Everything's in the details for schedule-maker Smith
The players attended a meeting Monday to deal with ticket distribution and logistical issues, as scheduled. They were given days off Tuesday and today, as scheduled. They will hold their first practice for the Super Bowl on Thursday at Halas Hall, just as they knew they would weeks ago.
''I am a detail guy,'' Smith said. ''Right now, we have a schedule for the entire year done. The offseason program, minicamps, training camp -- for the most part, it's done. We just don't know exactly what day we start training camp. But for the most part, you have to stay with a schedule. ... I believe in staying with a plan.''
Things will be interesting at Halas Hall today, even with the players enjoying a day off. Team president Ted Phillips and general manager Jerry Angelo will meet with the media and no doubt will be asked about extending Smith's contract. Angelo's own extension is done and in a drawer somewhere, but it won't be announced until after the Super Bowl, one source said, to prevent Smith's extension from being a distraction.
Phillips said last week that he and Smith's agent, Frank Bauer, had some discussions before the playoffs began but mutually agreed to put off negotiations until after the Super Bowl run. That's the message he is expected to deliver again today.
Contrary to a written report and Phillips' own statements late in the season, the contracts of pro personnel director Bobby DePaul and director of college scouting Greg Gabriel expire in March. Both men play huge roles behind the scenes and have been essential to the Bears' success.
Five other members of the coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, special-teams coordinator Dave Toub and receivers coach Darryl Drake, also will be free agents at the end of the season. Phillips no doubt will be asked about the timetable for bringing such important employees back.
It's mind-boggling that a billion-dollar organization that has reached the Super Bowl through strict salary-cap management fueled by identifying talented players and locking them up to long-term deals could find its sustainability threatened by management oversight. Especially because the coach is a guy who has kept his eye on the prize for three years.
''It's not a total shock to us where we are,'' Smith said. ''We saw ourselves being in this position.''
Much has been written about Smith's relationship with Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, but he also learned a lot from his years under Mike Martz with the St. Louis Rams. Gleaning what he could from both coaches, he developed a plan. Accorsi said the first question he asked Smith was what he would do if the Giants hired him on the spot. Smith reached into his briefcase and handed Accorsi and team owner John Mara, who was sitting in on the interview, a notebook that contained everything from the aforementioned yearlong schedule to interview questions for assistant coaches to policies about team travel and discipline.
''It was a manual,'' Accorsi told the newspaper. ''It was the best I've ever seen. It accounted for everything.''
Smith laughed at the idea that Accorsi kept the file and still has a copy of it somewhere. He said he didn't give it to Accorsi as much as he declined to ask for it back.
''You don't know what you are supposed to do,'' Smith said. ''What is the proper etiquette when you go into an interview, leave it or take it?''
Does it bother Smith that the master plan is out there?
''We have, of course, refined it quite a bit,'' he said with a laugh.
The Bears are ahead of schedule in the minds of some, but Smith's timetable always runs smoothly.
''Guys want structure like that,'' he said, referring to the playoff calendar. ''They want to know everything in advance on what they are going to do, and that's what we try to do for them. We dissected each day and knew exactly what we have to get done, and that's what we do. We're doing it right now. We're crossing off days.''
It's one happy countdown.