January 6, 2009

Bears release linebackers coach Lloyd Lee

By: By Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 1/6/2009 6:07 PM

 

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Tuesday released linebackers coach Lloyd Lee.

 

Lee originally joined the team in 2004 as a defensive quality control coach, a role which he filled for two seasons before becoming a defensive assistant working with linebackers in 2006 and nickel backs in 2007. This past season was Lee’s first as linebackers coach.

 

Last Tuesday the Bears released defensive backs coach Steve Wilks after three seasons with the team. Another defensive assistant who won’t return in 2009 is line coach Brick Haley, who is pursuing an opportunity at the college level. Haley was with the Bears for two seasons.

This is really making me sick. Not that Lee was fired. Frankly, I had a thread calling for him to be released. What makes me sick is the follow-up I am reading. While it may not happen, there is speculation that Marinelli's son-in-law, I think that is the relation, wants the job and we may be looking at the two as a combo deal.

 

I am 100% on board w/ letting Brick and Lee go. But we are talking about replaced the two w/ the coach of the first ever 0-16 team and the DC of that team which ran the worst defense in the league. Are you kidding me?

This is really making me sick. Not that Lee was fired. Frankly, I had a thread calling for him to be released. What makes me sick is the follow-up I am reading. While it may not happen, there is speculation that Marinelli's son-in-law, I think that is the relation, wants the job and we may be looking at the two as a combo deal.

 

I am 100% on board w/ letting Brick and Lee go. But we are talking about replaced the two w/ the coach of the first ever 0-16 team and the DC of that team which ran the worst defense in the league. Are you kidding me?

It might be a good thing...we have more talent for them to work with than the Lions had.

But how much is due to their inability to develop talent? LB is not a position that was ignored in Detroit. Consider some of the players they have recently drafted:

 

Jordan Dixon - 2008 2nd round.

Ernie Sims - 2006 1st round (9th pick overall)

Teddy Lehman - 2004 2nd round

Boss Bailey - 2003 2nd round

 

I am not even counting numerous 2nd day picks taken as high as the 4th round. Detroit has invested more at the LB position in the draft than we. They have taken players who were very highly touted pre-draft. And yet, how well have they developed?

 

 

It might be a good thing...we have more talent for them to work with than the Lions had.

But how much is due to their inability to develop talent? LB is not a position that was ignored in Detroit. Consider some of the players they have recently drafted:

 

Jordan Dixon - 2008 2nd round.

Ernie Sims - 2006 1st round (9th pick overall)

Teddy Lehman - 2004 2nd round

Boss Bailey - 2003 2nd round

 

I am not even counting numerous 2nd day picks taken as high as the 4th round. Detroit has invested more at the LB position in the draft than we. They have taken players who were very highly touted pre-draft. And yet, how well have they developed?

Out of those draft picks only Sims was a true stud playes at LB. The others were products of a good system. Now Boss is gone to Denver and still sits the bench, Lehman and Dixon are average like Williams and Roach for us.

And how did Sims develop thus far? Tackle machine, but nothing close to the top 10 pick player drafted to be.

 

As for the rest, come on. It is too easy to write off pretty much any player. I think you are making excuses here. Leyman, Dixon and Boss were all very well thought of LBs who simply didn't develop. I think you absolutely can look at the coaches for this.

 

And you say average like Williams and Roach for us, but (a) Roach was not a 2nd round pick, nor expected to be more than a special teams guy and Williams is an unknown as he sits behind Briggs. Leyman, Dixon and Boss were all talented, but simply never developed. While I know full well this happens, and often, I still think it easy to question Detroits ability to develop LBs, one of the few non-WR position they invested in pretty heavy, and Marinelli and his son easy warrant some questions on this.

 

Out of those draft picks only Sims was a true stud playes at LB. The others were products of a good system. Now Boss is gone to Denver and still sits the bench, Lehman and Dixon are average like Williams and Roach for us.

This is really making me sick. Not that Lee was fired. Frankly, I had a thread calling for him to be released. What makes me sick is the follow-up I am reading. While it may not happen, there is speculation that Marinelli's son-in-law, I think that is the relation, wants the job and we may be looking at the two as a combo deal.

 

I am 100% on board w/ letting Brick and Lee go. But we are talking about replaced the two w/ the coach of the first ever 0-16 team and the DC of that team which ran the worst defense in the league. Are you kidding me?

What's the law, you know, like Murphy's, that says you get promoted to the point of your incompetency? Perhaps that is Marinelli's case. Hey, Tampa certainly did not have DL problems when he was the coach there. And he did go directly from DL coach to head coach.

I don't have a problem with him coming in. His son-in-law, though, is another matter. This strikes me as a deal that reunites the old boys from the Bucs and Marinelli agrees 'cause his son-in-law gets to stay close and is employed. That I don't like.

This is really making me sick. Not that Lee was fired. Frankly, I had a thread calling for him to be released. What makes me sick is the follow-up I am reading. While it may not happen, there is speculation that Marinelli's son-in-law, I think that is the relation, wants the job and we may be looking at the two as a combo deal.

 

I am 100% on board w/ letting Brick and Lee go. But we are talking about replaced the two w/ the coach of the first ever 0-16 team and the DC of that team which ran the worst defense in the league. Are you kidding me?

What's the law, you know, like Murphy's, that says you get promoted to the point of your incompetency? Perhaps that is Marinelli's case. Hey, Tampa certainly did not have DL problems when he was the coach there. And he did go directly from DL coach to head coach.

I don't have a problem with him coming in. His son-in-law, though, is another matter. This strikes me as a deal that reunites the old boys from the Bucs and Marinelli agrees 'cause his son-in-law gets to stay close and is employed. That I don't like.

Agreed Chile...

 

If he hadn't failed in Det, I'd say what the heck... But given the failure of those coaches, heck failure of all our coaches now, I don't trust a single one of them.

 

What's the law, you know, like Murphy's, that says you get promoted to the point of your incompetency? Perhaps that is Marinelli's case. Hey, Tampa certainly did not have DL problems when he was the coach there. And he did go directly from DL coach to head coach.

I don't have a problem with him coming in. His son-in-law, though, is another matter. This strikes me as a deal that reunites the old boys from the Bucs and Marinelli agrees 'cause his son-in-law gets to stay close and is employed. That I don't like.

Agreed Chile...

 

If he hadn't failed in Det, I'd say what the heck... But given the failure of those coaches, heck failure of all our coaches now, I don't trust a single one of them.

 

Me neither. It looks like guys just hiring their friends...and it pisses me off.

 

Boss Bailey was thought of as a complete stud coming out of college. I'm convinced he still has the tools. Detroit did nothing with the guy after he had a monster rookie year.

Boss Bailey had monster rookie hype, I don't recall a monster rookie year. He was a lightweight coming out of college and IIRC was often injured.

I complete agree with you about Boss! I was really hoping we'd take a peek before he went to DEN (at least I think it was DEN...)

 

Me neither. It looks like guys just hiring their friends...and it pisses me off.

 

Boss Bailey was thought of as a complete stud coming out of college. I'm convinced he still has the tools. Detroit did nothing with the guy after he had a monster rookie year.

I'mnot so sure it was "monster" per se...but I recall it being quite good with a ton of promise...

 

Boss Bailey had monster rookie hype, I don't recall a monster rookie year. He was a lightweight coming out of college and IIRC was often injured.

At this point, whatever. Best case, Marinelli and friends can turn our defense around. The guys we had there were terrible, these guys absolutely cant be worse. If they cant and we have another bad year defensively and miss the playoffs and have under performing players than more than likely Lovie is history and he can take his gaggle of idiots with him. Lovies job is on the line so if these guys cant turn it around he will be gone.