*** Lovie speak even crosses over to untalented guys who get caught cheating.
"It's something that happens," coach Lovie Smith said. "He's not the first guy in the league to get suspended for this reason, and that's about as much time as we can spend on it. The league says he's suspended four games. That's what we'll go with. ... When you make a mistake like that, there are consequences that go with it."
Will Metcalf still be a Bear when the suspension ends?
"We see it that way," Smith said. "I don't see why he wouldn't be. It's a four-game suspension, and that's how we're looking at it. Hopefully, we can get it back."
*** One writer is calling for Lovie Smith to take a more active role in the defense. If your guy can't get the job done, do it yourself.
The Bears seem quick on their feet only if you're holding a stopwatch.
Their inability to react quickly to game situations comes down to coaching, and if Babich wants to take responsibility for Sunday's failure, which he did after Sunday's loss, so be it. He can wear it this week.
To adjust — what a concept — maybe Smith needs to be more hands-on calling defenses to rescue Babich from allowing a season to slip away.
Smith once was known as one of the league's best defensive coordinators. But lately he has done nothing to earn a reputation as a good game-day head coach.
That trend can change only if Smith is aware it must.
*** Bears players say last week's game already out of mind.
"When you turn the film on of the next team, you can't be thinking of the last game," center Olin Kreutz said. "That's the way I put it behind me. When you turn the film on of Pat and Kevin Williams (Vikings defensive tackles with five combined Pro Bowls), you better be thinking about Pat and Kevin Williams."
I'm throwing a flag on this last one. I understand the sayings "one game at a time" and "football players have to have short memories" and in most cases I can buy it, but not here. Maybe what these guys need is to remember it. Relive it and rewatch it? What good is forgetting it if you haven't learned from it? If you are going to go out and blow leads because of stupid mistakes maybe each play should be blown up to poster size and hung up in the locker rooms. Maybe everytime a players does something boneheaded they hang a big red ex on their locker. Obviously, I'm just exagerating, but the Bears have always had this we don't make excuses attitude. They say that injuries are not an excuse, but it seems in a round about way they are. They're excuse is it was one game and it was last week, NEXT QUESTION. Coach Smith has to do something to get a hold of this careless behavior whether it's firing a coach, or taking over some play calling or getting in player's faces, but he needs to do something or I fear this is going to be a common thing for this team.