Two Birds

Let’s see, now. The University of Illinois has just fired football coach Lovie Smith while the Bears may do the same with Matt Nagy. Maybe the two should trade jobs. I mean, Captain Visor spouts the kind of rah-rah gibber that the college game thrives on. Consider this gem from today’s Sun-Times: “The guys are playing with confidence [as shown by their 1-6 record over the past seven games], and I do believe that’s real for Mitchell right now, and I like where he’s at.” This is just what the Illini need after a 45-0 loss to Ohio State or Michigan. Conversely, Smith is the coach the Munsters have tried yet failed to replicate three times and counting. They can’t do it because no one has better credentials for the job than Lovie Smith. The Bears hate quarterbacks; so does Smith. They love defense, as does Smith. There’s an unwritten team rule that two-minute drills are to be stopped, not continue on to a score with time running out in the half; Smith probably authored the rule. And Smith treats the media with just the right amount of contempt to bring a collective smile to the McCaskey clan. Lovie for Matt, the beard for the visor. It’s the perfect trade, at least in Bizarro World.