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Bears | Rivera not renewed, team likely to promote Babich
Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:47:12 -0800 KFFL.com

Jay Glazer, of FOXSports.com, reports the Chicago Bears have opted not to renew the contract of defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, leaving one of the top defensive minds in the game without a job. The team wanted to pursue a long-term plan for the position due to Rivera's candidacy for numerous head coaching positions and head coach Lovie Smith felt the need to move in a different direction sooner rather than later. Smith will likely promote linebackers coach Bob Babich to the newly-vacated defensive coordinator position.
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All those interviews for HC and then he loses his job..

Boneheaded.

Thats cold.

Is this the same Bob Babich who played linebacker for the Browns?

Apparently not:

From NFL.com

Bob Babich, asst. head coach/linebackers; born February 20, 1961, Aliquippa, Pa. Linebacker Mesa (Colo.) C.C. 1979-1980, Tulsa 1981-82. no pro playing experience. College coach: Tulsa 1984-87, 1990, Wisconsin 1988-89, Bowling Green 1991, East Carolina 1992-93, Pittsburgh 1994-96, North Dakota State 1997-2002 (head coach). Pro coach: St. Louis Rams 2003, joined Bears in 2004.

Wow, that's surprising the way it went down.

I wonder if there is more to it than that.

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Wow, that's surprising the way it went down.

I wonder if there is more to it than that.

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Wouldn't there almost have to be... he's a heck of a DC,,, you don't let a guy like that get away if you don't have to..

Them just coming off of a SB loss,,,, You'd think that having him for another year would be a good thing as they probably think (rightfully so) that they could make another run for it,,,,,

yeah, I would say there is more to it,,

Bears won't renew Rivera's contract

Jay Glazer / FOXSports.com
Posted: 2 hours ago

Bears head coach Lovie Smith is making long-term plans for the future of the team and one of the plans could surprise many Bears fans.

FOXSports.com has learned that Chicago has decided to not renew the contract of defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Team sources say that Smith and Rivera met recently and agreed to allow Rivera to pursue other opportunities. The sources also contend that Smith will likely end up promoting Bob Babich from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.

People inside the Bears saw this coming for a while as Babich has been reached out to from a handful of teams in the last two off-seasons and Smith, who unlike many other coaches does not block his assistants from moving up, did not want to lose him. Thus, the head coach had a tough decision to make and promoting Babich was his choice.

Babich is also viewed as more of a long-term option for Smith as Rivera was in the running for several head coaching jobs this off-season and last year. To this point, however, he has failed to land one. He did not sign an extension last off-season, which allowed him to be a free agent after the Bears' Super Bowl run. Most teams figured he'd get one of the vacant head coaching openings and as a result has been left out in the cold.

As for a defensive coordinator opening, there's only one open right now and that is Ted Cottrell's for the taking in San Diego. Still, now that Rivera is officially free another team may decide to make a run at a man who helped guide a unit to this year's prized game.

Rivera has been with Smith since he took over the head coaching duties in Chicago.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6485778

Suprising......

He's one heck of a D Coordinator though, to bad we don't have a hole to fill at DC right

Who's our DLine coach?

Excellent thought. I don't know if his pride will let him take a position coach job but a few bucks has been known to make pride disappear for a lot of people.

All we have to do is give him $$$ and a fancey title ( Defensive asst. coach to the head coach of the vice president )

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North Dakota State 1997-2002 (head coach).

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Oh yeah, I think I've heard of him.

This is going to be one of the big stories of the year when, all the truths come out. I don't think Ron will be out of a job very long, unless he ends up being "black balled" as what happen the New York Islanders coach Ted Nolan by the NHL. I guess we will just have to wait to see how the story unfolds. I think the Bears GM, Gerry Deangelo is one of the brighter GMs in the league and for this to happen is really a shock. As they say "There's some rotten in Copenhagen". JMHO

guess defensive coordinators have to win big games too.. lol..

WE GOTTA GET THIS GUY!


i thought id be first

Rivera joins the Chargers as linebackers coach
By John Clayton
ESPN.com


Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera may have lost out to Norv Turner for the chance to be San Diego's head coach, but the Chargers got the best of all worlds.

Rivera accepted a job to be a linebackers coach hours after learning his contract would not be extended by the Bears. For the Chargers, general manager A.J. Smith and Turner, it was a major coup in trying to move closer to a championship run.

After what was considered an excellent interview for the head coaching job, Rivera told the Chargers and Turner he was willing to discuss a position on the staff. Turner hired Ted Cottrell as the defensive coordinator, but Rivera was an object of private discussions all day.

For Rivera, the idea of joining the Chargers was another way to improve his stock for a future head coaching job. Rivera was defensive coordinator of a Super Bowl team, but he was pigeonholed in some ways. He was considered a 4-3 defensive specialist and so many of the opening this year wanted coaches with 3-4 experience.

The Chargers liked the idea of bringing in Rivera to help improve their third-and-long package along with coaching the linebackers. Coming from a 4-3 scheme, Rivera can offer suggestions to improve the third-down pass rush. Most 3-4 teams go to a four-man line in third-and-long situations.

Plus, Rivera could enhance his resume this season by learning the 3-4. He's had eight interviews for head coaching jobs but has not been able to secure one. Getting the 3-4 experience might be the edge he needs to get a 2008 head coaching job in what is expected to be a wide-open market.

Rivera will work with John Pagano, a linebacker coach who is currently under contract and expected to stay. The Chargers like having two linebacker coaches. Earliers this month they lost linebacker coach Greg Manusky, who joined the San Francisco 49ers as the defensive coordinator.

In getting Rivera, the Chargers believe they put a cap on what was an important day in getting ready for the 2007 season.

u know what.. i thought that would happen!!

could I ask for the link ?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2771716

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/02/19/rivera.chargers/index.html

Well, I expect Rivera will be a Head Coach in the next season or two.

Great. Now Merriman's going to have 23892387 sacks.