A MAN! I'M 22!

by ChiFan13 on Jan 6, 2009 9:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Buddy Ryan would have ripped these guys up and down for 2 straight seasons.

This defense would have been shipped out during the offseason if they performed as crappy as they did in 07. Ryan was 10x’s the coordinator that Babich ever will be and I hate Ryan.

Kick it to me... I'm open!

by #23 on Jan 5, 2009 1:24 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

You bring up a couple of good points,

But one thing about Babich, in my opinion, is he never changed the gameplan. As I have posted in other places, it seemed like we would have the same game plan week after week, and get exploited week after week, but make no adjustments. Very true, we had a lot of under-performing players on D, but the coaching staff has to eventually say: The players aren’t able to execute the gameplan, so we have to change it up. It seemed like the whole season was spent saying the opposite: The gameplan will work if our players step it up. Unfortunately, that blame falls on the coaching staff, not the players.

Residence: Portland, Oregon Pro Team: Da Bears NCAA Football: LSU Baby!! Make sense?

by GeauxBears on Jan 5, 2009 1:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Babich is a pawn

You’re right, the problem is not Babich personally, it’s that Lovie insists on playing the Tampa 2. That’s why Ron Rivera got bounced; he insisted on running more of a hybrid, because he knew that suited the Bears’ personnel better. But Lovie didn’t like that, and fired him. Then he promoted his buddy Babich and gave him his marching orders.

Thing is, Babich also knows the Bears’ personnel isn’t suited to the Tampa 2—specifically that the front four can’t generate the pressure that’s essential to the defense. That’s why he started having Urlacher and Briggs walk up to the line and fake the blitz. What else can he do?

But offensive coordinators know that if Urlacher’s up at the line, he’s not going to make it deep enough to cover the most vulnerable part of the secondary, the deep middle. So that’s where they attacked, with great results.

It’s not the defensive coordinator, it’s Lovie’s stubbornness. That’s why he has to go. Give the defense back to someone like Rivera, and it gets better immediately.

by garsky on Jan 5, 2009 2:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Let me just remind everyone...

that days after the Super Bowl, Lovie fired his D-Line coach, Don Johnson, because they didn’t see eye-to-eye on Mark Anderson’s playing time. Lovie then soon after promoted Anderson to starter over Alex Brown without competition… and nearly lost Alex Brown to personal trade demands afterwards.

Mark Anderson had 12 sacks, 28 tackles, and 4 forced fumbles in 2006, under the coaching of Don Johnson… as a pass rush specialist.

In 2007, in a starting role, he only registered 5 sacks, 31 tackles, and 1 forced fumble.
In 2008, Mark Anderson registered just 1 single sack.

Who’s responsible for this decline in performance? Is it the player, or the coaching staff? Now… there’s my case for Rod Marinelli to take over as D-Line coach, where he succeeded in Tampa. I just can;t figure out how to get Babich out of the picture.

I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008

by SackMan on Jan 5, 2009 5:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Go ahead, defend these guys

My point is this: I’m NOT defending Babich; but I’m not inclined to throw him under the bus as readily as everyone else wants to do. He might be great/He might be terrible. We don’t know, because the one thing I’m firm in my belief on is the players they have on the D-Line stink, except for Alex Brown.
1) The D-Line was overrated in 2006 - Go back and look at the SB and the several games leading up to it and tell me where the pass rush was. Manning had all day; so did Brady when they played the Pats. So did other QBs from about the 10th game on. Some great Tommie Harris moments admittedly, but since then his performance has slid more precipitously than any other Bear. Now he’s hardly a factor. He’s the D-Line version of Curtis Conway: Big mouth and bad attitude. (Or big mouth/bad hands in Conway’s case)
2) If you want to say they’re great players and coaching is the only problem, that’s your opinion. I don’t buy it. Guys like Dusty Dvoracek, Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, Harrison, Adams – they’re all judged by their performance like everyone else. It’s just weak to say they had lousy coaching, bad schemes, etc. I can’t get the vision of Green Bay and Minnesota ripping holes the size of a barn to run through. That wasn’t bad coaching; it was guys getting blown off the ball.
3) It’s unfortunate their D Line is so bad because they have so many other needs. QB, WR, FS to name the most glaring. How do you decide which to spend draft picks and money on?

by mjw54 on Jan 5, 2009 6:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You buy what it risky in the draft like QB and WR

You draft what you can’t buy in FA, DE and Safety.

OL could go either way. Some are available and you could draft a guy, but you should do it in the first round. Since we also need a first round DE and Safety. Buy offensive line as well.

Kick it to me... I'm open!

by #23 on Jan 5, 2009 8:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

well its neither here nor there...

b/c the bears offered marinelli the d-line job which means babich isn’t going anywhere.

by Hatchetm on Jan 6, 2009 6:53 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

well

Watching the bears get embarrassed by green bay was the final straw for me. Babbich had no clue what plays to call, We drop 8 for pass defense, GB runs; We blitz 7, GB does a quick pass. Just awful, awful play calling.

Vasher said it best when me mentioned that the bears always give up the inside slant in goal line situations….. RED FLAG RIGHT THERE. The coaching is terrible. And I dont remember any of these schemes in Rivera’s Defense (which was a top 5 defense).

by jeepdays on Jan 7, 2009 9:22 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Rivera great? Not so sure

Was Rivera a much better D-Coord’r than Babich? I know it’s counterintuitive but I’m not so sure. San Diego’s numbers this year – and yes, I know he didn’t take the helm until midway through the year – were average. 31st in passing yards; 25th in total yards; 15th in pts allowed. So that’s better than the Bears and Babich. But three of those 8 or so games were against Oakland and Kansas City.

But we can argue that all day. Again, my points are this:
1) It is way too easy to blame the coach. There HAS to be more to it.
2) The Bears’ pass rush has been bad going back to midway through the 2006 season when Rivera was there. I don’t know but would guess Mark Anderson got most of those 2006 sacks in the first 8 games. Then teams figured him out.
3) I just found it very curious that: 1) River was fired after a SB season; 2) No one wanted him as a HEad Coach; 3) No one wanted him as even a D-Coord’r.

So let’s hold off on the Rivera coronation. And for Babich’s sake can we please get some better, more inspired ballplayers? Maybe Marinelli, if he takes the job, can get through to Tommi Harris, the Bears’ Tin Man. No heart, always blaming injuries, big contract, big mouth.

by mjw54 on Jan 7, 2009 9:59 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Have you forgotten Tommie's hamstring tear?

If my memory serves me correctly, Tommie tore his hamstring before the Rams game in ‘06. That’s when the defense really started to go down hill. A healthy Tommie Harris is the key to our d-line. Anderson was just fortunate enough to benefit from how much focus Tommie got. Another key mistake was was made before the ’07 season began when we traded away Chris Harris to the Panthers. Then we lost the only quality depth we had at safety.

by samurai_ewok on Jan 7, 2009 11:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

But...

A healthy Tommie Harris is the key to our d-line.

He was healthy this year….

I'M A MAN! I'M 22!

by ChiFan13 on Jan 7, 2009 4:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Harris and the hamstring ...

You sure about that? I thought he tore it in 2007.
I’m tired of hearing how this guy is the be-all/end all.
Every week I seem to read “Tommie Harris didn’t practice today; he should start on Sunday”.

What is this guy, like 26 years old? He’s NEVER healthy. So let’s suspend any analysis of Tommie Harris that starts with “When healthy …”.

Maybe he’s on juice; or maybe he’s just one of those guys who always gets hurt. But “when hurt”, which he always is, he’s no better than an average or below average DT.

by mjw54 on Jan 8, 2009 4:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You call yourself a Bear Fan?

You should be ashamed of yourself. I know you don’t live in the Chi, because if you did you’d be lynched by now. Take your shame to another team. Spare us. Jim McMahon is a hero in Chicago, an icon. He’s immortalized in the Chi. You’re pitiful, you disgust me, how dare you attempt to be a representative of the Chicago Football Bears.

Let me ask you, when’s the last time the Bears won the SuperBowl? Back in ’85 with Jim McMahon at QB!!! Show some respect, you filthy animal.

by 3ndOutBears55 on Jan 11, 2009 10:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs