Chicago Bears fans have plenty of fond memories of Lovie Smith. After all, he was the last coach to actually produce a winning season for the franchise. He led them to the Super Bowl and ushered in a memorable era of defensive football. As time goes on it’s hard not to appreciate him more and more for what he accomplished. Matt Nagy has big shoes to fill in that regard.
Well if fans didn’t like him enough as is, they’re going to feel a bit more affection for the old coach when they hear a tale of one his exploits during his brief run down in Tampa Bay. During his first year there in 2014, the Buccaneers offense was a mess. It needed upgrades, especially at wide receiver.
They coveted big Texas A&M target Mike Evans but didn’t want anybody to know about it. Conveniently most perceived they also had a glaring need at quarterback. So Smith decided to hatch a deception plan. One that the Tampa Bay media is still sore about to this day.
Lovie Smith used Johnny Manziel as cover to mask Evans interest
“Full confession. In 2014, Lovie Smith’s first season as the Bucs head coach, he set a trap before the draft. I took the cheese.
Coincidentally, the Bucs owned the No. 7 pick. Veteran quarterback Josh McCown had signed as a free agent from the Bears. Smith relegated Mike Glennon to No. 2.
The Bucs’ real target in the draft was a star at Texas A&M. But which one?
Smith did not want all the mock drafts zeroing in on their top guy. Rightly or wrongly, he believed he needed a smokescreen.
Of course, we all know now that receiver Mike Evans was the Bucs’ true target. But Smith and other members of the organization deliberately professed their love for quarterback Johnny Manziel.
That’s right, Johnny Football.
Just imagine.
Smith sort of piled on the cow chips. He attended Manziel’s pro day. He talked about all the fall Saturdays he spent on the couch at his home near Chicago watching college football, sometimes with former Cal coach Jeff Tedford, whom he would hire as offensive coordinator.
The game has changed, he insisted. The NFL was changing with it.”
Knowing Smith as we do in Chicago, the idea he would’ve coveted Manziel back then is ridiculous. The character issues alone likely had him off the Buccaneers’ board entirely. Still, the quarterback euphoria was real in 2014. With the frequent visits to Texas A&M, it was hard not to get carried away with the idea. One can also criticize Smith for not attacking quarterback sooner.
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Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, and Jimmy Garoppolo were all available when they picked. They passed on Garoppolo twice. The team went 2-14 and the next year they took Jameis Winston #1 overall. However, Smith would only survive that season before being replaced by Dirk Koetter. His Tampa Bay run was disappointing, but it at least has one great story.
