Fire 'em. Fire 'em all. After the Bears let the playoffs slip out of their hands, everyone who has anything to do with the team should start looking for a new job.
Start at the top. Jerry Angelo must go, immediately. The man is an ineffective judge of talent and character. The Cedric Benson/Thomas Jones situation proved that. Jones was let go, and is now the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL for the Jets. Cedric Benson was kept around, and well, we know how that turned out. He has gotten lucky on a few players, like Matt Forte, but it's still too early in Forte's career to consider Angelo a genius. Mr. Angelo, you need to go.
Lovie Smith and his staff are next on the list. Their play calling all season long was abominable. They also failed to inspire the team to win the most important game of the season, today's. The easygoing training camp didn't help with the team's conditioning, either. Smith and his staff seem like good people, but sorry, pink slips for all of you go.
Next, it's time to get rid of the players. All of them. Maybe 53 contracts are a bit much to absorb, but it doesn't matter. The team needs a fresh start. Maybe Forte, lone Pro Bowler Lance Briggs and Robbie Gould can stay. And Bray Maynard, since he is the sexiest Bear. But that's it! The rest of you are gone.
The rest of the staff should start looking for new jobs, too. Trainers, PR people, equipment managers, receptionist -- goodbye! You clearly can't help the team reach the playoffs, so I'm sorry. This just isn't working out.
Finally, the fans need to go. It doesn't matter that you've been a loyal Bears fan since Red Grange wore the navy and orange. It doesn't matter that you just got a new pair of Bears pajama pants for your daughter for Christmas. It doesn't even matter if you have invested your child's college fund on season tickets. Your fandom hasn't contributed much, so it's time to bring in new fans. Quite honestly, it's not fair to ask fans to keep cheering on a team who underperforms so spectacularly. So, Bears fans, turn in your sweatshirts, Bear claws and navy and orange body paint. It's time to move on.
How do you feel? Don't forget to chat live with Paula Faris, Daryl Hawks and the rest of the Sports Sunday: Post-Game Show crew tonight at 10:00 p.m. right here at NBCChicago.com/sports!
