ESPN's new studio analyst and former Cowboys coach, Bill Parcells spoke out on the Lovie Smith situation. Turns out he is quite impressed with Smith.
"I would give him the highest possible grade because there were a lot of moving parts on that team and he had to live though a lot of things and adjustments, particularly at quarterback.
"Now that he's set, the Bears have continuity. [Smith] is there. The general manager's in place. The philosophy is in place. That's what you need in pro football, to maintain consistency. Sometimes you can't get it done in two or three years exactly the way you want to."
The article implies that Lovie Smith was under appreciated. Now I don't know what Bears ownership thought of Smith, but I don't recall anybody not appreciating him, they just were hoping to not have to pay anybody any real money.