Emery and Lovie: What does the new GM mean for the coach?

The Phil Emery hire was a good one, and I like it, as a lot of Bears fans do, but he isn't exactly going to shake up Halas Hall or somehow drastically change the way things are done. The team and the man himself have already said this. Mainly everything is the same as when Jerry Angelo was in charge, except, the hope is that Emery can actually evaluate and pick good talent. One of the bigger things people have been harping on about is that Emery is stuck with, for better or worse, Lovie Smith for the 2012 season.

So then Lovie, let's see what you got.

I may be in a minority here but I think Lovie Smith is a good coach. It was the right move to keep him in place, his way still has the players on his side, playing hard for him and while the team isn't an annual playoff team, they are usually right in the thick of it. I am sure he could do better, especially on something like challenges but I think he is in the top half of coaches in the league.

So bringing in a new GM is a good opportunity for him. Lovie has had to work with the talent he was given by Jerry Angelo, and sure, he had say in the process too, he's in the war room on draft day but Angleo had FINAL say, just as Emery will.

Emery could and I think will, see things differently than Angelo, he'll look for different attributes and value certain things that maybe JA didn't. That's good for Lovie.

Just as we all seem to make excuses for Jay Cutler and why this offense hasn't taken off and he become an elite quarterback, Lovie has the same problem. What's he got to work with? His defense is usually pretty good, but just like Cutler, the team has no offensive line or wide receivers. There is only so much a coach can do. Plus, there really hasn't been a lot of consistent talent along the defensive line or safety spot.

Get on Lovie all you want for the revolving door at safety, you aren't wrong, but then again what's he got to work with? He can only get the best guys to play when they are healthy and even if they are healthy, he can only work with what the GM gives him.

Phil Emery cannot work miracles in one off season, there are a lot of areas and things he has on his plate right away and even some job openings he isn't going to be able to fill until after the draft. I am not saying that Emery is some how make this team the most talented roster in the league (although I am sure inexplicably Lovie and Urlacher will say this is the best team since the '06 team, even better perhaps).

I do think though that Lovie has gotten the most out of each and every team he has coached in his time in Chicago and I believe he's got two years now to prove just how good of a coach he is. Emery will hopefully bring in better-fitting puzzle pieces than JA did and Lovie can really cement his place in Chicago Bears coaching history.

He is running out of excuses though, and now, it's all up to him.