The Status Quo Bears

By George Ofman

The quote qualifies as the paradox of the young year.

"Status quo was not an option."

Bears President Ted Phillips said it often enough during a Tuesday press conference to make us wonder just what status quo means.

Even as Phillips said "We expect to win now, this is not a long-term project in our eyes."

Phillips must have been wearing rose-colored glasses. The last I looked the Bears do not have a first- or second-round pick in this year's draft and with an uncapped season ahead, there will be few free agents to pick from.

"Status quo was not an option."

But firing a half dozen coaches - including offensive coordinator Ron Turner - was.

You can rearrange the furniture all you want, but if the interior decorator and his most trusted assistant are still around, don't expect a total makeover.

Phillips wouldn't say it but isn't it obvious?

The Bears retained an "excited" Lovie and Angelo because of dollars, not sense.

Axing the head coach would have cost $11 million - plus dozens more in hiring a new coach and his staff.

And with a possible work stoppage looming in 2011, it figured the bottom line had to play a major role in these decisions.

This was clearly about money, even though Phillips maintained that "The conclusion was made Jerry and Lovie still know what it takes to win. They are aware of the mistakes we made and they both welcome change."

Yes, there will be change. Lovie no longer is the defensive coordinator, a job he ripped from Ron Rivera then exclaimed "trust me."

It's possible Rod Marinelli will replace him - the same Rod Marinelli who didn't exactly turn the defensive line into a ferocious bunch of sack-happy Bears.

And the Bears might hire Joe Cullen to replace Marinelli. The bare facts are that Cullen was arrested twice while an assistant under Marinelli in Detroit; once for drunk driving and the other for running the naked bootleg through a fast food drive-through window.

"Status quo was not an option."

So this is why Ron Turner and Pep Hamilton are looking for work.

Hamilton was the quarterbacks coach and when your quarterback of the future throws 26 interceptions (and way too many in the red zone), someone has to pay the price.

The Bears now must find an offensive coordinator capable of reconstructing Jay Cutler.

Among the names that have already been bandied about: Mike Martz, who says he's interested in the job. Martz was the head coach in St. Louis when they won the Super Bowl; Lovie was his defensive coordinator. Then Martz moved on to Detroit where he was offensive coordinator under head coach Marinelli.

And if the Bears miss the playoffs again? Will the status quo be even less of an option?

I think I'll have a beer with a status quo chaser.

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George Ofman is now with WGN radio after a 17-year run with The Score. He also blogs for ChicagoNow under the banner That's All She Wrote. Comments welcome.