Lovie has found a way

MIAMI -- We've been seeing Tony Dungy for a while. The Colts have been in the news a lot during this century. We have something of a read on Tony Dungy.

But we're just learning about the Other Guy.

Even a year ago, when the Bears went 11-5 and got into the playoffs, we didn't learn much about their coach, and about all we did was ask, "What kind of a name is Lovie?" (He was named after his aunt Lavanna.) I think we'd all agree: In a "Boy Named Sue" sense, it takes a pretty tough man to negotiate his way through life when his first name is "Lovie."

Well, maybe not "tough." How about "secure"?

He's about as "secure" in his job as any professional football coach can be. In other words, he will sign a lucrative new contract when the Super Bowl is over and someday he either will be fired or will leave for another job a step ahead of the posse. There just aren't many Bill Cowhers around.

But whatever happens, good or bad, Lovie Smith will remain secure. He never questions who he is.

"The one word we hear from the players on the subject of Lovie," says one Chicago media member, "is 'consistent.' No matter what happens, Lovie is consistent."

Lovie doesn't yell and Lovie doesn't swear. (The same is true of Lovie's friend, Tony Dungy.) Take both of those options away and at least half of America's professional and college coaches would not be able to function.

So how does he make his points?

"We have a coach who isn't a yeller or a screamer," acknowledges cornerback Nathan Vasher. "What he always talks about is being a real man, and we have real men on this team. What he wants us to know is that it is not about you. It's about the team."

Lovie Smith is a soft-spoken, plain-speaking man from the East Texas town of Big Sandy. In a pigskin-crazed state, Lovie was something special, because he had a wider vision than the garden-variety all-state kind of player.

The adolescent Lovie Smith was a leader. He always knew his destiny was coaching -- and so did everyone else. Lovie was given coachlike responsibilities with regard to calls on both offense and defense. There aren't too many NFL types who can say that.

The modest Smith typically downplays his precocity. While acknowledging that indeed he had his sights set on coaching from an early age, he says, "As we look at our football team, or most football teams, you'll see players who are capable of making calls if they had to. It just so happens I was able to do it at an early age."

This is Year 3 of his tenure with the Bears, and he says he isn't particularly surprised to be standing before us as head coach of the NFC entrant in the Super Bowl.

"This is what we talked about when we started," he explains. "The plan was for it to happen that quickly. We talked about beating Green Bay. We talked about winning the division. And we talked about winning the Super Bowl."

The Bears were 5-11 in Lovie's first year. They reversed the digits last season before losing a disappointing 29-21 decision to the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs. They just weren't quite ready.

"We set the goal to get to the Super Bowl last year," says wide receiver Bernard Berrian. "This year I think we really meant it. We took it to heart, as opposed to last year."

One reason for that might be the person who has been discussed at greater length this year than all other Bears put together. The Bears were trying to win the 2005 NFL championship with Kyle Orton as their No. 1 quarterback. Wow. Orton completed a measly 51 percent of his passes. Orton threw nine touchdown passes. Orton threw 13 interceptions. Orton finished with a quarterback rating of 59.7. It was evident the Bears would have a hard time going farther with Kyle Orton as their quarterback.

Enter Rex Grossman, who, had he been healthy, would have been the Bears' No. 1 quarterback last year. With Rex at the helm, the Bears went 13-3 in the 2006 regular season, despite, said many, a Rex Grossman who was statistically inconsistent, if nothing else. Through it all, Lovie Smith stood staunchly behind his besieged QB. And he's still behind him.

"We've had a chance to prepare ourselves for this," Smith says in reference to the media bombardment his quarterback will be subjected to this week. "He's had to deal with it all year. We know you want to tell him how bad he is, and we're not buying into that. Rex is an excellent football player. We like him leading our team. He's done well all year."

Surely Rex must have done something to displease his coach this year. I mean, the guy did have games with QB ratings of 0.0 and 1.3. Were Rex playing for, say, Bill Parcells, he might have had the mentor's voice ringing in his ears every now and then. But he never had that worry with Lovie.

"Because Lovie treats us like men, and expects us to be men," explains defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, "you know when you mess up. He doesn't have to tell you. Yes, he may call someone into the office on Monday morning and tell you about it, but that's it."

That's "tell" you, not "yell at you."

This measured approach works only if the players are thoroughly convinced the coach has something to sell.

They're here. I think we have our answer to that.

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. His e-mail is ryan@globe.com.