Lovie Smith has Bears history on his side

Even if the Chicago Bears fail to make the playoffs despite a dominant start to the season, franchise history indicates that head coach Lovie Smith will likely be brought back for the 2013 season, John Mullin of CSN Chicago writes. Mullin believes that it will take more than simply missing the postseason for Smith to be ousted.

For Smith, who Mullin describes as a "well-liked coach who began this season 14 games over .500 for his career," a firing likely would require a "near epic collapse in multiple 'bad' losses," something that's admittedly unlikely even with the barrage of injuries to hit the Bears' roster.

Mullin notes that some in the organization wanted to sever ties with Smith when the team fired general manager Jerry Angelo last offseason, but the team ultimately decided to retain his services, partially because of the $11 million that was still owed to him.

Considering that the Bears have typically preferred to be less than reactive when firing head coaches -- something that Mullin outlines with the respective situations of past Bears coaches Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron -- the odds seem to be pointing towards a Lovie return.