As Bears' fans we have been bred to be fans of defense and winning in the trenches. I think anything a coach can do to show positions or people who don't get big time coverage some respect is a good thing.
From The Chicago Sun-Times:
When the Bears travel to Pittsburgh for their meeting with the Steelers on Sunday, the offensive and defensive linemen will be riding in style. Coach Lovie Smith cleared out the first-class cabin in late October, moving coaches and management types into coach seats and putting the big guys in the big seats up front.
It was a none-too-subtle message to the entire team about who and what is important to the Bears.
"Just think about it -- shouldn't the big guys be up there in the nice, comfortable seats anyway?'' Smith said with a laugh. "You have to treat the linemen with respect. We finished the Green Bay game, and who were we talking about? Nathan Vasher, Charles Tillman and Thomas Jones. What [recognition] did the linemen get?''
The linemen traveled in coach for the first two road games at Washington and Cleveland, both losses. But after the Bears battled to .500 with home victories over Minnesota and Baltimore, the top seven linemen on each side of the ball, along with team captains, were surprised with first-class seats for the short flight to Detroit. Smith stayed with the same seating arrangement for trips to Baton Rouge, La., and Tampa, Fla. The Bears won all three road games during their eight-game winning streak.
"It shows how humble your coach is that he can take himself down and move back like that,'' defensive tackle Tommie Harris said. "It shows you how much of a players' coach he is that he would give his seat and all that leg room to a player.''