lavee383
Sir Ngr to you.
Rivera won't return to Bears for 2007 season
http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=3083
The Bears on Monday announced that Ron Rivera will not return for a fourth season as the team’s defensive coordinator. The three-year contract that Rivera signed when he was hired in 2004 expires next week.
“I’ve decided to go in a different direction with the defensive coordinator’s position,” said coach Lovie Smith. “I really appreciate the job Ron did for us for three years and I’m excited about his future going in a different direction. But it’s my job to put us in the best situation to move forward and I think this will give both of us a chance to go in the direction we’d like to.”
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Rivera wasn't out of work for long. Late Monday he accepted a job as linebackers coach with the Chargers. Earlier in the day, San Diego had named Norv Turner, brother of Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, as their new head coach.
Smith was asked how his coaching staff is better without Rivera.
“I think you should trust me as the head football coach to put us in the best position to win football games,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. I feel comfortable that we’ll have an outstanding staff next year and put ourselves in a good position to win.”
Smith denied that philosophical differences led to the Bears parting ways with Rivera.
“It’s none of that at all,” he said. “Ron had the same philosophy that we have his entire time here. You'll always do things differently if you're some other place. You'll never do things exactly the same way. But there was never a problem with our philosophy. We played great defense while Ron was here and we’re going to play good defense now that Ron is gone.”
When asked about performance issues, Smith said: “Those are the things Ron and I talked about. We feel good about the things we did together during that time, but no more needs to be said about that. That’s between he and I.
"It’s just a fit that we have and right now the direction I would like to go and the direction that Ron would like to go. We’re going in two different directions."
Rivera was asked by a reporter whether there was a personality conflict between him and Smith.
“I don’t think there is, I really don’t,” he said. “I believe this is just a football decision and it was made. Emotionally, I’m disappointed in not getting the opportunity to come back in ’07 because as I said after the (Super Bowl) loss, this is a football team that’s headed in the right direction.
“(There are) a lot of quality football players on this roster … and I really believe that this football team has every opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl next season.”
Butkus hired: In other news Monday, the Bears hired Luke Butkus as assistant offensive line coach.
Butkus, the nephew of Bears legend Dick Butkus, was signed by Chicago as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Illinois in 2002, went to training camp with the Bears and was waived on Sept. 1, 2002.
Butkus was a graduate assistant at the University of Oregon the past two seasons.
http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=3083
The Bears on Monday announced that Ron Rivera will not return for a fourth season as the team’s defensive coordinator. The three-year contract that Rivera signed when he was hired in 2004 expires next week.
“I’ve decided to go in a different direction with the defensive coordinator’s position,” said coach Lovie Smith. “I really appreciate the job Ron did for us for three years and I’m excited about his future going in a different direction. But it’s my job to put us in the best situation to move forward and I think this will give both of us a chance to go in the direction we’d like to.”
.
.
Rivera wasn't out of work for long. Late Monday he accepted a job as linebackers coach with the Chargers. Earlier in the day, San Diego had named Norv Turner, brother of Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, as their new head coach.
Smith was asked how his coaching staff is better without Rivera.
“I think you should trust me as the head football coach to put us in the best position to win football games,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. I feel comfortable that we’ll have an outstanding staff next year and put ourselves in a good position to win.”
Smith denied that philosophical differences led to the Bears parting ways with Rivera.
“It’s none of that at all,” he said. “Ron had the same philosophy that we have his entire time here. You'll always do things differently if you're some other place. You'll never do things exactly the same way. But there was never a problem with our philosophy. We played great defense while Ron was here and we’re going to play good defense now that Ron is gone.”
When asked about performance issues, Smith said: “Those are the things Ron and I talked about. We feel good about the things we did together during that time, but no more needs to be said about that. That’s between he and I.
"It’s just a fit that we have and right now the direction I would like to go and the direction that Ron would like to go. We’re going in two different directions."
Rivera was asked by a reporter whether there was a personality conflict between him and Smith.
“I don’t think there is, I really don’t,” he said. “I believe this is just a football decision and it was made. Emotionally, I’m disappointed in not getting the opportunity to come back in ’07 because as I said after the (Super Bowl) loss, this is a football team that’s headed in the right direction.
“(There are) a lot of quality football players on this roster … and I really believe that this football team has every opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl next season.”
Butkus hired: In other news Monday, the Bears hired Luke Butkus as assistant offensive line coach.
Butkus, the nephew of Bears legend Dick Butkus, was signed by Chicago as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Illinois in 2002, went to training camp with the Bears and was waived on Sept. 1, 2002.
Butkus was a graduate assistant at the University of Oregon the past two seasons.
